The Icelandic Canadian - 01.12.2004, Side 20

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THE ICELANDIC CANADIAN
Vol. 59 #2
especially cruel period. For several consec-
utive years, the ice did not leave the North
Coast of Iceland, there were shortened
growing seasons, and there was a colossal
eruption at Askja in 1875, which covered
large parts of the country in ash and killed
most of the livestock. The population of
Iceland at that time was only 80,000. With
these extraordinary hardships, many peo-
ple had absolutely no option but to leave.
In the museum at Hofsos, these events are
described in graphic terms. Indeed, in the
period from 1873 to 1914, 20,000 people, or
25% of the population, left Iceland perma-
nently. These are the people who came to
the Americas, with large numbers settling
here in Manitoba, in the Vatnabyggth
District in Saskatchewan, and in North
Dakota and Minnesota. There had also
been an earlier emigration to Utah.
Descendants of these early settlers can now
be found in virtually every corner of North
America.
Many Icelanders who came to America
did not find conditions much better than
those left in Iceland. Their early struggles
are well documented, including the many
challenges of surviving in a climate often
even more inhospitable than in Iceland.
This was further compounded by voca-
tions not based on fishing, along with cul-
tural and social challenges of being immi-
grants in a foreign country with different
traditions, cultures and languages.
The many achievements in Iceland
over the past 100 years in terms of industri-
al, commercial and overall economic devel-
opment are truly impressive. With the
eventual freedom gained with Home Rule
in 1904, Iceland at long last had the oppor-
tunity to be responsible and accountable
for managing its own affairs and ultimately,
its own destiny. From being an impover-
ished outpost with a very low standard of
living, Iceland has become a nation with
impressive political and economic influ-
ence, both nationally and globally. Its fish-
ing operation is a model in terms of appli-
cation of state of the art technologies to
handling, processing, packaging, shipping
and marketing, and with national gover-
nance that remains committed to ongoing
sustainability of fish stocks. It has an estab-
lished international airline operating as a
successful global carrier. It has successful
international shipping operations, with
companies such as Eimskip and others. It
has a successful banking sector, which is
expanding into parts of Scandinavia. It has
developed energy intensive industries,
including two aluminum smelters and a
third, currently in construction. It has also
been progressive in the modern global eco-
nomic environment, including successful
entrees into software development, infor-
mation processing, genomics and medical
research, and advanced energy technolo-
gies.
Iceland has also benefited from a well
conceived Constitution, which has provid-
ed a sound basis for elected representation,
a functioning political system, and blessed
with good political, judicial and adminis-
trative leadership. Despite the established
tradition of Icelanders to endlessly debate
every issue imaginable, decisions actually
get made. And once made, Icelanders
invariably move like a rocket to get things
done.
One hundred years ago, it would have
been unfathomable that by 2004, Iceland
would become a nation with one of the
highest standards of living in the world.
Yet, in recent years, statistics compiled by
the United Nations and other global bodies
show Iceland's per capita income, standard
of living and life expectancy to be consis-
tently in the top half dozen in the world,
well ahead of most European countries, as
well as even the United States and Canada
in some categories.
So as Icelanders in America, we share a
great sense of pride in what Iceland, the
country of our heritage, has accomplished,
especially in the past century.
Fyrir eitt hundrad arum sldan hefdi
£>ad jrott vera med ollkindum ad arid tvo
jrusund og fjogur yrdu Islendingar komnir
I tolu Jreirra jrjoda sem mestra llfsgasda
njota I vldri verold. Engu ad sfdar syna tol-
frasdilegar athuganir sem Sameinudu
jrjodirnar og adrar aljrjodlegar stofnanir
hafa gert a nylidnum arum ad midad vid
hofdatolu eru Islendingar medal jaeirrar
halfu tylftar Jpjoda I heiminum sem skara