Lögberg-Heimskringla


Lögberg-Heimskringla - 24.01.2003, Qupperneq 6

Lögberg-Heimskringla - 24.01.2003, Qupperneq 6
page 6 • Lögberg-Heimskringla • Friday, 24 January 2003 “Any man ’s death diminishes me, for 1 am involved in mankind... No man is an island, entire ofhimself. ”—John Donne • “Maður er manns gaman. ”■—Hávamál Spotlighting lives lived and milestones in the lives of Icelandic North Americans. Lifting the Lid: Revealing the Contents of Icelandic Canadian Trunks The author with her $3 “score”, a painted Swedish linen chest, below a trunk given to her by her Amma and Grandpa, Helga and George Gerrard. The trunk was built in 1925 or 26 by Thorvaldur Thorvaldson of Riverton out of packing crates from the local store. Laurie Kristene Bertram WlNNIPEG, MB Do you have a story of a family heirloom? Laurie wants to hear it! “A nation that brings no luggage from the past has no freight for the future. ” — Martin Anderson Nexö as quoted by Eiður Guðnason. Two summers ago I was at an estate sale on a farm outside of Onanole, MB, rummaging through a bam filled with “old junk.” In the comer of the barn sat a large faded red box with a detached lid. I pulled the box around and found two beautiful- ly painted tin panels with a large keyhole in the middle. This was no old box but rather a beautiful old Swedish linen chest. Although in rough shape, I asked the woman how much she wanted for it and $3 later my father and I were lugging it into the back of the van. Although proud of my find, I couldn’t help but feel a little sad about the chest. Clearly for some family it had been an important link to “home.” I wondered about the descendants of the family and how they would feel if somehow they found it once more, perhaps it would give them back a sense of belonging and an understand- ing and record of their roots and their history. Tmnks can mean many things to many people. My Amma, Helga Gerrard says, ‘They’re a symbol of all of the stuff that you bring with you.” In this respect I believe that Icelandic Canadian tmnks are particularly special as they and the things they held — objects, beliefs and ideas, created the foundation of Icelandic Canadian culture. When fami- lies left for Canada they also had to leave behind things that wouldn’t fit, both into their tmnks and into Canadian life. Finally, these trunks, once in Canada served as a reminder of another place- and time; of exo- dus, and of a small precious foundation from which to build again. For women, trunks have served another particularly important function as ‘hope chests.’ Women from numerous cultures used these chests to accumulate goods for married life. For Icelandic women, the tradition of the dowry (goods accompanying a woman into marriage) goes back hundreds of years and is mentioned in sever- al of the sagas. This is one of the traditions that seems to have ‘fit’ into the luggage of Icelandic Canadians. For Icelandic Canadian women, these chests not only anticipated marriage but also stored objects, which recorded their own personal his- Patty Scheving’s The Peuce lcelandic Documentary The Perfect Gift for lcelandic Descendants $25.00 USD To order contact Patty by e-mail: scheving2002@yahoo.com mail: 2026 Eunice St., Berkeley, CA 94709, USA or 510-525-8945 tories. These trunks may even be viewed as small museums mark- ing the significant events in the life of a woman and her family, through cards, dresses, docu- ments, photos and keepsakes. Traditionally, Icelandic trunks have also had strange or supernatural associations. Stories such as The Serpent in Lagarfljót ancl The Seal-Woman from Mýrdalur both describe ordinary trunks that conceal fan- tastic freight, reminding the audience of the sometimes-blur- ry line between the everyday and the extraordinaiy. This per- haps characterizes Icelandic Canadian trunks the best; they were and *till are everyday objects often fading into the background as undervalued wit- nesses to more dramatic aspects of our culture and history. What has happened to the hundreds of trunks that Icelandic Canadians brought, not only to transport their lives and culture to Canada, but also to use as containers for their memory and history? Unfortunately, many families have lost these valuable histori- cal objects. Many disappeared as a result of estate liquidations. Countless trunks were simply taken to the dump, and others lay undocumented and forgotten in antique shops and museum storage. Despite this loss, many people still own other kinds of heirlooms which they feel help to illustrate their family’s histo- ry, including jewelry, books, photos, pieces of fumiture, even buildings. For those outside the family, it is difficult to communi- cate the actual value and signifi- cance of these objects, how they represent Amma or Afi, aunts and uncles, mothers and fathers and their unique personalities, their experiences, and their sto- ries. Understanding the stories hidden in these objects can uncover the unwritten histories within our community. This brings me to my research project. I am looking for stories of Icelandic Canadians (either whole or pait) and their Icelandic Canadian objects (not all Icelandic Canadian objects have to be from Iceland). I am particularly interested in family trunks and other containers including jew- elry boxes, knitting needle cases and sewing kits, particularly those that may have stories behind them, either funny, strange, happy or sad, or that simply remind you of your fam- ily’s history. These stories will go into a paper, which I will use in one of my history courses at the University of Winnipeg and may also be presented at our his- tory student’s symposium. , If you have stories about Icelandic Canadian heirlooms or know of someone who does, please contact me by phone at 204-772-5120 or e-mail: supercat911 @ hotmail.com / \ .. * w Jjnefand www.icelandnaturally.com Visit our website to find out more about lceland A Lori Oddson In Loving Memory and Thanksgiving for the Life of Lori Oddson who graced our lives from November 20th, 1951 until January lOth, 2003. Her spirit remains with her dearly loved daughters, Jessica and Rachelle, her loving moth- er, Lucille, her sisters, Leoni and Kathryn, her brothers, Christopher, Eric and Leif, her seven nieces and two nephews and many dear friends. Lori was born in Victoria, B.C. and grew up and made her iife in Edmonton. A graduate of the University of Alberta, she joined Athabasca University twenty five years ago as a tutor. Most recently, she served as the University’s Director of Collaboration and Learning Services. Lori is remembered for her passionate commitment to social justice, the environ- ment, aboriginal education and international educational development. Lori was a devoted mother, friend and mentor to Jessica, Rachelle and Alyssa. Faniily and friends celebrated her life at Hainstock’s Funeral Home at 9810 - 34 Avenue, Edmonton, AB, Tuesday, January 14th. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to your local food bank or the Women’s Emergency Accommodation Centre, 9611 - 101A Avenue, Edmonton, AB T5H 0C8. Hainstock’s Funeral Home & Crematorium, Honoured Provider of Dignity Memorial. <i« ii icm fiin* cck 'ns'hitm mri n rwtkr NiiT'ntu-m is. rini \ rin 'ní'Hkinur

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