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During the 1700s, motivated by a religious agenda, the Norwegian government began implementing a series of assimilation policies geared toward the country’s indigenous groups, namely the Sámi and, later, the Kven people.

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The Sámi population has inhabited northern regions of Russia, Sweden, Finland, and Norway for centuries. Norway hosts the largest Sámi population of its neighbors.

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Groups such as the Kvens and the Forest Finns are smaller in number but have been living in today’s Norway for approximately 500 years.

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The nationalization of these indigenous communities was part of a campaign to ‘civilize’ indigenous groups into a Norwegian nationalist agenda.

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Missionaries flooded Sámi territories well into the 1800s. Similar to other European colonial initiatives, religious outreach was used to inform the ideology of nationalism.

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Under this initiative, the Sámi language and culture were considered a threat to adequate religious practices and to the evolution of the Norwegian state. Until the 1960s, Sámi languages were forbidden in official institutions, including schools.

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Samerettsutvalget emerged in the 1980s as a movement to fight for the rights of the Sámi people, as well as other ethnic groups in Norway.

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Traveler communities throughout the Nordic countries were subjected to similar policies in Norway. These policies included forced settlement and taking children away from their families, placing them in orphanages and foster care schemes.

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Nearly one-third of all Tater/Romani children were abducted by the Norwegian state. Similar to campaigns by the Danes, Canadians, Australians, and other initiatives conducted by colonial nations, children were often subjected to neglect and maltreatment.

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These are just a few examples of the methods that the Norwegian state utilized to force the assimilation of indigenous peoples and minority groups in Norway. The effects remain evident today.

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Minority and indigenous groups continue to experience the effects of harmful nationalist policies. In addition to reduced access to healthcare, their languages remain endangered, and they experience harassment from other groups in Norwegian society.

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At the root of the ongoing effects of these policies is the lack of education in Norwegian society. The overwhelming majority of Norwegians are unaware of the assimilation policies that these groups were subjected to.

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Despite their lack of knowledge about these policies, negative stereotypes still frame how Norwegians think of these groups, and therefore, their behavior toward them.

Pictured is a still from a Sami wedding.

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In a report issued in 2023 by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, testimonies were gathered, noting that the Norwegianization of indigenous and minority groups resulted in the deliberate elimination of their language and culture.

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On November 12, 2024, the Norwegian Parliament issued an official apology for its policies, accompanied by a series of measures that the country will implement to address the harm it has caused.

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While King Harald V had previously issued an apology to the Sámi people, this is the first time the Kvens and the Forest Finns have also been acknowledged.

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The President of the Sámi Parliament of Norway, Silje Karine Muotka, acknowledged the importance of the Norwegian government’s decision, noting that this process makes way for the possibility of reconciliation.

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While the Sámi population constitutes the largest indigenous group in Norway, today consisting of approximately 100,000 people, other groups, such as the Kvens and the Forest Finns, also received an apology.

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The apology was opposed by the nation’s Progress Party, a far-right movement that simultaneously calls for the Norwegian government to remove itself from all international obligations to preserve indigenous people’s cultures.

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Nonetheless, the Norwegian government issued a series of 17 measures to accompany their apology to indigenous groups, 13 of which were approved during the meeting.

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These measures place particular emphasis on revitalizing indigenous languages through course offerings and cultural spaces.

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Measures to revert Norwegianized names back to native names are also on the table, in addition to the protection of indigenous heritage.

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Research and documentation on Norwegianization policies will also take effect, to ensure the transparency of the actions that were committed and a full understanding of their impact.

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Public employees will also receive specific education on indigenous peoples, rights, cultures, and other information, to create better integration within the public system.

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The measures to implement the reconciliation policy will be included in Norway’s national budget beginning in 2026. The government will be required to report on the progress of the measures it has taken to remain accountable for its commitments.

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The Sámi Parliament of Norway reiterated that the process of reconciliation should also include financial and legal measures, particularly with regard to land and water.

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The government’s apology comes on the heels of decades of environmental movements that the Sámi have organized regarding the establishment of wind turbines, a hydroelectric dam, mining activities, and unauthorized land use.

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Norway’s initiative coincides with similar initiatives in Sweden and Finland, which are both conducting Truth and Reconciliation investigations into their own governments’ actions toward the Sámi people.

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Following the apology, a lavvu tent—a traditional Sámi structure—was propped in front of the parliament, where discussions were held regarding the policies proposed and the way forward.

Sources: (Democracy Now) (Regjeringen) (Polar Journal) (Life in Norway) (The New York Times)