Lögberg-Heimskringla - 15.06.2019, Síða 6

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6 • Lögberg-Heimskringla • June 15 2019
Stefan Jonasson
Those who gathered to mark
the 100th anniversary of the
Icelandic National League of
North America embodied the theme of
the convention – “Honour, Celebrate,
Build.” Throughout the convention,
they strove to honour the founders
of the INLNA and all those who have
carried on its work over the past century,
celebrate this glorious milestone in the
organization’s history, and build upon
its strong foundation to ensure that the
Icelandic heritage and culture in North
America extends far into the future. This
year’s convention ran from Thursday
evening, May 16, until Sunday, May 19.
The welcome reception on Thursday
evening featured a performance by
Lisa Sigurgeirson Maxx, the “singing
amma” from Salt Spring Island, British
Columbia, and included a spirited sing-
along. A gifted singer-songwriter, Lisa’s
repertoire includes songs than were
inspired by her Icelandic ancestors and
the powerful and enduring legacies they
left behind them.
At the meet-and-greet reception,
Judy Bradley, president of the Icelandic
Canadian Frón, this year’s host,
promised: “What a weekend it will
be! The President of Iceland, Guðni
Jóhannesson, and First Lady Eliza Reid
are en route to join us for the festivities,
Frón’s convention committee has
pulled together a magnificent group of
speakers on a variety of topics, talented
entertainers, and dignitaries from near
and far who are joining us to celebrate
this important milestone. In between
the presentations, we’ll have several
opportunities to mix and socialize.” By
the end of the weekend, all of this had
been delivered – and much more.
Friday’s proceedings
Opening the formal program on
Saturday morning, Judy Bradley pointed
out that, “the INLNA and Frón share
a birthday, although we’re not exactly
twins. However, we share a common
purpose and we are glad that you have all
joined us to celebrate the occasion as we
both turn 100, a milestone that is as great
for institutions as it is for individuals.”
Reflecting on the significance of the
Winnipeg club’s name, Judy went on to
say, “Frón is a poetic word that refers
to the land or country – specifically
Mother Iceland – and here in Winnipeg
it has come to evoke feelings of love for
our ancestral homeland and fellowship
and camaraderie among those of us
who gather to celebrate our shared
ancestral heritage. May those feelings
characterize our time together this
weekend and may our affection for all
things Icelandic deepen.”
Ambassador Pétur Ásgeirsson
brought greetings from the Embassy of
Iceland in Ottawa and acknowledged
the importance of the INLNA and the
significance of this historic milestone
before going on to speak glowingly
about Lögberg-Heimskringla, which
led to recurring references throughout
the weekend to “that newspaper.” Derek
Johnson, the Member of the Legislative
Assembly of Manitoba for the Interlake
constituency, brought greetings from
the Province of Manitoba.
The ambassador’s praise left the
newspaper’s editor, yours truly, almost
speechless as he arrived at the podium
to offer the first presentation of the
day while the dignitaries adjourned to
Winnipeg City Hall for the ceremonial
raising of the Icelandic flag above the
city. Mayor Brian Bowman and several
city councillors were on hand for the
flag raising while those remaining
in the convention hall were treated
to a whirlwind history of Icelandic
publishing in Winnipeg and the
continued importance of publications
like Lögberg-Heimskringla and The
Icelandic Connection.
Elva Simundsson spoke next about
The Icelandic Connection, organizing
her presentation around how individuals
can get their pictures on the cover of
the magazine, which evoked memories
of the old Dr. Hook song, Cover of the
Rolling Stone. She walked her listeners
through various magazine covers over
the years, each one reminding us of
some important individual, place, or
event in our shared history while joking,
“If we like you, we’ll put you on the
cover.”
Grant Stefanson, president of
Íslendingadagurinn, the Icelandic
Festival of Manitoba – a third-generation
president, as it happens – told people
about plans for the upcoming festival,
which will be the 130th consecutive
gathering. This year, those attending the
festival will be invited to “Take a Viking
Voyage” and Grant announced the
second and final phase of Viking Park,
which is the festival’s legacy project
in gratitude to the Gimli community.
He introduced this year’s Fjallkona,
Margaret Kernested, and briefly
described three new developments
this year: a feature film in cooperation
with the Gimli Film Festival, the return
of the Icelandic fashion show, and an
enhanced art show featuring winning
artworks from previous years.
Jón Atli Benediktsson, rector and
president of the University of Iceland,
spoke about strengthening collaboration
between the University of Iceland and
post-secondary institutions in North
America, especially the University of
Manitoba, with which his university
has a special relationship. Collaboration
has been important to the University
of Iceland since its founding, since the
university seeks to “cultivate a vision
of the world” for both students and
scholars. He noted that the university had
received charitable status in Canada last
year, which means that Canadian donors
can support important initiatives at the
school, such as the newly established
Stephan G. Stephansson Endowment
Fund. He also announced that this
summer the University of Iceland would
host its first partnership conference with
the University of Iceland since 2012 and
he also drew attention to a new lecture
series in Iceland that will be named in
honour of the Icelandic Canadian poet
Guttormur J. Guttormsson.
