The Kvens flag or the "Kven flag" was designed by Bengt Johansson-Kyrö, who took the motif of the sun flower (sunflower) from the traditional motifs of käsityö (the Kven homemaking culture).

The Kven flag (Kven: kvääniflaku; Norwegian: Kvenflagget) is a flag that since 2009 has been used by Kvens in Norway, Sweden and Finland. The flag was designed by Bengt Johansson-Kyrö.[1]

Design

The Kven flag was designed by the artist Bengt Johansson-Kÿrö. The flag has a dark blue background and a motif of a sunflower or sunflower (Kven: "aurinkonkukka" or "auringonkukka") which has been found on several artifacts such as hunting horns, looms, and boats,[2] and is still used in traditional käsityö (Kven handicrafts).

Use of the flag

The flag design was ready in 2007. The Kvenlandsförbundet organized a competition to have a Kven flag made. Johansson-Kyrö's design won the competition.[3] It was only in 2009 that the Kvenlandsförbundet decided to adopt the flag. This happened at a meeting with members from Norway, Sweden and Finland.[4]

The flag was first used on a public flagpole outside the town hall in Kiruna on Kven people's day in 2013.[5] In 2017, the flag was hung at the Town Hall in Storfjord municipality.[3]

At the national board meeting of the Norwegian Kven Organization on 29-30 April 2017, the flag was also adopted by the KNF.[6]

In March 2018, among others, Kvænangen raised the Kven flag for the first time,[7] as did Nordreisa,[8] Porsanger[9] and Troms municipality,[10] and in March 2019 the flag was raised in Tromsø on Kven people's day.[11]

In 2018, the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development refused a request from the Norwegian Kven Organization for public approval of the Kven Flag. The ministry said at the same time that Norwegian municipalities and others were free to use the flag to mark Kven People's Day and other events.[12]

In 2022, 15 years after the creation of the flag, Johansson-Kyrö was awarded the first Nordic Kven culture prize for his efforts. The reason for the prize states:

transl. Since 2007 and 2013, the flag has become the most important material marker for Kven-Finnish. Johansson-Kyrö's winning entry from 2007 in the Kvenlandsförbundet's competition takes an ancient symbol of Kven and Finns into a sea of new possibilities for all Kven and like-minded people. Bengt Johansson-Kyrö is the rightful recipient of the first Nordic Kven culture prize.[13]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Kvenflagget - Kvääniflaku" [Kven flag]. Norske kveners forbund (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 2023-07-09.
  2. ↑ "Kvenland (Norway)". www.crwflags.com. Retrieved 2023-07-09.
  3. 1 2 Riksforbund, Kvensk Finsk. "1948 - DAGENS HISTORIE". Kvensk Finsk Riksforbund (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 2023-07-09.
  4. ↑ Larsen, Dan Robert (2017-05-18). "Endelig et felles flagg for kvenene" [Finally a common flag for the Kven]. NRK (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 2023-07-09.
  5. ↑ "Kvänfolkens dag i Kiruna". Kvenlandsförbundet. 18 March 2013. Retrieved 2023-07-09.
  6. ↑ "Kvenene har fått sitt felles flagg!" [The kven have got their common flag!]. Norske kveners forbund (in Norwegian Bokmål). 2017-05-16. Retrieved 2023-07-09.
  7. ↑ "Godt nytt år!" [Happy New Year!]. Kvanangen kommune (in Norwegian). 2018-12-31. Retrieved 2023-07-09. I mars heiste Kvænangen for første gang Kvenflagget. Kvænangen Qven og sjøsamisk forening overrakte kommunen v/ Gargo et eksemplar av flagget. Vi fikk på plass et flaggreglement og har bestilt inn ytterligere et flagg for å flagge fra kommunehuset i 2019.
  8. ↑ "Onnee kväänikansan päiväle! Gratulerer med kvenfolkets dag!" [Congratulations on Kven’s Day!]. Nordreisa kommune. 2018-03-16. Archived from the original on 2019-11-15. Retrieved 2023-07-09.
  9. ↑ Hansen, Lill Vivian (2018-03-03). "Hvor kan vi heise kvenflagget?" [Where can we raise the kven flag?]. Ruijan Kaiku (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 2023-07-09.
  10. ↑ "Det kvenske flagget heist for første gang på kvenfolkets dag" [The Kven flag was raised for the first time on Kven People's Day]. Troms county (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 2019-11-15. Retrieved 2023-07-09.
  11. ↑ Monsen, Heidi Nilima (2019-03-16). "Kvenflagget til topps i Tromsø" [The kven flag to the top in Tromsø]. Ruijan Kaiku (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 2023-07-09.
  12. ↑ Lanes, Laila (2018-03-07). "Kvenflagget blir ikke offentlig godkjent" [The kven flag is not publicly approved]. NRK (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 2023-07-09. Men kommunene og andre står fritt til å bruke det uten en offentlig godkjenning, skriver Kommunal- og moderniseringsdepartementet i et brev til Norske Kveners Forbund.
  13. ↑ Riksforbund, Kvensk Finsk (2022-07-05). "Kirunamøtet" [The Kiruna meeting]. Kvensk Finsk Riksforbund (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 2023-07-09.
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