The Center Party wants to investigate the indigenous status of Kveeni – news Kveeni

The Center Party may become the first party in Norway to investigate the indigenous status of the ethnic group Kvens/Norwegian Finns. On Thursday, the party came out with a draft of a new parliamentary election programme. Investigating the status is one of the issues the party wants to work on. – Today I am both a proud member of the Center Party and Kven. It is both historic news and great news for all of us Norwegians, says Andrine Hanssen-Seppola (21). She is a leader in Senterungdommen. The investigation into the indigenous status of the Kven has long been one of her causes of struggle. – It is a wonderful feeling to see that the commitment that we in Senterungdommen have shown is actually yielding results. Have hope Today, the Kvens/Norwegian Finns are recognized as one of Norway’s national minorities, together with Jews, Forest Finns, Roma and Romani people. The Sami are the only people group that has the status of indigenous people in Norway and in the rest of Europe. If the draft of the program is adopted by the national meeting of the Center Party next year, it will mean that the party wants a thorough assessment of whether the women can also be given the same status. The 21-year-old sees no reason why the national assembly will not support the investigation. – I feel that the Center Party is concerned that women are heard and taken seriously. The feedback I have received internally has also only been positive, she says. Svein Oddvar Leiros is a Norwegian Sami politician (Sp) who was mayor of Kåfjord municipality from 2015 to 2019. Today he is the municipality’s deputy mayor. Photo: MARIE LOUISE SOMBY / Sámediggi Svein Oddvar Leiros, deputy mayor of Kåfjord municipality (Sp), is one of those who believe that this must become one of the Center Party’s battle issues. – It is fantastically good. It is important that these questions are raised at the highest political level in the country of Norway. He also believes that the rest of the members and the national assembly will support this part of the election programme. – We have always worked and promoted the Kven culture, especially here in the north. It is, for example, the Center Party in Kåfjord that has been given the country’s only women’s political committee. Satisfied The news has also been well received in the Kven community. Bjørnar Seppola, head of the Kven Finnish National Confederation, says they have been trying to get this type of investigation in place for many years. That is why he is happy that a parliamentary party such as the Center Party is now taking up the issue. – We have always maintained that we believe that both Kven and Finn are one of the original peoples of the Nordkalotten, he says to news. Bjørnar Seppola hopes that the Center Party will next work to get the Finnish language back as a minority language for Kvens. Photo: Ingrid Hjellbakk Kvamstø Kristin Mellem, head of the Norwegian Women’s Association, thinks it is good that women’s position in society in general is being discussed. – This, with the status we have, has a lot to say about how far we get with the political and cultural work, she says. – Gaining knowledge about who Kvenner is and in what way we are and have been is extremely important. Kristin Mellem is the head of the largest women’s organization in Norway, Norwegian Women’s Association – Ruijan kvääniliitto. Photo: Nina Rantala Eriksen / news Mellem knows that several of their members have a strong desire for indigenous status, while others are more concerned that it could contribute to polarization between Sami and Kven. – For us, it is important to build good relations with the Sami, our brother people. How Norway chooses to categorize us affects the neighbourhood. Thinking about balance and equality will benefit everyone. In an earlier version of this article, news wrote that Andrine Hanssen-Seppola is a former leader of Senterungdommen. She is still the leader of the youth party, but has announced that she will not stand for re-election. news apologizes for the error. Published 19.09.2024, at 13.19 Updated 19.09.2024, at 13.52



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