The Icelandic Canadian - 01.06.2005, Qupperneq 6

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THE ICELANDIC CANADIAN
Vol. 59 #4
Editorial
by Tammy Axelsson
October 21st, 2005 will mark 130 years
since the arrival of the first Icelandic set-
tlers on the shores of Willow Point, in
Manitoba. I have often pondered on what it
was like to come ashore, cold, tired and dis-
heartened at having lost so many from
among their small group on their journey
from Iceland and Kinmount. Written
accounts of their arrival tell of the strong
north wind that made it unsafe to continue
further north on Lake Winnipeg.
We who live here today, know those
fall winds all too well. They are bitter and
unforgiving and foretell the harsh winter
months that lay ahead. As those settlers
were unloading their belongings and hasti-
ly putting up tents that would provide little
shelter against the elements, I wonder how
many of them were questioning the wis-
dom of their decision to leave Iceland?
Yet, they set about the task of making a
new life in this new land, clinging to the
hope that they had made the right decision,
and determined never to forget where they
came from.
They got through the first winter, the
smallpox epidemic, and a division in the
colony over religious differences. They
printed a newspaper, built a school, fished,
farmed and raised their families. They
developed their own laws and constitution
outside of the then postage stamp province
that Manitoba was and so, New Iceland
was established. This unique chapter in
Canada’s history has been recognized as an
event of national historic significance by
the National Historic Sites and
Monuments Board of Canada.
There was a dogged determination
among those early Icelandic settlers to
maintain their language and culture and
their ties with Iceland. It is a determination
that was passed on to each subsequent gen-
eration and Icelandic-Canadians from
coast to coast and from all walks of life,
continued to work tirelessly to maintain a
rich variety of Icelandic customs and tradi-
tions.
The Icelandic Department at the
University of Manitoba, the Icelandic
National League of North America, with
clubs and chapters across Canada and in
the U.S., the Icelandic Festival of
Manitoba, celebrating its 116th year, the
New Iceland Heritage Museum in Gimli,
the Icelandic-Canadian, the Logberg-
Heimskringla, the very successful Snorri
Programs and the Gimli Film Festival - all
play important roles in preserving a piece
of the Icelandic presence in Canada. And
with an Icelandic Embassy in Ottawa and
the Icelandic Consul General in Winnipeg,
the ties with Iceland could not be stronger.
As we work together to preserve our
Icelandic heritage, our collective stories
give us all a deeper understanding of the
sacrifices made by the Icelanders when
they chose to settle in a new country and
how their presence here has contributed to
the great multicultural nation that Canada
has become. The culture and heritage of
our Icelandic ancestors is alive and well
here, and though our numbers are relative-
ly few, our presence is known in each and
every community where Icelandic-
Canadians live. Ours are the stories of the
trials, tribulations and triumphs of a people
who made new lives for themselves in a
new land.
So today, on this beautiful October
day, with the temperature at 21 degrees
Celsius, and the world shifting into mag-
nificent colours of golden-brown, yellow,
orange and crimson, I am feeling particu-
larly grateful to those early settlers for all
that we enjoy here in Canada.
1 think they would be proud to know
how well things have gone here for
Canadians of Icelandic descent, and they
would be prouder still of the all the time