Kvens (Kven: kvääni; Finnish: kveeni; Norwegian: kvener; Swedish: kväner; Northern Sami: kveanat) are a Balto-Finnic[3][4] ethnic group indigenous to the northern regions of Norway, Sweden, Finland and parts of Russia.

There is a theory among some academic groups that due to the discrimination and suppression by the Norwegian authorities the term Kven became derogatory in the late 19th century.

From the 18th century the Kvens started to comprise a significant part of the population in Northern Norway.

[12] Also, the famous map of Scandinavia by Olaus Magnus from 1539 shows a possible Kven settlement roughly in between today's Tromsø and Lofoten named "Berkara Qvenar".

The Kven language has come to incorporate many Norwegian loanwords, and Finnish words that are no longer used in Finland are still used.

In a 2005 government report, the number of people speaking Kven in Norway was estimated to be between 2,000 and 8,000, depending on the criteria used.

[16] In the 1990s there was a debate among Kvens whether they should be considered as an ethnic group of their own, or whether they were Finnish Norwegians.

This has made it important for some Kvens to show that their history stretches further back in time than commonly believed.

There has been some recent unofficial adoption of the word "Kainu" as the new name for "Kven", in accordance with the hypotheses put forward by Finnish historians Jouko Vahtola and Kyösti Julku.

In that treaty, the king of Sweden guaranteed them their trading rights in the north (translation from Latin last printed in 1995, Wallerström, page 48).

Finnish, Meänkieli and Sami are all officially recognised minority languages in the Kiruna Municipality in Sweden.

The newspaper writes mostly about Kven issues, and about the work of strengthening Finnish language and culture in Norway.

Much of it is in a simple white colour, which beyond its historical use serves as a reminder of the reputed cleanliness of the Kvens.

[22] The organization has local branches in: Skibotn, Børselv, Nord-Varanger, Tana, Lakselv, Alta, northern Troms, Tromsø, and Østlandet.

It was founded together with similar organizations in Sweden and Finland in 1999, that jointly uses the name Kvenlandsförbundet (Kveenimaayhistys).

The Kven Finn Association has local chapters all over Norway and is also active regarding reviving the folk music traditions and documenting the history of Finnish speaking people throughout Fennoscandinavia.

[23] It consists of the leader Irene Andreassen, Terje Aronsen, Prof. Anna Riitta Lindgren, Assoc.