The Icelandic Canadian - 01.12.1961, Qupperneq 34

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"THE ICELANDIC CANADIAN
Winter 1963
THE FOUNDING OF NEW ICELAND
by Jon K. Laxdal
Almost every aspect of the found-
ing and subsequent development of
the Icelandic settlement in Nyja Is-
land has been recorded in both the
Icelandic and English language. In
these accounts frequent reference has
been made to the fact that the territory
in which the settlement originated was
granted to Icelandic colonists in 1875.
Nowhere, however, has the complete
text of the Orders in Council relating
to this tract of land been included.
Mr. Eric Stefanson, M.P. for the
constituency of Selkirk, has made a
study of the records available in the
Archives at Ottawa pertaining to the
founding of settlements within his con-
stituency. Last summer he sent to the
writer of this foreword photostatic
copies of the two Orders in Council
and a map showing the tract of land
referred to in the Orders. The original
O.C. 987 granting exclusive settlement
rights was dated October 8, 1875. The
O.C. rescinding these rights was ap-
proved July 30th, 1897 after it had be
come evident that all the land in
question would not be required for
settlement by the Icelandic colonists.
The map shows the location of the
main existing settlements in 1897.
Some points of interest that seem
to have escaped attention arise in con-
nection with the unique story of the
original settlement.
1. The designated territory lay
wholly north of the then existing nor-
thern boundary of the Province of
Manitoba and consequently out of its
jurisdiction in the matter of govern-
ment. Neither did it belong to the
North West Territories, but was a por-
tion of a separate tract of land known
as the District of Keewatin. If any por-
tion of the land had been within the
boundaries of the Province of Mani-
toba as was originally requested, the
“Miniature Republic” could never
have come into existence as the colony
would have had to comply with prov-
incial laws and regulations.
2. The original Order in Council
refers to the territory as an Icelandic
reserve. If the word “reserve” was used
in the same sense as when applied to
Indian reservations, it would of course
have given the Icelanders the exclusive
right of settlement. Hence the neces-
sity for th O.C. of 1897 rescinding the
original. This raises a question. Did
the exclusive colonization privileges
also grant the settlers the right to set
up a government of their own without
authority from Ottawa? Such sanction
was never sought. Neither was the ac-
ion taken by the settlers in setting up
their own government ever questioned
or challenged by any authority. Some
individuals may have considered the
procedure high-handed, unwarranted
and unconstitutional, but distance
from Ottawa and inadequate means ol
transportation would have rendered
control over local problems by the
Dominion Government unfeasible.
The colony was granted municipal
rights in 1883 when the territory came
within the extended provincial bound-
aries of Manitoba, but the original
form of colonial government continued
until 1887 when municipal government
was instituted.
3. The efforts of John Taylor and
the influence exerted by Lord Dufferin
on the Dominion Government to make
the settlement possible are well known.