The Icelandic Canadian - 01.06.1995, Síða 57

SPRING/SUMMER 1995
THE ICELANDIC CANADIAN
167
REGISTER
with ICELAND
By Kevin Jon Johnson
Over the next few years, whenever you en-
counter a representative from a North
American Icelandic organisation you may
notice that, with their notable charm, they
carry a bundle of registration forms tucked
discreetly under their arm.
The Icelandic authorities have decided
to register individuals of Icelandic descent
living in Canada and the United States. The
main reason for this registration resides in
a wish to gather knowledge about this
group of people, its size and distribution,
to identify individuals and keep con tact
with them. This voluntary registration must
be confirmed by a signature and those who
register have the option to decline the re-
ceipt of any mail of a commercial nature.
The additional information on the bottom
half of the registration form aims at facili-
tating genealogical studies and future up-
dating of the register.
The committee in charge of the regis-
tration project, on which Dr. Vesteinn
Olason sits, gratefully approves of anybody
filling out the registration form with such
information as they have, even if their
knowledge of the Icelandic ancestry may
include faults. Married couples who both
claim Icelandic descent as well as children
16 or above, are asked to fill out separate
forms. Adopted individuals and their de-
scendants may also register. If you know of
an Icelandic family connection, however
remote, and desire to maintain contact with
Iceland, please take time to register.
The register is kept by the National Reg-
istry, Statistics Iceland, in Reykjavik, and
current plans centre around the means of
communicating membership to North
Americans and in the definition of benefits
and privileges. The project receives super-
vision from a committee appointed by the
Icelandic Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Access to the register will be open to
academic research as well to genealogical
study. Access for mailing purposes encoun-
ters limits from the general purpose of the
register, which aims at maintaining and
strengthening the ties between Iceland and
people of Icelandic descent living in North
America. Mail may include messages with
general information from Icelandic au-
thorities or Icelandic American/Icelandic
Canadian societies, information from offi-
cial and private parties concerning cultural
events or opportunity to require Icelandic
cultural products, information about travel
to and within Iceland and information
about possibilities of investment and other
activities in Iceland.
Authorities wish to make the individu-
als included in the register, and their fami-
lies, feel particularly welcome when they
visit Iceland; they aim at facilitating their
harmonious participation in Icelandic so-
ciety. Effective means to this end fall un-
der current consideration.
A committee chaired by Rayjohnson has
kept in close contact with the authorities
in Iceland; this Canadian committee aims