The Icelandic Canadian - 01.09.1981, Blaðsíða 31

THE ICELANDIC CANADIAN
29
customs, only a hope for a better life — a
decision was made. My grandparents’ view
of Iceland was one of extreme hardship and
economic difficulty but a strong love of the
people and traditions. The traditions were
passed on to my mother, who had little
recollection of the country at the age of 4,
and visited Iceland for the first time at the
age of 70. Hence, her impressions, created
firstly by her mother, secondly by corres-
pondence, reading books and maintaining
contact with relatives, were confirmed and
re-established by her visit in 1958. The
kindness of the people, re-establishment of
family ties, and the deep affinity for the
country as she visited her birthplace of
Vopnafjordur were her fondest memories. It
was a powerful experience to return to her
motherland after being away for a long time.
My impressions after my first visit a
number of years ago, can be summarized by
beauty of the country, determination of the
people, kindness to Vesturislendingar and
the deep interest in literature.
To complete the four generations, I asked
my son who accompanied the family to Ice-
land in 1974 to describe his main impres-
sions. This is what he wrote and I quote:
“My calling in life is that of a minister,
and during my visit to Iceland, I came to a
new understanding of the meaning of the
phrase ‘holy ground’. The tie between the
people of Iceland and the land they live in is
so deep that the whole island has the feeling
of being sacred space.
“Even for me, four generations away
from Iceland, the trip was a kind of home-
coming. I stood in the pulpit of the church in
Holar, where my ancestor had been a Luth-
eran bishop in the middle of the 18th cen-
tury. 1 visited the village where my grand-
mother was bom. I made friends with
Icelanders my own age and danced to popu-
lar music that transcended the boundaries of
nation or language.”
“Iceland is indeed a land of contrasts, of
fire and ice and I feel those contrasts in my
own life and personality. Being an Icelander
is part of who I am. I carry that holy ground
within me wherever I go.”
Those were the words of my son, Wayne.
In 1974 we visited Heimaey, one of the
Westmann Islands, to view the results of the
devastation that resulted from the eruption
of Helgafell in January, 1973. The rescue
operation, of moving over 5000 to safety
was ait outstanding achievement of this
small nation. Without describing the des-
truction of property, the fight to prevent the
closing of the harbour, and restrain the ad-
vancing lava fields, was one of courage and
determination and typifies the strength of
the people under severe adversity. The ash
from the volcano had convered the sur-
rounding country and mountainside. After
touring the area, and being appalled at the
destruction by these mighty forces of nature
— one had to admire the reaction of the
people. They were determined to rebuild
and clean up the area. I was surprised with
the priorities established. After seeing to the
basic requirements of water and power, plus
restoring the homes that could be re-
occupied, it was impressive to see the
cleanup of the lava ash from the mountain
sides. We viewed this scene with amaze-
ment, as you looked up to see young people
and adults alike, in a team effort, up the
sides of the mountains, shovelling and
moving the lava ash, down long chutes, to
the sea below. This looked like a very danger-
ous operation but also a mammoth task to
accomplish. The rationale for establishing
this as a priority, was that the bird and plant
life would only survive if this cleanup was
undertaken. It was important to make the
mountains green again, for the people loved
the land and the mountains. Heimaey has
shown to the world that the people are full of
optimism, that the Viking courage and reso-
lution is as alive in the people today as it
ever was. This fine example of people pre-