Lögberg-Heimskringla - 01.08.1980, Side 4

Lögberg-Heimskringla - 01.08.1980, Side 4
4 LÖGBEBG-HEIMSKKINGLA, IIÁTÍÐAKBLAÐ 1980 Len and K aren Vopnfjórd and the Hekla Singers in Que- bec City. THE HEKLA SINGERS IN QUEBEC A group of Icelandic singers were honoured by the provincial government recently when they were chosen to represent Manitoba at an annual cultural festival in Quebec. The Department of Cultural Affairs selected Len and Karen Vopnfjord and the Hekla singers to be Manitoba’s ambassadors at La Societe Des Arts Traditionnels du St. Laurents Folk Arts Festival of Quebec, held June 26th - 29th at St. Octave De 1 Avenir. This spot was, oddly enough, a ghost town, but is now the permanent home of this ethnic celebration. Transportation was kindly provided by the government and the festival itself supplied food and ac- commodations, which they report were excellent. The singers looked smart in traditional Icelandic costumes while performing in the company of other groups representing the Chinese, Hungarian, Polish, French and Spanish cultures among others. The group sang Stod eg ut i tunglsljosi, Ridum Ridum and other Icelandic songs as well as one French tune, Un Canadienne Errante, which the largely francophone audience appreciated and responded to warmly. The Hekla Singers were the only vocal group to take part in the festival, the other groups being dancers. They stayed at St. Anne Du Monts while the festival was on, but later they were able to make a short trip on their own to Quebec City where they all enjoyed seeing some of the country’s most prominent historical sites. Len and Karen Vopnfjord were in charge of the group which included, besides themselves, Kristin and Erica Stewart-Hay, Kris and Lindy Vopnfjord and Tristin Tergesen. Len and Karen have been busy since returning too, being very active on organisational committees for the Winnipeg Folk Festival as well as organising our own Islen- dingadagurinn folk festival. Also since returning, the entire group performed for the Prime Minister and a large crowd at the Winnipeg Convention Centre where they met Mr. Trudeau and even taught him a few words in Icelandic. Congratulations to them all. Congratulations . . . to the lcelandic people on the occasion of the 91. anniversary of their Annual Celebration Day GIMLI MOTORS (1976) LTD. 69 Centre Street — Downtown Gimli CHEVROLET - OLDSMOBILE - PONTIAC - BUICK CHEVROLET and GMC TRUCKC (Gas and Diesel) MERCURY OUTBOARDS JOHN GIESBRECHT Winnipeg Direct 452-8434 DEALER Gimli 642-5133 Jon Olafsson and the Icelandic Festivals in North America Jon Olafsson emigrated from Iceland to North America in 1873. He had, in his paper, Gongu-Hrolfur, attacked Danish authorities in Iceland in such a manner that he faced prosecution and possibly imprisonment. He managed to leave the country for America. He had not been long in Wisconsin when he realized that Icelandic immigrants had little hope of forming an exclusive Icelandic set- tlement in that state. He also quickly noticed that many an Icelander seemed to have lost faith in such an un- dertaking. Optimistic, as he always was, he tried to restore self-confidence among his fellow- countrymen. He knew that most of Wisconsin had been settled, so he felt that the Icelanders had to look elsewhere. Before any plans were made, he knew that he needed the support of people like the Rev. Jon Bjarnason, Olafur Olafsson and Pall Thorlaksson. These men had become leaders among the Icelandic im- migrants in Wisconsin. As a result, their advice was important. He corresponded regularly with Jon Bjar- nason and in a letter of January 12, 1874, he said he was on his way to Milwaukee to organize an Icelandic association for the purpose of planning a search for a permanent settlement site, promote Icelandic sentiment in North America and prepare an Icelandic celebration in Milwaukee on August 2, 1874. A milennial celebration of settlement was to be staged in Iceland on that same day. Olafsson therefore thought that, at this time, a festival in Milwaukee would be an appropriate and excellent opportunity to unite the Icelandic immigrants in Wisconsin in their efforts to find a colony site. His plan worked and on August 2, almost seventy persons gathered in a Norwegian church in Milwaukee. The Milwaukee Festival The Rev. Jon Bjarnason had been asked to deliver the first Icelandic sermon in North America. He pointed out how important it was for the Icelanders in America to preserve their language and heritage and stressed the need for an exclusive Icelandic settlement. Fol- lowing his sermon those in attendance marched to a park nearby where the celebration took place. Jon Jón Ólafsson Olafsson, Olafur Olafsson, Pall Thorlaksson and Jon Bjarnason delivered thoughtful and impressive speeches. Everyone who left the park that evening was confident that most problems facing the Icelandic settlers would soon be solved. Jon Olafsson was elected the president of the Icelandic Association and he used the opportunity to introduce his plan to examine certain areas in Alaska for a future Icelandic settlement. It was his dream to have all Icelandic immigrants settle there and he also felt that Iceland should be depopulated and a new Icelandic state founded in Alaska. Olafsson travelled to Alaska in the fall of 1874 and returned more con- vinced than before that he had discovered New Iceland. In 1875, however, Sigtryggur Jonasson and a few others had secured an area on the west bank of Lake Winnipeg so the Alaska project never materialized. Jon Olafsson in Denmark Once it was obvious that no-one would move to Alaska, Olafsson returned to Iceland, all charges against him having been dropped. He soon became active in Iceland’s struggle for independance and decided, in 1880, to study law at the University of Copenhagen. That university had for centuries been the academic home of Icelandic students and there Olafsson met people like Hannes Hafstein and Gestur Palsson. Mr. Hafstein became one of Iceland’s leading politicians and Gestur Palsson came to Winnipeg to take over the editorship of Heimskringla. The spirit among the Icelandic students in Copenhagen permeated Icelandic culture and literature at the time, and their writings were often highly critical of the in- tellectual and spiritual life of their compatriots. All of them supported Iceland’s struggle for independence and even though they were living abroad, they strove to rouse their fellow- countrymen in Iceland to action. Jon Olafsson was certainly one of these un- tiring fighters. When he returned to Iceland from North America in 1881, he continued to support his friends in Copenhagen in every respect. Back in North America Jon Olafsson returned to North America in 1890 to become the editor of Logberg in Winnipeg. He soon became disappointed in the Icelandic immigrants in the city. He did not find the same enthusiasm among them as he had discovered in Copenhagen. In an article of June 4, 1890 he reminded them of their Icelandic background and suggested an annual event in Winnipeg for the purpose of serving as a means to promote a truly Icelandic spirit. He asked Heimskringla for support in this matter and encouraged Icelanders in North America to organize annual festivals in the same manner. Heimskringla reacted favourably to his suggestion, and people in Winnipeg supported the idea. The first Winnipeg festival was highly successful and, as described elsewhere in this issue, numerous Icelandic festivals were organized both in Canada and the United States during the 1890’s. Jon Olafsson became one of the father’s of the “Islendingadagurinn” as is obvious from what has been said above. Although he was never on the festival committee, he formulated important plans which later found fulfilment in our North American-Icelandic festivals. J. Th. COMPLIMENTS OF . . . Johnson & Sons Arborg Lfd. Yovr Hmm — Airt* mmé hm Smpplf Mm Phon* 376-2972 AMORA MANITOtA

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