Lögberg-Heimskringla - 15.10.2018, Qupperneq 3

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Lögberg-Heimskringla • 15. október 2018 • 3
Manitoba Museum
In commemoration of
the 100th anniversary
of the end of the
First World War, the
Manitoba Museum will
host an exhibition that
explores the stories of
Icelandic Canadians who
served with the Canadian
Expeditionary Forces
in Europe – Vikings of
the First World War:
Icelandic Canadians in
Service. The exhibition
features medals,
photographs, letters, and other artifacts from
two Manitoban battalions. It also includes a
multimedia, multi-screen video installation from
the National Museum of Iceland. This exhibition
will run from October 26, 2018, to March 3,
2019.
During the First World War, over 1,000
Icelandic Canadians joined the war effort, serving
as soldiers, nurses, and medics. They organized
in Winnipeg in 1916 under different battalions,
including the 197th (Vikings of Canada) and the
223rd (Canadian Scandinavians). Most sailed to
Europe in the autumn of 1917. One hundred and
forty of these volunteers were killed in action.
Icelandic Canadians featured in this exhibition
include three brothers from the Einarsson
family – Joe, John, and Villi – who grew up in
Saskatchewan but later came to Manitoba to
volunteer. Also featured are medals and a bronze
maquette of Sir William Stephenson, an Icelandic
Canadian who became an ace pilot during the
First World War, later becoming a spymaster for
the Allied Forces during the Second World War.
The exhibit includes a handcrafted
reproduction of the Winnipeg Falcons’ original
Olympic uniform. The Falcons were a hockey
team founded in 1911 by Icelandic Canadian
athletes. They were excluded from the larger
leagues in Winnipeg because of their Icelandic
heritage. During the First World War, seven of
the Falcons enlisted in the army and two, Frank
Thorsteinson and George Cumbers, were killed
overseas. The team reunited after the war and
went on to win Canada’s
first Olympic gold medal
in Hockey in 1920.
The multimedia video
installation, “To Pluck a
Flower from this Peculiar
Place,” was curated by
Kristín María Hreinsdóttir
in collaboration with
the National Museum of
Iceland and the University
of Iceland.
Iceland itself does not
have an extensive history
of warfare. Isolated in the
North Atlantic Ocean and
part of neutral Denmark
during the First World War, Iceland was not part
of the allied war effort. Icelanders first arrived as
settlers in Manitoba in 1875. During the 39 years
before the start of the First World War in 1914,
they had become loyal British subjects while
retaining their Icelandic language and many
cultural customs. Icelandic Canadian churches,
newspapers, and political leaders supported the
war effort.
The Consulate General of Iceland has
partnered with the Manitoba Museum in this
exhibition, which is also supported by Dr.
Ken Thorlakson, Donald K. Johnson, Grant
and Shannon Stefanson, Jón Ragnar Johnson,
The Catherine and Fredrik Eaton Charitable
Foundation, The John C. and Sally Horsfall
Eaton Foundation, and Lögberg-Heimskringla,
Inc.
Running concurrently with Vikings of
the First World War will be the exhibition In
Flanders Fields, which explores how Canadians
have remembered the First World War and
those who were killed. The poem “In Flanders
Fields” and its author, Lieutenant-Colonel John
McCrae, take centre stage, while other artifacts
include a uniform and a dried poppy from
Flanders fields. (This exhibition will run from
October 30, 2018, until January 11, 2019.)
The Manitoba Museum, located at 190
Rupert Avenue in Winnipeg, is open Tuesday
through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and on
weekends from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is closed
on Mondays.
dv.is – Iceland’s leadership
of Nordic Cooperation and the
Arctic Council, which will
begin next year, Brexit, and
bilateral relations headed the
agenda of an early meeting in
Copenhagen between Iceland’s
foreign minister, Guðlaugur
Þór Þórðarson, and Denmark’s
foreign minister, Anders
Samuelsen. Guðlaugur Þór also
familiarized himself with the
Danish model of development
cooperation, which includes
participation by the business
community, meeting with
Martin Hermann, director for
development policy in the
Danish foreign ministry as
well as other experts in the
field. He also attended events
related to Iceland’s centenary
of sovereignty.
“The ties between
Denmark and Iceland have
always been very close, and
the history of the countries
has been intertwined for
many centuries. We have
similar values and mutual
interests. We see this best in
the international arena, where
Iceland and Denmark generally
act together. Samuelsen and I
meet regularly and generally
have good meetings. I found
it particularly appropriate
and satisfying to meet with
him now when Iceland’s
anniversary of sovereignty is
celebrated here in Copenhagen,
commemorating many
centuries of the countries’ close
relations,” said Guðlaugur Þór.
In the evening, the minister
attended a symposium at the
University of Copenhagen
on the Danish-Icelandic
Act of Union. The main
speaker at the symposium
was President of Iceland
Guðni Th. Jóhannesson. In
the evening, Guðlaugur Þór
attended a gathering at the
Royal Opera House, organized
by the Danish parliament
and government to celebrate
Iceland’s anniversary of
sovereignty. Among the guests
were Danish Queen Margrethe
II, Iceland’s presidential
couple, the countries’ prime
ministers, and other leaders.
Following the symposium
and evening celebration, the
foreign minister expressed his
pride in “this sincere friendship
that Danes bear towards us
Icelanders,” which the day’s
events had shown in every
respect, and stressed the future
importance of the relationship.
Reprinted with permission
from Icelandic News Briefs,
published by KOM PR.
Manitoba Museum presents
VIKINGS OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR
PHOTO: MANITOBA MUSUEM
Icelandic recruits from the First World War.
Below: the Badge of the 223rd Battalion, Canadian Scandinavians.
PHOTO: UTANRÍKISRÁÐUNEYTIÐ ÍSLANDS
Danish foreign minister Anders Samuelsen meeting in
Copenhagen with Icelandic foreign minister Guðlaugur
Þór Þórðarson.
Foreign ministers’ meeting
in Copenhagen emphasizes
close relationship
Greetings from
Gordon J. Reykdal
Honorary Consul of the
Republic of Iceland
Suite #10250 – 176 Street
Edmonton, Alberta
T5S 1L2
Cell: 780.497.1480
E-mail: gjreykdal@gmail.com