Lögberg-Heimskringla - 27.08.2004, Blaðsíða 4

4 ♦ Lögberg-Heimskringla ♦ Friday 27 August 2004
Yours to discover
Steinþór Guðbjartsson
Managing Editor
Icelanders may not have
been first to discover Ottawa,
but they discovered the conti-
nent — and some 1,000 years
Iater people of Icelandic
descent are all over North
America.
In the lobby of the
National Archives of Canada
in Ottawa is a sculpture of
Snorri Þorfinnsson, the first
European to be born in North
America, and his mother
Guðríður Þorbjarnardóttir.
The bronze sculpture, The
First European Woman to
Give Birth on North Ameri-
can Soil, was given by Ice-
land to the Canadian people
April 6, 2000, and installed at
the National Archives of
Canada May 22, 2002. There
one can read about the sailing
of Guðríður and her husband
Þorfinnur Karlsefni almost
1,000 years ago from Iceland
to Greenland and on to Vin-
land in Canada. The story of
the birth of their son Snorri
during their fírst year in Vin-
land is also told.
On the wall opposite the
sculpture is a large plaque
that commemorates the dis-
covery of the eastern coast of
Canada by mariners from Ice-
land and Greenland in the
late lOth century.
The sculpture and the
plaque are signs of the strong
ties that exist between Cana-
da and Iceland. Or as Ambas-
sador Guðmundur Eiríksson
says in an interview in this
issue, “I maintain that Ice-
land’s relationship with
Canada deserves to be recog-
nized as potentially among
the most important of all
countries in the world.”
The gift of Iceland to
Canada in 2000 inspired
Canadians of Icelandic
descent in Ottawa, and two
years later they established
the club Friends of Iceland.
“The Millennium Celebration
got us going,” the club’s pres-
ident Gerry Einarsson says.
Not only did they establish
the club, but they generated a
classroom learning module
on Iceland and Icelandic
sagas that has since been
used in schools in Ottawa and
elsewhere. They also had a
medallion made to commem-
orate 1,000 years of explo-
ration, from Þorfinnur
Karlsefni and Guðríður Þorb-
jarnardóttir’s trip to Canada
and the birth of Snorri to
astronaut Bjarni Tryggva-
son’s voyage into space.
The club Friends of Ice-
land is not the biggest one
within the Icelandic National
League of North America,
but the members are dedicat-
ed to strengthen the ties in
one way or another. The time
is yours to discover — be it
Ontario, as is stated on the
car plates in the province, or
Lögberg-Heimskringla — not
just the oldest continuously
published ethnic paper in
Canada, but the only one that
tells the story of people of
Icelandic descent in North
America.
Letters to the Editor • Bréf til ritstjóra
Dear Editor:
Having returned to Iceland
following our visit to Icelandic
settlements in Manitoba,
North Dakota and
Saskatchewan, we want to
express our thanks and appre-
ciation for the overwhelming
warmth and hospitality shown
us everywhere.
The interest everyone
showed in meeting and talking
to us and exploring possible
kinships touched us deeply
and we were surprised and
impressed with how many
spoke good Icelandic.
Special thanks to Jón Öm
Jónsson, Sandra Szeponski, Vi
Hilton, Einar and Rosalind
Vigfússon and Svava and Elva
Simundsson. We particularly
owe a debt of gratitude to Judy
and Jim Thorsteinson — their
family hosting a barbecue at
their summer home at Lundar
Beach was a wonderful begin-
ning to our visit. As well the
Thorsteinsons’ assistance in
organizing and facilitating our
itineraries in Manitoba and
North Dakota and as travelling
companions throughout was
invaluable.
Again our thanks to one
and all, and though we are a
continent and an ocean apart
you remain in our hearts and
minds.
Bestu kveðjur.
Skagfírska söngsveitin
Reykjavík, Iceland
* * *
Dear Editor:
Nestled close by the well -
nown Acadia University in
Wolfville, Nova Scotia, there
is a used book store called
“The Odd Book.” It is fdled
with an excellent selection of
literature for every walk of life
and for every age. I had the
good fortune to browse and
buy.
I was greeted by Jane Cay-
ford, a very knowledgable
employee and one that knows
her books well.
I enquired about the book
Errancl Boy in the Mooseland
Hills and explained that Borga
Jakobson of Winnipeg had
translated the book from Ice-
landic to English. Jane replied,
“Oh, that’s the one by Johann
Bjarnason.” She was quite
aware.
As I was anxious to know
how she was so familiar with
the works, Jane explained
about the “Emeritus Profes-
sors among us.” The Depart-
ment has six Emeritus Profes-
sors, all of whom live in
Kingston, Ontario.
The late Pall Ardal, the
Charlton Professor of Philos-
ophy, attended a day-long
symposium in his honour at
the annual congress in June
1997 of the Canadian Philo-
sophical Association in St.
John’s. The symposium con-
sisted of papers by philoso-
phers from across Canada on
topics to which Pall, who
died just last year, has made
notable contributions. One of
these commemorative papers
was presented by Ted Bond.
Jane informed me that she
had worked with Pall Ardal at
a University in Guelph,
Ontario for one year and had
corne to know and appreciate
him.
Before leaving the store, I
came upon (and bought) the
Eaton’s book by Rod
McQueen — in very good
condition.
The Odd Book store —
just the neatest little place for
book lovers.
Evelyn Thorvaldson
Winnipeg, MB
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