The Icelandic Canadian - 01.06.1967, Side 46

44
THE ICELANDIC CANADIAN
Summer 1967
There was, of course, no timetable
for the settlers in New Iceland because
there was no way of knowing what lay
ahead.
By contrast, today, when areas in
Canada are opened up to settlement,
every government insists on providing
detailed scientific information about
the area to the settler beforehand. Be-
yond this, a host of supplementary
services are available. None of these
were at hand for the settlers of New
Iceland.
Instead, they had to rely on the
judgement and leadership contained
within their group. There were no
alternatives. The life of New Iceland
was decided by what the settlers them-
selves could do — by the judgement of
leaders within the group. These
leaders, and there were many of them,
were the architects of the future of
this region.
It was my good fortune to live with
and to know some of the more signif-
icant architects of New Iceland. Not
in the early years, but in the period
when many of these men and women
had reached the age where they could
look back with pride upon a life of
major accomplishments. They have
told us of many things — disease and
shortages of food among them. But
what has impressed me is the priority
given to those things on which modern
writers on economic development place
their highest values. First, and fore-
most, a developing economy must have
law, order, and stable government.
Second, provision must be made for
an effective educational system. As
most readers of the Icelandic Canadian
will know, the settlers made their first
decisive moves in precisely these areas.
They knew the importance of good
government and they understood the
significance of the fullest possible
development of the individual.
There was also a major sociological
factor involved; namely, the high
esteem accorded to women — parti-
cularly the mother.
I can remember my uncle Albert, the
Rev. A. E. Kristjansson, interpreting
the success of Icelandic settlement in
Manitoba in terms of the role of the
mother and in terms of the esteem in
which she was held. I was too young
at the time to understand the message.
He was speaking to an Icelandic Cele-
bration in Hnausa about 1931. Yet,
on reflection, there can be no question
today about the signal developmental
role played by women in a modern
society. And, contrasting this character-
istic of the Icelandic community with
attitudes held by other ethnic groups
in the Interlake area, I am inclined
to view that the Icelandic settlers had,
in terms of their appreciation of the
fairer sex, a substantial head start on
progress.
These advantages are significant be-
cause they are in fact the precepts of
modern life. They are the basis of
progress. I believe, therefore, that the
small group of Icelanders who landed
on Willow Island sowed some of the
most essential seeds of progress in the
Interlake area of Manitoba.
In saying this, I do not wish to de-
tract from the good qualities of all the
other ethnic groups who settled this
region. But I do suggest that the Ice-
landers made a peculiarly appropriate
contribution to the settlement of this
area by virtue of the characteristics
referred to above.
Now, what of the future?
New Iceland, as we have defined it,
is at the threshold of new developments
which are of a truly pioneering nature.
But this time we are pioneering in a
different sense. This time we are at-
tempting to re-design the entire econ-