Lögberg-Heimskringla - 04.10.1996, Side 6

6 • Lögberg-Heimskringla • Föstudagur 4, október 1996
Continued from page 3
Saga ofTwo Rocks
were wealthy with servants, others
tradesmen, clerks and laborers. The
group was deeply religious. They ex-
pressed democratic ideals but were
class conscious. They were ill pre-
pared for the New World. Few were
experienced with farming or fishing.
It is likely they would not have sur-
vived without the help of American
Indians. The “Mayflower compact”
represented a constitution for the
colony. This is similar to the constitu-
tion written by the settlers in New
Iceland.
There is much written about the
Plymouth Colony that need not be re-
peated for this discussion. Several ref-
erences include: Saga of the Pilgrims
(John Harris) and The Mayflower
Miracle (Jonathan King). The purpose
of this article is to demonstrate the
remarkable similarity of the events
that occurred with the White Rock by
Lake Winnipeg.
Migration from Iceland to America
started with a small group that left
for Utah in 1850 to live as Mormons
in Spanish Fork. A second group
I C E L A N D I C
N E W S
Continued from page 1
The doctors Gunnar Guðmundsson, Elías
Ólafsson, Pétur Lúðvígsson and Ólafur
Kjartansson will work on the study on
behalf of Iceland and spokesman for the
American delegation is Dr. Allen Hauser,
professor at Columbia University, New
York. Dr. Hauser said the conditions for
information gathering in Iceland are
ideal. According to the Icelandic doctors
the intention is to study many new cases
of the disease and the risk factors. The
symptoms and causes of epilepsy are
varied and only a third of cases have
lcnown causes. The study will take fíve
years and the results will be analized both
in Iceland and the USA. Dr. Hauser said
that about 70 percent of those diagnosed
with epilepsy become free of attacks.
Most have attacks for a relatively short
time, two to three years, which can be
controlled to some extent with medica-
tion. The doctors Gunnar Guðmundsson
and Elías Ólafsson have done an earlier
study on epilepsy. □
composed of 34 migrated to Curityba,
Brazil in 1863. The principal migra-
tions started in the 1870s and ended
by 1910. The Icelanders were not
seeking religious freedom. Most stu-
dents of this migration consider the
reasons for the migration complex.
Indeed economics played a role as a
series of disasters struck the island
priorto 1875. The winterof 1858-59
was exceptionally cold with the death
of many of the sheep and cattle. A
major volcanic eruption in 1873-74
devastated parts of Iceland leaving
fields unproductive and causing the
death of many animals and the loss of
homes. Iceland was also recovering
from 400 years of neglect by Denmark
Trade restrictions stifled the Icelan-
dic economy. The Danish monopolis-
tic control provided exorbitant prices
for goods, including food, imported
into Iceland and unfairly low prices
for Icelandic exports. In spite of the
deep love of Icelanders for their coun-
try many found it necessary to migrate
in order to provide a better life for their
children and themselves. A number of
authors feel another important factor
was “útþrá,” an uncontrollable im-
pulse to go to distant lands. This was
a genetic fate traced to the Viking Age.
The equivalent of “itchy feet.”
Continued from page 8
Commercial
Filming
was not pleased with filming in the
Þingvalla Park. The film’s story line de-
scribes a car ride across varied landscape
which ends at the gate to hell, where the
driver turns back. We had to shoot in the
gorge as it is the only place with cliffs on
both sides of the road. The tourists have
received this well. German tourists, for
example, enjoy seeing the new car. Only
a few tour guides have complained, but we
contacted all travel agencies in advance.
Hjörtur said the project will bring a
great deal of revenue to Iceland. “I sup-
pose this will bring in $60,000. Thirty to
forty Icelanders work on this for ten days
and we use many rented cars as well as a
helicopter. Hotels, restaurants, airlines
and shops also receive some business
from the foreigners who arrive here for
the filming. And there is a continuation
next week when another group from the
same company arrives to work on an
even larger job.” □
The White Rock serves as a sym-
bol for all these migrations but the
story really only involves the group
that came to Winnipeg in 1875. In
searching for land it was important to
the Icelanders that there would be
sufficient land for all their group. The
stipulations made to the Canadian
government were: 1. They were to
enjoy full liberty and rights of citizen-
ship as soon as they fulfilled residency
requirements. 2. They were to be
granted a sufficiently large tract of
land for their settlement. 3. They were
to have the unfettered right to main-
tain their personal freedom, their lan-
guage and some sense of national
origin for themselves and their de-
scendants for all time. In 1875 Mani-
toba was a small “postage stamp prov-
ince.” The Interlake area north of
Manitoba was considered an ideal
place for Nýja (New) Island. An area
of approximately 326 square miles
was set aside exclusively for Icelan-
dic immigrants. That decision resulted
in the majority of Icelandic immi-
grants moving to Canada. The great
majority of Icelandic descendants in
North America have ancestors who
once lived or still live in Manitoba.
Continued on page 7
Poetry Corner
7§>eatfiice /l\aztín
I said a prayer for you today
And know God must have heard;
I felt the answer in my heart
Although He spoke no words.
I didn’t ask for wealth or fame;
I knew you wouldn’t mind.
I asked Him to send treasures
Of a far more lasting kind.
I asked that He’d be near you
At the start of each new day,
To grant you health and blessings
And friends to share your way.
I asked for happiness for you
In all things great and small,
But it was for His loving care
For you, dear friend,
I prayed for most of all.
by Ingveldur (Inga) Bachmann
In memory ofhercousin andfriend,
Beatrice Martin of Vidir, Manitoba.
Minnist
í ERFÐASKRÁM YÐAR
The Olympic
Touch
Ayoung man with Gimli roots
performed at the Olympics in
Atlanta this summer. His
name is Alexander Woods, 14, son of
Dr. Rex Woods and Mary Peterson-
Woods, and the grandson of long-time
Gimli resident Halldor Peterson.
Alex, who just completed his fresh-
man year at Tucson High in Arizona,
is not a world class athlete. His skill
as a violinist brought him to Atlanta
this summer. Alexander performed as
the youngest member of the World
Youth Symphony Orchestra, during
the Olympic Games’ Art Festival. He
played principal second violin. His
extraordinary skill brought him to the
fore from a group of 2,000 youth at
the National Arts Camp earlier that
year, a proving ground for Atlanta.
His family in Gimli are proud of his
successes which, besides this perform-
ance, includes: four years as a mem-
ber of the Tucson Philharmonia, solo
performances with the Tucson Sym-
phony Orchestra and the Tucson Pops
Orchestra. As well, Alex won the 1996
Bronze Medal at the Music Teachers’
National Association Competition ear-
lier this year in Kansas City. □
Courtesy of Dilla Narfason
and the Interlake Spectator
Stefania Sveinbjamardóttir
& Raymond Dignum t
YEOMAN
FARM
Parham,
Ontario KOH 2K0
Telephone & Fax:
613 - 375-6308
Breeders of Icelandic sheep
and Icelandic sheepdogs.
•? Do you have friends interested in lcelandic culture and stories about lcelanders around the world? ^°T0\\oO \ Lögnerg-Heimskringla is the ideal way for \ sd°sC^see 1 your friends and family to keep in touch with \ óe^qe 6 \ news abut lcelanders—all year long! \ '
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