The Icelandic Canadian - 01.11.2006, Qupperneq 7

Vol. 60 #3
THE ICELANDIC CANADIAN
93
Editorial
by Atli Asmundsson
Those who publish this magazine as
well as those who read it are people dedi-
cated to culture, art and heritage.
The Icelandic Canadian by definition
deals among other things with the Icelandic
legacy and contribution to Canadian cul-
ture.
The question of how important such
things are is an interesting one and I sus-
pect that the answers might be radically
different from one person to the next.
My take on this is that these things
(culture, heritage and history) can be vital
to the individual. In order to go through
life and survive both success and adversity,
a person needs self-confidence. We have to
believe in ourselves to achieve.
Self-confidence’s twin sister is self-
identity, self-confidence without identity is
without reason and can therefore be more
akin to arrogance than confidence.
People find self-identity within them-
selves. It is bom of and nurtured by per-
sonal experiences and the environment we
are brought up and live in.
It develops our opinions and strength
of conviction to address the issues we face
in our normal daily life as well as in per-
sonal crisis.
But our self-identity is also in our his-
tory, culture and heritage.This is available
to us through literature, history books and
many different art forms which also create
the environment that shapes our character .
People often seek inspiration and
courage in their history and Icelanders find
in their literature, not the least the Sagas, an
endless source for reflection and sometimes
pride.
To know your history and the culture
created by your forefathers, helps to foster
self-identity. History and culture are pre-
served in books and institutions like muse-
ums and universities which are vital to their
survival. This is true of the Icelanders in
Thrudur Helgadottir 8c Atli Asmundsson
Manitoba who recognized this and through
tireless efforts of many dedicated people
saved the Icelandic Department at the
University of Manitoba and are now help-
ing the Logberg Heimskringla.
But there are so many others that are
keeping the Icelandic heritage alive in
Canada in countless INL chapters, publica-
tions and through other activities. Most of
this work is done by volunteers who give
freely of their valuable time and resources
so the heritage is not lost. We seldom praise
them or give them the recognition they
deserve for the important work they are
doing - for all of us. We owe them much.
I would like to thank The Icelandic
Canadian for the invitation to write this
and also to use this opportunity to send its
readers best wishes from Thrudur and I.
We would also like to thank all of you
wonderful people for the kindness and gen-
erosity you have shown us from the day we
arrived. We hope that we will be allowed to
work with you much longer.