The Icelandic Canadian - 01.09.2008, Síða 40

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THE ICELANDIC CANADIAN
Vol. 61 #4
remained an expert at spinning and knitting
there seems to have been little weaving
done among the Icelanders in Canada. One
of the first items of clothing purchased
were shoes. Even when the skinnskor were
made they could be made from the more
durable cowhide rather than the sheepskin
as Icelanders soon acquired cattle as well.
Although New Iceland was conceived
as a colony so that the Icelandic way of life
could be maintained, there were from the
beginning outside influences which helped
to change clothing customs. The women,
who had the distinctly national clothing
were also the ones most subjected to out-
side influences. It was easier for them to get
work outside the colony as there was a
demand for domestics. In this work they
would be living with English families and it
would be natural and perhaps even expect-
ed that they conform in clothing styles.
Also as settlers moved from the original
colony to other sites in Manitoba and
Saskatchewan they were living among set-
tlers of many backgrounds.
Another factor in changing the
Icelander’s clothing was their willingness
to adapt to their new home and to become
good citizens. Although proud of their
homeland, its history and culture, they
were sure enough of its importance in their
lives to feel that adapting to the Canadian
lifestyle did not threaten the extinction of
the Icelandic culture. They were quick to
learn English while continuing to teach
their children Icelandic and maintain the
love of Icelandic literature and poetry
which characterizes the Icelandic culture.
They soon dropped their patrynomic sys-
tem of nomenclature in which married
women retained their own names.
However the women still maintained their
independence and equality. In this way the
superficial aspect of the Icelandic culture in
Canada has changed without changing the
underlying belief.
In the early years in Canada most
clothing was made in the family, including
footwear. One writer remembers that the
homemade shoes were made of rawhide
and in the hot prairie summer the shoes
would get hard and stiff and would have to
be soaked in water every morning so they
could be worn.
The whole family would participate in
the production of the clothing, especially
in the preparation and use of the wool.
Shearing, washing the wool, carding and
knitting were done by various members of
the family. Boys as well as girls were
taught to knit and one writer recalls her
grandfather carding wool in the evenings.
Quite often the evenings spent preparing
and knitting the wool were filled with
older members of the family reciting tradi-
tional poetry, rimur and sagas of Iceland.
In this way the knowledge and love of
Iceland and its culture were maintained in
succeeding generations.
Knitting was done in a special way
that reduced the number of necessary
movements and therefore speeded up the
process. However, along with spinning, it
must have been an unending task for the
Icelandic woman. Even when visiting with
friends her knitting needles would be busy
and one writer recalls that her mother “in
the midst of restoring order out of chaos
had to realize she was tired. If it was cold
we would go upstairs, she would seat her-
self in her upholstered rocker by the
dormer window and set the spinning
wheel in motion. After some time mother
would feel relaxed enough to continue her
interrupted household tasks.”
After the garments, which included
hats, mitts, wristlets, scarves, underwear,
socks and knitted insoles, were knitted the
mitts and socks were subjected to another
process. They were put into fairly warm
water with soap and kept warm and in
motion for twenty minutes. This “shrink-
ing” made them thicker and more durable,
a fact that was recognized by the pioneer
neighbours who often purchased them.
By the end of the 19th century most
settlers were well established and the
majority of them spoke English. “There
was however, no marked change in every-
day life of the Icelanders, with the excep-
tion of improved living quarters, larger
fields, more equipment to work with and
greatly increased livestock. On the whole
life remained simple and the number of
articles purchased from the outside was
kept down to a strict minimum.” One can