Lögberg-Heimskringla - 31.08.1990, Blaðsíða 6

6 • Lögberg - Helmskringla • Föstudagur 31. ágúst 1990
Toast to lceland
±990 íslendingadagurinn at Gimli
given by C. Dennis Anderson
I am honoured to have the opportu-
nity to offer the toast to Iceland at this
lOlst celebration of Islendinga-
dagurinn. As a third generation Cana-
dian Icelander, I have felt the strength
of the roots that bind Icelandic Cana-
dians to the nation of Iceland. I havé
experienced the warmth and friend-
ship of Iceland’s people andhave caught
a glimpse of the intellect, imagination
and independence that characterize
them - my people, your people.
We of Icelandic descent are proud of
our heritage. W e take pride in the rich
cultural history of the tiny nation of
Iceland - a mere 250,000 inhabitants.
We value its literary tradition and
appreciate its dedication to democracy.
We thank it for the parliamentary sys-
tem, an Icelandic invention datingback
to 930 A.D., when the first parliament
met in a natural outdoor forum at
Þingvellir. Above all we are inspired
by the powerful and independent spirit
oflcelanders. Iceland is a nation built
on individual spirit. Ithas a record for
survival against all odds.
In toasting Iceland, we are, in a
number of ways, paying tribute to a
land of contrasts. At first glance, Ice-
land may appear to be playing a joke
on the world. It offers geographic, so-
cial, political and economic contrasts
that startle and amuse.
The name “Iceland” is a misnomer.
Was Raven Flóki joking when in the
9th century he gave the lush green
island the inhospitable label of
“ICEland”? Or did he merely want to
discourage competition for settlement?
This mislabelling has survived centu-
ries. When I was a student at Brandon
University in the early 1960s, the title
of an illustrated talk given by a visit-
ing professor from Iceland was
“Fireland not Iceland”. The professor
went to great lengths to dispel the
image of cold, barren icefields. Today
the country producesbooks andbrands
of vodka entitled “Eldurís” - “Fire and
Ice”.
When the Norwegian explorer
Ingólfur Amarson named his landing
spot in Iceland “Reykjavík”, meaning
“smoky bay”, did he envision a day
1100 years later when thousands of
smokestack-free buildings would crowd
this landscape? Did he contemplate
the hamessing of the hydro-thermal
energy to produce snowfree winter
streets in this, the world’s northem-
most capital city? And did he see the
spectacle of tourists arriving in this
land to enjoy outdoorbathingin Janu-
ary?
And did the architect of nature plan
to tease us by building geysers under
glaciers, volcanoes under water, and
raw lava under colourfully flowered
landscape? In any case, these geo-
graphic contrasts have served as a
foundation for the uniqueness of Ice-
land’s inhabitants: Icelanders with
fertile imaginations, Icelanders with
the ability to work with and survive
the undisputed power of nature.
We also salute a Nation and a peo-
ple of cultural and social contrasts.
Are Icelanders not traditionalists,
rooted in the past by a love affair with
historical firsts and ancient Sagas? I
recall my grandfather spending many
hours readingand embellishing Sagas
and recounting the history of Iceland
to a captivated group of young, third
generation Icelandic Canadians. As we
sat at his bedside, or in the yard of his
Canadian homestead, we learned of
heroic deeds and more. We sat on the
slopes of Þingvellir. We jumped back
at the gush of a geyser. And we clung
to the creaking hull of a tiny leather-
covered craft as it strained its way to a
rugged shoreline. We joined our
grandfather in being planted in a rich,
exciting and venturesome past.
On the other hand, are Icelanders
not cosmopolitans, innovators and
early adaptors? Two years ago, in
Reykjavík, my host, a small business
owner, delighted in telling me that the
city had the highestper capita adoption
of cellular telephones in the world. On
this and other recent visits, officials of
numerous industry associations and
government departments have re-
counted case after case of new-to-the-
world products produced by Icelandic
inventors and firms.
This spiritof innovation - a spiritfor
seeking firsts and inventing on the
spot - has stood the country in good
stead in times of crisis. It has been
used to gain temporary advantage in
an ongoing chess game between the
people and a harsh and sometimes
frightening physical geography. In
1973, the world watched as the crea-
tive Icelanders saved the harbour of
the town of Vestmannaeyjar from be-
ing plugged by rivers of lava spewing
from one of the most momentous vol-
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canic eruptions in history. Against all
odds, the inventive spirit won. A previ-
ously untried, but successful scheme
was devised to pump seawater through
miles of pipe onto the advancing wall
of lava. A total of over six million tons
of seawater cooled the lava and stopped
it from blocking the most important
fishingharbour in the country. Ittakes
courage and wits to spar with nature’s
fiercest forces.
We Icelandic Canadians need little
reminding of the independence that
characterizes the spirit of Iceland’s
people. We have seen them fiercely
defend their language, their political
and social systems, and above all, their
fishing grounds, as evidenced by their
actions in the “codwars” with Eng-
land. However, Icelanders also seek
integration and assimilation. The
settlers of New Iceland, the region in
which we are gathered today, insisted
on their children being schooled in
English, and the adults quickly par-
took in the culture, commerce and
politics of their new Canadian home.
And at this very moment, the nation of
Iceland is living a contrast of inde-
pendence and integration. It is enter-
ing into negotiations with the Euro-
pean Economic Community, lest it
become too isolated in these times of
rapidly reshaping economic and po-
litical alliances. Interestingly, the
price of Economic Community affilia-
tion may be foreign access to Iceland’s
rich fishing grounds.
And so the Icelander’s life of con-
trasts continues: appearances/reality;
traditionalism/modemism;independ-
ence/integration. Without doubt, the
canny and creative Icelandic people
will find unique solutions to surmount
physical, cultural, political, and eco-
nomic challenges. The very land and
location have provided a recipe for
character, creating a potion of intel-
lect, imagination, and action that
capture the attention and respect of
Icelandic Canadians and others
throughout the world.
All Icelandic-Canadians have ex-
periences and images that bind them
to the nation of Iceland. It is a bond
that endures from generation to gen-
eration and one that is beautifully
punctuated by this annual festival.
And so I invite you to join me in a
toast to our people of Iceland - a
toast of good wishes; a toast of warm
friendship; a toast of respect.
r
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