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Sweden

Cultural Groups

Recognized Groups

Sweden acknowledges five national minorities: Sámi, Romani and Romani Chib (includes Romani and Travellers), Jews, Sverigefinnar (Swedish Finns) which also includes 20th century Finnish immigrants and Forest Finns, and Tornedalers and Meänkieli. A large number of Germans lived in Sweden from the 14th century, especially in Stockholm as this was the main business center for the Hanseatic League. The Germans were a significant part of Stockholm during the 15th and 16th centuries and had their own parish in Stockholm. During the 17th century the iron working industry received a large number of of specialists (mostly blacksmiths) from the Belgian-French districts of Vallonia/Valois.

Since the end of the second world war Sweden has received many immigrants from Finland, other Nordic countries, and south-eastern Europe, as well as refugees from Africa and the Middle East. These immigrants and their children now comprise about 10% of the total population. In 1993 Sweden had 500,000 resident aliens. Over 100,000 of these were Finns. Other groups include Yugoslavs, Iranians, Norwegians, Danes, Turks, Chileans, Poles, Germans, Britons, Ethiopians, Americans, Lebanese, Greeks, and Romanians.

Sámi

The Sámi (Swedish Samer, Northern Sami: sápmelaččat), are the only indigenous people in the European Union. They also live in Norway, Finland, and Russia. They have also been known as Lapps or Laplanders, but these terms are considered derogatory. However, in historical records, they can often be identified by these terms. In 1977 the Sámi were recognized that "the Sami constitute an original population, which in Sweden is as old as or older than the country's majority population."

In 1993 the Sámi Parliament (Swedish: Sametinget, Northern Sámi: Sámediggi) was established in Kiruna. It functions under the authority of Sweden's Riksdag with responsibility to implement government policy and represent Sámi interests via the elected representatives. The Sámi Parliament does not have power to levy taxes or create laws. As a State agency the parliament reports to the Swedish Ministry of Cultural Affairs.

There are five Sámi dialects in Sweden: Northern (nordsamiska), Lule (lulesamiska), Pite (pitesamiska), Ume (umesamiska), and Southern (sydsamiska). See Sami People for more information about the Sámi in the Nordic countries.

Roma

In Sweden the Roma (pl. Romani) are recognized with their language, Romani or Romani chib being recognized as an official minority language. The first mention of Roma in Sweden is found in a record by the Stockholm City Council, stating tatare arrived in the city from "Little Egypt" along with their wives, children, and infants. The term zigenare, which translates as "gypsy" has also been applied to them, but it is considered to be derogatory. In 1637 the Placat om Tartarens fördrifwande af landet (Placat on the expulsion of the Tartars from the country) all Romani were ordered to leave the country (the Kingdom of Sweden-Finland) within one year and one day, after which they would be declared outlaws and any Roma man could be hanged without trial. This was discontinued in 1748.

In Sweden the Roma are divided into several distinct groups:

• The Kalé who originated in Finland
• Non-Nordic Roma, identified as either Lovari (who speak a dialect influenced by Hungarian and West Slavic dialects) or Kalderash (originating from Romania)
• Newly-arrived Roma from the former Yugoslavia and Eastern Europe
• Travelers (Resandefolket ) who along with the Kalé are the oldest group in the Nordic region

In 2012 the Swedish government launched a long-term strategy that aims to achieve equal opportunities for Roma people by 2032. The strategy is based on human rights, with a particular focus on the principle of non-discrimination. Women and children are prioritised. The strategy includes objectives and measures within several areas: education; work; housing; health, social care and security; culture and language; and organization of civil society. For more information see Romani People.

Jews

It is believed the first Jews entered Sweden along with merchants from the Hanseatic League and that Herman Israels was a merchant who helped finance Gustav Vasa's liberation of Sweden in 1523. In 1770 King Gustav III allowed Jews to settle in Sweden without converting to the Lutheran Church. A 1782 regulation restricted Jews to the cities of Stockholm, Göteborg and Norrköping. They were permitted to establish synagogues in these cities, engage in business, and practice crafts which were not regulated by the guilds. In 1838 these regulations were removed, and in 1870 Jews were granted full rights of citizenship. By 1900 synogogues were established in Göteborg, Karlstad, Malmö, Marstrand, Norrköping, and Stockholm.

Swedish Finns

Swedish Finns are a Finnish-speaking national minority in Sweden whose mother tongue is Finnish. National minority status was granted to Swedish Finns on 1 April 2000. This gives them the right to use Finnish in court and for administrative functions in the geographical areas where the languages have been traditionally used and continue to be used.

The population mix has historical reasons. Following Sweden’s military campaigns in Finland in the 13th century, Finland gradually came under Swedish rule. The country was only separated from Sweden in 1809, with Sweden becoming a constitutional monarchy. The waves of Finnish immigration to Sweden did not stop with the separation of the two countries, because shortly thereafter Finland was occupied by Russia. Then, World War II led to the displacement of about 70,000 Finns to Sweden. The 1950s and 1960s also saw large numbers of Finns moving to Sweden, often for work.

Tornedalers and Meänkieli

These two groups originate in the Torne Valley (Tornedalen), around the Torne River in the far north of Sweden near the border with Finland. When Sweden and Finland were separated in 1809, the northern border was drawn following the Torne, Munio, and Könkämä rivers. The western side of the valley was populated by Tornedalers speaking Meänkieli, a language related to Finnish, Estonian and the Sami language, among others. Tornedalers can be defined in two different ways. Geographically, it can be the people who live along the Torne River. Linguisticaly, it can be the Finnish-speaking people on the Swedish side of the Torne, Muonio and Könkämä rivers. Many Tornedalers speak Swedish, Meänkieli, and Finnish. Meänkieli speak Meänkieli, a Finno-Ugric language that has been an official minority language in Sweden since 2000. There are three main varieties of Meänkieli. They are Tornedal found Pajala, Övertorneå, and Haparanda. Gällivare used in Gällivare, and Lannankieli in Kiruna.