Lögberg-Heimskringla - 31.08.1990, Page 5

Lögberg - Heimskringla • Föstudagur 31. ágúst 1990 • 5
Now in paperback
Afecf/eval Kceland
Society, Sagas, and Power
JESSE L BYOCK
The history of medieval Europe is
incomplete if it does not take Iceland
into account. This book is an exciting
new exploration of the way Iceland’s
social order came into being. Using all
the available sources - the medieval
Icelander’s historical writings, exten-
sive saga literature, and intricate laws
- Byock paints a compelling picture of
how medieval Iceland operated.
Discovered in the ninth century by
Norse seamen, the island was rapidly
settled in what was the first great Eu-
ropean migration west across the At-
lantic. For more than three centuries
Iceland was an independent country, a
society of settled pastoralists who lived
on scatteredfarmsteads alongthe coast.
The country’s development was dic-
tated by competition for limited re-
sources, especially land. The govern-
ment that evolved was unusual, and
the central dynamic of power within
the society, the relationship between
chieftain s and free farmers, dominated
how wealth was exchanged.
The author imcovers fundamental
pattems while leading us into the public
and private lives of individuals. His
book deepens our understanding of
crucial social processes and allows us
to discard outdated assumptions that
have for decades impeded the study of
early Iceland and its sagas.
(BYOMEX) ISBN 0-520-06954-4
275 pages, 5-1/2 x 8- 1/4", 8 maps
$10.95 paper World
20% discount price $8.76
Press releasefrom the University of
California Press
July 16th/90
Dear Editor,
For two years running I have now
organized and directed the Icelandic
Pavilion at the Festival ofNations. For
those who don’t know anything about
the festival let me explain briefly that
it is a Folklorama done on a small
scale, put on in rural areas of Mani-
toba. This Festival ofNations has just
completed its third production and
continues to grow in popularity, at-
tracting visitors from Winnipeg and all
over Manitoba, and indeed Canada.
Let me now categorically state: this is
my last time; it is too big a job for one.
However, I am not giving up on the
festival itself. No, indeed, it is a worthy
project, one which clearly demonstrates
the Canadian “mosaic”, although I
prefer to call it Canada’s cultural pal-
ette, which suggests ablendingof colors
with no firm lines drawn between.
I am herewith passing the torch to
the Icelandic National League, or some
other Icelandic group, and I am now
challenging them to take over the
project. I dohope someone will respond
for the project next year. The venue
will be Treherne, and that will make it
fairly accessible to city folk.
If the Icelanders are not interested
in organizing it alone they might con-
sider promoting a general
Scandinavian pavilion with afull slate
of entertaining events plus food. This
year at least two pavilions had liquor
licences, and thatinitself was a strong
attraction. I should mention that each
pavilion must vie for attention so the
most attractive pavilions get the best
crowds. This year Amma’s kitchen was
catering and I fear that it did not get
the kind of response it should have for
the time and effort which the servers
put into it.
Yes, I realize that we Icelanders are
relatively few in number but then
lcelandic Content
on page 8
One of the articles on page 8 is
taken from the Morgunblað and fea-
tures news of the Western Iceland-
ers who visited Iceland this sum-
mer. The other reports on an hon-
our bestowed on Stefan and Olla
Stefanson by the Icelandic
Þjóðræknisfélag.
MESSUBOÐ
Fyrsta Lúterska
Kirkja
Pastor Ingthor I. Isfeld
10:30 a.m. The Service followed by
Sunday School & Coffee hour.
First Lutheran Church
580 Victor St., Winnipeg MB
R3G 1R2 Ph. 772-7444
haven’t we always been proud of our
energy and initiative? Let’s get together
and put on a fine show at Treherne
next year for this worthwhile two-day
festival. I will certainly do my share,
but as I stipulated in my opening, I
refuse to do it solo.
Sincerely,
Paul A. Sigurdson
P.S. I should add that the Festival
is supported hy the Multicultural de-
partment and pays 50% of incurred
expenses.
Aug. 20, 1990
Dear editor,
We all enjoy the paper, and are
seeing the young people anxious to
know more about their heritage.
Thanks!
Metta Johnson
Eddystone, Manitoba
Dear editor,
Remember my suggestion that we
ask people with special licence plates
to send photos of themselves and their
licence — well here is one. This is my
cousin Gail Einarson McCleery and
her husband Eric. They live inToronto.
When they went to purchase “Gimli”
they found someone in Ontario had
already taken it, so they added a 2
making it “Gimli 2”.
Are there some more interesting
plates out there?
Lorna Tergesen
Winnipeg
Dear editor,
We have been very disappointed in
Lögberg-Heimskringla in the past few
months as it has nothing of interest for
us in the Interlake.We are not very
interested in book reviews and reading
how good our Icelandic authors are
supposed to be. Nor are we very inter-
ested in clippings from the Icelandic
papers.
If we cannot write about our Ice-
landic Canadians in this country and
its people and its clubs and activities
there is little reason for the existence of
the paper. Now we scan the paper in a
few minutes and throw it away. We can
see little point in renewing our sub-
scription if the paper continues in its
present form.
Yours truly,
Anna Reykdal
Ashem, Manitoba
Thank you for Helping
The Icelandic National League
and the Icelandic Festival Commit-
tee want to thank all those who
responded to the Guðrún Gísladóttir
fund. The amount received to date
is close to $1200.
It is with a great deal of sadness
that we inform you that Guðrún
suffered a second aneurysm on Aug.
9 and passed away on Aug. 10.
Loss of a loved one is always
difficult. This loss has been magni-
fied for her husband Sigurður
Runólfsson and daughter Lilja in
that the tragedy struck while on
their first visit to Canada and “New
Iceland”.
Sigurður has expressedhis grati-
tude to those who were directly in-
volved in assisting him on a day to
day basis. He was equally apprecia-
tive when he learned that the Ice-
landic community cared enought to
try to help through the establish-
ment of the “fund”. Therefore on
behalf of Sigurður and Lilja the
I.N.L. and I.F.C. express his kindest
thanks for those donations and
equally important the warmth they
reflect.
THE FAIREST FARES
OFALLTO
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