“We do not cross oceans and
continents without leaving a trace,”
said Birna Bjarnadóttir, project manager
at the university’s Vigdís Institute,
in beginning her remarks about the
Stephan G. Stephansson Endowment
Fund at the University of Iceland.
She noted that, unlike 1919, when the
INLNA was founded, “we now claim
two languages” and she stressed the
importance of conveying our heritage in
both Icelandic and English.
The morning was rounded out with
a presentation about Icelandic Roots
by Sunna Furstenau and eight of her
volunteers, included the noted Icelandic
photographer, Mats Wibe Lund, who
announced that he was making his
images of Iceland’s historic farmsteads
available as a gift to mark the 100th
anniversary of the INLNA.
Over lunch, Mayor Brian Bowman
brought greetings from the City Winnipeg
and Hulda Karen Daníelsdóttir, president
of Þjóðræknisfélag Íslendinga, brought
greetings from our partner organization
in Iceland.
In the afternoon, Cathy Josephson,
chairperson of the East Iceland
Emigration Center and this year’s
INLNA International Visitor, regaled
listeners with her account of how our
ancestors made their way from Iceland
to the heart of North America in her
cleverly-titled presentation, “Sails,
Rails, Rivers and Trails.” She was
followed by Katie Parsons, who told
attendees about the work of the Fragile
Heritage Project, which is endeavoring
to preserve the documentary history of
the Icelanders in North America and at
home by digitizing the paper trail they
left behind. Not only will this project
ensure that duplicates of these records
exist, but it will also make them more
readily available to scholars. The
afternoon concluded with a presentation
on the future of the Snorri Programs by
Dear friends! Will it go on working
out, as it has up to now? Here we are
celebrating the centenary anniversary
of the Icelandic National League of
North America. Will our descendants
gather here in a hundred years’ time?
Obviously, we cannot know: the future
is unknowable; therein lies its beauty.
But we do know that we face threats or
challenges. “Nature is our chapel,” says
Björk, one of our best-known artists, as
she continually reminds us of our duties
towards the country that we have been
entrusted with to sustain, not destroy.
And what is the future of our
language, Icelandic? Will it continue
to flourish in a globalized world?
Gradually, the Icelandic communities
in North America stopped speaking it.
“Lest”, the Icelandic word for “train”
quickly became “trein” ‒ and “treinið”
with the definite article. True, some
words survived, such as “afi” and
“amma”, and some underwent minimal
changes: “kleinur” became “kleiner”,
to take one example. That is the way
languages can buckle and break; it
was, of course, inevitable that people
would adapt to the new reality in their
new environment. There is no need for
us to go so far in Iceland, however,
and I think you would be bitterly
disappointed – as I would – if we were
to do so. A few years ago, when I was
teaching history at the University of
Iceland, I greatly enjoyed receiving
visitors from here as part of the Snorri
Project, which Ásta Sól Kristjánsdóttir
administered so successfully. In my
new position I have continued to have
this pleasure, though in a slightly
different form.
Dear friends! Your continued
cultivation of your Icelandic heritage is
something that fills us with pride and,
I hope, makes us more determined to
protect and develop our language and
our cultural traditions. But this pride
must be healthy, and the protection must
not become rigid and intolerant.
So, which will win out in the
future that is hidden from our sight:
healthy celebration of cultural identity,
or chauvinism and nationalistic
extremism? Nearly 150 years ago,
the settlement of Nýja Ísland was
established not far from here. A new
Iceland is now growing up in the old
country. In recent years and decades,
Icelandic society has undergone a
transformation. More than one Icelander
in ten is now of foreign origin.
Our definition of “the Icelandic
people” has to take account of changing
times. Our definition has to be broad
and open. This can be to everyone’s
benefit, as is best described by the
new Icelanders themselves. One such
person is Ana Stanićević. “I am Ana
... with one n,” as she described on the
radio on our national day, 17th June,
five years ago: “... Icelandic people call
me Ana, with a long first a, and decline
it (Ana – Önu) which is just fine! When
you take my name and run it through
the Icelandic declensional system, you
are taking me into your hearts. This is
where I want to be; this is my home.
Side by side with the volcanoes and
the glaciers. Caught in the excitement
of ice and fire. In the struggle between
light and darkness!”
Yes, dear friends, it may be possible.
It may work out, þetta reddast! You good
Vestur-Íslendingar have demonstrated
this for well over a hundred years.
Let us go on demonstrating it, in this
admirable country and also in Iceland,
without nationalistic bombast but full
of pride in our diverse heritage. Once
again, I congratulate you on this great
occasion and I wish you all good fortune
in the future.
The healthy cultivation of our national heritage ... from page 1
Icelandic National League of North America 100th anniversary convention
“HONOUR, CELEBRATE, BUILD”