Lögberg-Heimskringla - 15.05.2016, Side 13

Lögberg-Heimskringla • 1. maí 2016 • 13
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Dear friends,
Thank you for approving me as the
president for the next year and also for
all the support and kindness you have
given. I promise to work hard and do as
much as I can for the INLNA and the
Icelandic people overall.
I want to thank the BC members
for hosting this convention. It has been
wonderful. I want to thank our outgoing
board members for their service and
passion – especially our past president,
Dr. Ron Goodman, and Claire Eckley,
who will move to past president. The
continued support and guidance of all our
past presidents is so very important.
My deepest thank you to Gwen
Gratton in the office for keeping all
of us on task and for all she does. A
congratulations and thank you to the
new board of directors and to all of you
who remain dedicated to our mission.
Together, we are stronger. I know we
will have a great year.
Up on the screen you can see a
beautiful emblem, which is the official
INLNA coat of arms. About 25 years
ago, work began on it. The Canadian
government officially approved it about
5 years later. (See page 1.)
Yggdrasill at the top – the tree of life
for genealogy with our Norse and Celtic
origins in the interlacing pattern and the
green leaves signifying growth.
A Norse (Viking) long ship with
a pagan dragon on one bow and the
Christian cross on the other
Colors of Iceland, Canada, and the
USA.
The shield shows a white falcon on
a blue background. This very old non-
political symbol was first granted to
Loftur “the Rich” Guttormsson, one of
the wealthiest and most influential people
in Iceland at the time. He survived the
Black Plague and became the ancestor
to all of us – about our 15th great-
grandfather. He was knighted by King
Erik III of Norway. Loftur’s coat of arms
was a white falcon on a blue field.
The open book depicting our strong
literary heritage with the sagas, poetry,
and histories.
And at the bottom: Römm er sú taug.
Strong is the bond. Not just any bond, but
a supernatural and unique bond to each
other and to the land of our forefathers.
This crest embodies the INL –
together we are stronger. We must all
work as a team with the member clubs
and all the Icelandic initiatives in North
America – building with each other
a strong community which is spread
across our nations.
This next year, we will be focusing
on this as our motto.
Whether you were born in Iceland,
Canada, or the USA – or anywhere else
in the world – or you love an Icelander,
we are part of the Icelandic strength and
supernatural bond.
The bonds remain strong when we
work together. When we honor the
work of initiatives – big and small –
of individuals, clubs, programs, and
events, where each piece is important.
The work of the INL is to support
and promote all with our international
outreach and communications and this
yearly convention bringing us all here
together.
In closing – Always believe that
you can make a difference. Even the
smallest strand is important in keeping
the bonds strong. Seize every moment
to cherish and continue traditions. Be an
inspiration. Together we will continue to
preserve this supernatural strength and
loyalty to our shared Icelandic heritage
for the generations to come after us.
Römm er sú taug! Takk fyrir.
The bonds remain strong when we work together
Sunna Pam Furstenau
President, Icelandic National
League of North America
The afternoon concluded with
a duet of Lisa Sigurgeirsson
Maxx and Michael Darragh
performing several of Lisa's
songs, including "Still Creek
Crows," "Rose-Coloured
Glasses," and "Mikley."
On Friday evening,
participants gathered for
the opening night award
ceremonies, followed by a
reception sponsored by Donald
K. Johnson with Lögberg-
Heimskringla. (See "Seven
receive Honorary Lifetime
Memberships," pages 6-7).
Saturday – bird life, drama,
language, and business
Saturday morning,
conference-goers were treated
to a presentation on the bird life
of Iceland by Edward Rickson,
a Manchester native whose
interest in wild landscapes and
Nordic culture took him to
Iceland twenty years ago, where
he became active in BirdLife
Iceland, a 1,300-member
organization led by Hólmfríður
Arnardóttir. In this presentation,
participants learned that 392
species of birds have been
recorded in Iceland and that
80 species are regular breeders
there.
Heather Alda Ireland
introduced a presentation of
four of the ten plays by her
grandfather, Guttormur J.
Guttormsson, which were
translated into English by Elin
Thordarson and Christopher
Crocker. Performed as readings
by players from the Icelandic
Canadian Club of BC, the four
plays presented were: "The
Mirror," "The Shadow," "The
Ring," and "Immortality." The
players, who were spirited
and lightly-attired for their
respective parts, included:
Mikael Máni Ágústsson, Palma
Bjarnason, Paul Bjarnason, Paul
E. Bjarnason, Gunnar Hanson,
Óðinn Helgason, and Rosa
Bjarnason Kontogianni. Heather
Alda Ireland produced the four
performances and narrated the
concluding play.
During lunch on Saturday,
W.D. (Bill) Valgardson
chronicled the Icelandic
immigrants' westward journey
from their Icelandic homeland
through Ontario, Nova Scotia,
Manitoba and the other prairie
provinces, to the West Coast.
(See "Coming West," pages
10-12).
The annual business meeting
of the Icelandic National League
of North America was held on
Saturday afternoon, which will
be reported on in a later issue.
While delegates from
member clubs attended the
business meeting, Gunnar
Ólafur Hansson spoke on "The
Icelandic Language Through
Time and Space" to a full house
in the Fraser Room. Born in
Reykjavík and educated in
Iceland and California, Gunnar
is an an associate professor of
linguistics at the University
of British Columbia and has
been an active member of the
Icelandic Canadian Club of
BC since 2000. Examining
the regional variations of the
Icelandic language, he observed
that, while variations exist, they
don't reflect different dialects
as we usually understand the
concept. He attributes the
minimal variation in spoken
Icelandic to the fact that
Iceland was historically a single
administrative unit, maintained
a strong literary tradition,
enjoyed high mobility and
frequent movement among its
residents, and was settled in a
circular pattern.
This year's convention
concluded with an annual
banquet featuring a hilarious
keynote presentation by writer,
editor, and translator Donald
Garth Gíslason. Demonstrating
that Icelanders have a rich
sense of humour and delight in
laughing at themselves, Don
kept the crowd in stitches as he
took everyone on an illustrated
and whimsical tour of Icelandic
culture and foodstuffs.
On Sunday, many
conference-goers participated
in a post-conference tour to
Höfn Icelandic Harbour and
the Scandinavian Community
Centre in Burnaby.
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