The Icelandic connection - 01.06.2010, Síða 37

Vol. 63 #1
ICELANDIC CONNECTION
35
women were involved in during this time
period of 1875 - 1914. The research revealed
very high numbers of women involved in the
Ladies’ Aid of their churches. The list below
provides the Icelandic names given to the
societies and the years they were established.
The years indicate that the churches and their
Ladies’ Aid societies were formed shortly
after the settlement was formed. This is an
incomplete list because in some cases, the
records referred to a Ladies’ Aid group but did
not give the name of the group or the year in
which it was formed. Also, sometimes a
Unitarian congregation was recorded with no
record of the Ladies’ Aid society. It is proba-
ble that one existed, but not recorded.
The Ladies’ Aid societies focused a lot of
their energies on fundraising. It was clear to
these groups that in order to provide assis-
tance to the church and for those in need, they
needed to raise funds. Their fundraising
events included staging dramas (Arborg
Historical Society, 1987, p. 97) and organiz-
ing concerts which featured entertainment,
speeches and debates (Arborg Historical
Society, 1987, p. 47). They also raised money
through box socials and tombolas, which
were draws where numbered tickets were sold
and later drawn for prizes (Gerrard, 1985). In
Winnipeg, The First Lutheran Ladies’ Aid and
the Ladies’ Aid of the Icelandic Unitarian
Church raised funds annually by selling
refreshments at the Winnipeg Industrial
Exhibition (Stephenson, 1953, p. 27;
Petursson, 1954, p. 2). These are examples of
the various ways that the Lutheran and
Unitarian Ladies’ Aid societies raised consid-
erable funds and were able to assist their
church and community.
The Ladies’ Aid society meetings were
where the ideas for the various endeavors
were born. Women often had to walk three to
four miles to meetings, with their babies in
their arms and young children along as well
(Rural Municipality of Argyle, 1981). Here
women could find fellowship, hear news from
Iceland, share their news of people in need,
and propose ideas for fundraising and the dis-
bursement of those funds. Meetings also
devoted time to lectures, readings or enter-
tainment (Petursson, 1954, p. 3). Through
these meetings and activities, women learned
by non-formal means. Many of the skills they
learned were the same ones listed earlier in
this historical narrative as skills learned by the
Icelandic Women’s Society: leadership, orga-
nization, budgeting, etc. Again, similar to the
Women’s Society, the Ladies’ Aid societies
contributed to the informal learning of the
Icelandic immigrants they assisted. The
Ladies’ Aid societies in the Icelandic settle-
ments and the immigrants they assisted
formed a mutually beneficial learning com-
munity.
The two-fold mandate of the Ladies’ Aid
societies began with service to the church
(Rural Municipality of Argyle, 1981, P- 145).
The women’s efforts resulted in much needed
donations towards major projects such as the
purchase of land, pianos, organs and pews.
Through their budgets they also purchased
such items as equipment and communion
ware (Petursson, 1954, p. 2; Rural
Municipality of Argyle, 1981, P- 184). In this
way, the Ladies’ Aid societies were valued
and respected contributors to the spiritual life
of their communities.
A second and equally valued contribution
was the community assistance outside of the
church that the Ladies’ Aid societies provid-
ed. The advent of the Social Gospel provided
a window of opportunity for women, one out-
side the private world of their homes. Under
the Social Gospel, women could become
involved with public activities, helping others
while still maintaining their social acceptance
within their communities. Pursuing these
activities under the auspices of the church’s
Ladies’ Aid Society gave the involvement
even further acceptance. This activity provid-
ed women with many opportunities to use and
develop their skills in the public sphere. Many
embraced the idea, given their exposure to
similar activities in Iceland. The Social
Gospel came at a time when Icelandic pioneer
women felt confined by the prevailing
Victorian belief that determined women’s
place was in the home. It also came at a time
when many Icelandic immigrants in Manitoba
were in need of assistance. The synergy of
these factors led to an active involvement in
Ladies’ Aid societies by Icelandic pioneer
women in Manitoba, with the new Icelandic
immigrants as beneficiaries.
The ways the Ladies’ Aid societies