Lögberg-Heimskringla - 10.03.2006, Side 6

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David Jón Fuller
The Town of Arborg, MB, within the Rural Mu-nicipality of Bifrost, has
its beginnings in the Árdal-Fr-
amnes Settlement in 1900 – 01.
Situated on the Icelandic River
leading to Lake Winnipeg, it
was one of the later Icelandic
settlements in North America.
According to Nelson Ger-
rard’s account in the town his-
tory book A Century Unfolds,
many Icelandic settlers who
had left the nearby settlement
of New Iceland some 20 years
earlier to live in North Dakota
returned to settle in the Arborg
area. Gerrard, who teaches at
Arborg Collegiate but lives in
nearby Hnausa, is well known
in the area for his historical and
genealogical research.
The community today in-
cludes a mixture of people of
Polish, German and Ukrainian
descent, but the Icelandic char-
acter of the town and surround-
ing area is still strong.
There have been Icelandic
cultural groups almost since the
beginning. An Icelandic lend-
ing library “Mimir” was begun
in 1905, and a later library for
the area, “Fróðleikshvöt” was
organized in 1908. The Arborg
chapter of the Icelandic nation-
al league, Esjan, was formed
in 1947, and continues to be
active today, with events such
as its upcoming þorrablót on
March 18.
Many still alive today re-
member church services and
Sunday school in the Icelan-
dic language, as well as choir
practices; there was also an Ice-
landic cultural school on week-
ends.
It was not just a matter of
using the Icelandic language for
communication but also artistic
expression. Examples include
the poetry periodical Stormur
published by Esjan and edited
by Valdi Johannesson in the
mid-1940s, as well as partici-
pation in poetry competitions.
There was an active amateur
theatre, with plays being staged
as early as 1906, eight years
before the Arborg Community
Hall was built. The Icelandic
Theatre Group also became
known for its full-length pro-
ductions in Icelandic.
That tradition continues to-
day. Area farmer and President
of the Esjan Chapter David Gis-
lason, who lives in Geysir, has
translated poetry from Icelandic
to English and has written po-
etry himself. He adds that the
annual þorrablót always has a
cultural component. In the past
there have been presentations
on the life of a poet; this year
there will be a short dramatic
performance.
The Icelandic presence is
felt in many businesses and
groups in the community; read
on to meet a few of them.
6 • Lögberg-Heimskringla • Friday 10 March 2006
Vigfusson House at the Arborg & District Multicultural Heritage Village. Many original build-
ings are being restored in the Village to give visitors an idea of what life was like during the
settlement of the area and earlier, representing the many cultural groups.
282 Main Street
P.O. Box 490
Arborg, MB R0C 0A0
376-5218
Pat Peterson
Manager
For what matters.
Strong Icelandic presence in Arborg
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ILLUSTRATION: ALLAN LORDE
David Gislason Ian Palsson of Palsson’s Fine
Foods plans to diversify the
range of Icelandic goods at
the store by including wool
sweaters and other items.
“A Professional
Serving You”
Lillian Skulason
Ellen Wyka
(204) 376-3400
lsku@mts.net
356 River Road, Arborg, MB R0C 0A0
Bus:
E-Mail: