 | Cwen: Encyclopedia II - Cwen - History
Cwen - History
The Kvens have - throughout the known history - been great seamen and fishermen, and thus the main Kven population centers all around the historic Kvenland territories have located along big bodies of waters, such as the Gulf of Bothnia, the Atlantic Ocean, the Arctic Ocean, the Barents Sea and the White Sea, and by the large fjords such as the Varanger Fjord, and by large lakes such as the Lake Inari, and by large rivers such as the Cwenland river (a.k.a. River Kalix in Swedish or Kainuujoki in Finnish), the Torne River, the Kemijoki River, etc.
Already during the first millennium A.D. the northernmost Finns on the Scandinavian peninsula were called Cwens by the Norse (today Norwegians) - and to a large extend by others as well -, and at the time nearly all major wars, border disputes, trade and cultural exchanges up in Northern Scandinavia took place between the Norse and the Cwens.
In the return of the second millennium A.D. the Finnish Karelians - sometimes with the support of the Slavic groups, such as the Novgorodians - participated in the border and other disputes near and within Cwenland. In the Middle Ages and during the Viking Age Cwenland covered the vast majority of the Northern Scandinavian and Fennoscandian territories.
In the epic Finnish Kalevala legend - as in Finnish language in general - Cwenland has always been known as Kainuu or Kainu. Compared with the modern day Finnish province of Kainuu the traditional, historic territories of Kainuu - i.e. Cwenland - reached much further up north-west and north than at the present time.
In the past, centuries ago, the traditional lands of the Cwens (a.k.a. the Cwenland, Kvenland, Kveenland or Quenland) reached all the way from the above mentioned coastal areas of the Arctic Ocean in the northernmost tip of the Scandinavian peninsula down to the middle parts of today's Sweden and Finland, reaching - on the Finnish side - the moderm day provinces of Kainuu and Oulu (Oulun lääni in Finnish) and - on the Swedish side - the areas by the Gulf of Bothnia, including the modern day cities of Luleå and Umeå, and - on the west-east dimension - from the coastal areas of the Atlantic Ocean in North-Western Scandinavia near the modern day Norwegian Lofot Islands all the way to the White Sea in east (now part of Russia).
Traditionally - already during the Viking Age, and before -, the Norwegians have called the above described area - i.e. the entire northernmost territories of Scandinavia, east from the Norwegian Atlantic coast - Cwenland, the land of the Cwens (or Cweens, Kvens, Kveens, Quens, Queens) . By Cwens the Norwegians have always meant the extreme northernmost Scandinavian people of Finnic background (discluding the Finnic Samis) whome the Finnish people have throughout the known history known as the people of Kainuu, a.k.a. kainuulaiset.
In Finland, the entire northern part of the historic Cwenland within the modern day Finnish boundaries has for the last several centuries been referred to as Lapland. Cwenland - Kainuu - in today's Finland is a province southeast from the province of Lapland. The modern day province of the Finnish Kainuu no longer reaches the Baltic Sea, nor the White Sea, nor the areas by the Varanger Fjord by the Barents Sea.
It was previously assumed by historians that regions in today's Southern Lapland and below were not inhabited by the South Sami groups, and hence Cwens were the only true indiginous people of those regions. This statement is not supported by modern research.
The earliest known written mentionings of the Cwens in history are from the early Viking Age. However, the stories and legends of the Finnish epic Kalevala are - to a large extend - based on the history of the Cwens (kainuulaiset/kainulaiset in Finnish) and Cwenland (Kainuu/kainu in Finnish).
The most recent studies - the latest ones in 2005 having concentrated in research and findings at the Enontekiö, Inari and Suomussalmi districts in Northern Finland - support the view that as much as the Samis also the Finns - historically referred to as Cwens up north - are indiginous for the areas they have throughout the known history inhabited, i.e. at least since the end of the last ice age in Scandinavia, approximately over 10 000 years ago. A number of other archeological findings in Finland - dating approximately 7500-8500 BC (the end of last ice age in the area) - also support this view.
Other related archives"Saami", 10th century, 1133, 1154, 1187, 11th century, 1251, 1271, 13th century, 1490, 1557, 17th century, 1809, 1860s, 18th century, 1944, 19th century, 20th century, 21st century, 6th century, 870, 9th century, Account of the Viking Othere, Al Idrisi, Alfred the Great, Alta, Arctic Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Balsfjord, Barents Sea, Bjarmaland, Bjarmians, Bjarmland, British Isles, Bugoynes, Børselv, Cwen, Cwenland, Cwens, East Karelians, Egil, England, English, Enontekiö, Fenni, Fenno-Ugric, Fennoscandian, Finland, Finland-Swedes, Finnic, Finnic people, Finnish, Finnish language, Finnish war, Finnmark, Finno-Ugric languages, Finns, Grand Duchy of Finland, Great Britain, Greater Finland, Gulf of Bothnia, Hålogaland, Inari, Ingrians, Kainuu, Kalevala, Kalix, Karelians, Kemijoki, Kingdom of Sweden, Kirkenes, Kola Norwegians, Kveens, Kvenland, Kvens, Lake Inari, Lapland, Luleå, Lyngen, Magnus Ladulås, Meänkieli, Middle Ages, Neiden, Nordic, Nordreisa, Norse, Norse sagas, Northern Norway, Norway, Norwegian, Norwegians, Novgorod, Novgorodians, Nór, Olaus Magnus, Orkneyinga saga, Orosius, Ostrobothnia, Ottar, Ottar from Hålogaland, Oulu, Petsamo, Porsanger, Republic of Finland, Russia, Russian, Russians, Sami, Scandinavia, Scandinavian, Scandinavian folklore, Skibotn, Skogfinner, Slavic, Storfjord, Suomussalmi, Sweden, Sweden Finns, Sweden-Finland, Swedes, Swedish, Swedish realm, Sør-Varanger, Tana, Tavastians, Tavastland, Torne River, Torne River Valley, Torne Valley, Tornedalians, Tornio, Troms, Umeå, Vadso, Varanger Fjord, Varangians, Vardo, Vepsians, Vepsä, Vestre Jakobselv, Viking, Viking Age, Vikings, White Sea, White sea, catholic, dialect, first millennium, orthodox, wars having to do with Finland
 Adapted from the Wikipedia article "History", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki |
