New Iceland ( is, Nýja Ísland ) is the name of a region on
Lake Winnipeg
Lake Winnipeg (french: Lac Winnipeg, oj, ᐑᓂᐸᑲᒥᐠᓴᑯ˙ᑯᐣ, italics=no, Weenipagamiksaguygun) is a very large, relatively shallow lake in North America, in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Manitoba, Canada. I ...
in the
Canadian province
Within the geographical areas of Canada, the ten provinces and three territories are sub-national administrative divisions under the jurisdiction of the Canadian Constitution. In the 1867 Canadian Confederation, three provinces of British North ...
of
Manitoba
Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...
which was named for settlers from
Iceland
Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...
. It was settled in 1875.
Background
In 1875, over 200 Icelanders immigrated to
Manitoba
Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...
establishing the New Iceland colony along the west shore of
Lake Winnipeg
Lake Winnipeg (french: Lac Winnipeg, oj, ᐑᓂᐸᑲᒥᐠᓴᑯ˙ᑯᐣ, italics=no, Weenipagamiksaguygun) is a very large, relatively shallow lake in North America, in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Manitoba, Canada. I ...
in Manitoba, the first part of a large wave of immigrants who settled on the Canadian prairies.
The more general migration followed an offer from
Lord Dufferin
Frederick Temple Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood, 1st Marquess of Dufferin and Ava (21 June 182612 February 1902) was a British public servant and prominent member of Victorian society. In his youth he was a popular figure in the court of Queen Vict ...
of land in Manitoba to establish what amounted to a "free state".
[William H. Swatos, Jr. and Loftur Reimar Gissurarson, ''Icelandic Spiritualism: Mediumship and Modernity in Iceland'', New Brunswick, New Jersey: Transaction, 1996, ]
p. 53
Due to harsh environmental and economic conditions in
Iceland
Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...
, including the eruption of Mount
Askja
Askja () is an active volcano situated in a remote part of the Highlands of Iceland, central highlands of Iceland. The name Askja refers to a complex of nested calderas within the surrounding Dyngjufjöll mountains, which rise to , ''askja'' ...
, some 20,000 Icelanders left their homeland between 1870 and 1915—roughly a quarter of the population of Iceland.
[ In 1875 a large group of Icelandic immigrants migrated from ]Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
to Manitoba
Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...
, leaving Kinmount, Ontario
Kinmount is a village with a population of approximately 500, located on the Burnt River in Ontario, Canada. The village is apportioned by three municipalities, they are, City of Kawartha Lakes, Minden Hills and Trent Lakes. The village's hinter ...
, on 25 September 1875, for Gimli, Manitoba
Gimli is an unincorporated community in the Rural Municipality of Gimli on the west side of Lake Winnipeg in Manitoba, Canada. The community's first European settlers were Icelanders who were part of the New Iceland settlement in Manitoba. The comm ...
, on the shores of Lake Winnipeg
Lake Winnipeg (french: Lac Winnipeg, oj, ᐑᓂᐸᑲᒥᐠᓴᑯ˙ᑯᐣ, italics=no, Weenipagamiksaguygun) is a very large, relatively shallow lake in North America, in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Manitoba, Canada. I ...
. One of the main reasons for the choice of the colony site was "the abundance of fish" in Lake Winnipeg, but according to ''The Icelandic People in Manitoba'', their first attempts at fishing on Lake Winnipeg were not successful, partly because they set their nets too close to the shore. Moreover, the "winter of 1875–1876 was one of the coldest on record in Manitoba, and the settlers' clothes, including the leather shoes from Ontario, were not suitable for the rigorous weather". However, the immigrants eventually learned to handle the ax, prepare the soil, fish through ice, and hunt game. They also learned how to drain the land, grow crops, and build better houses.
These Icelandic settlers, known in their native language as ''Vestur-Íslendingar'' (meaning Icelanders in the West; initially many Icelanders did not see emigration as a change of country, and there was some discussion of moving the entire population[), called their settlement "New Iceland", and the region remains a symbolic centre of the Icelandic heritage in Canada today.
]
Other information
*According to Statistics Canada
Statistics Canada (StatCan; french: Statistique Canada), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and cultur ...
(government agency
A government or state agency, sometimes an appointed commission, is a permanent or semi-permanent organization in the machinery of government that is responsible for the oversight and administration of specific functions, such as an administrati ...
), Manitoba is home to the largest Icelandic population outside of Iceland. There are about 26,000 people with Icelandic ancestry living in Manitoba, making up about 2 per cent of the total population of the province. About 35 per cent of the Icelandic Canadian
Icelandic Canadians are Canadian citizens of Icelandic ancestry or Iceland-born people who reside in Canada.
Canada has the largest ethnic Icelandic population outside Iceland, with about 101,795 people of full or partial Icelandic descent as o ...
population lives in Manitoba.
*Currently many ethnic festivals related to New Iceland, such as Íslendingadagurinn, are held in these areas, and also the weekly newspaper ''Lögberg-Heimskringla''[Combining ''Heimskringla'' ('Globe'), founded in 1886, and ''Lögberg'' ('Law-Mound'), founded in 1888; Swatos and Gissurarson]
p. 57
is printed in Winnipeg
Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...
.
*The University of Manitoba
The University of Manitoba (U of M, UManitoba, or UM) is a Canadian public research university in the province of Manitoba.[Gimli, Manitoba
Gimli is an unincorporated community in the Rural Municipality of Gimli on the west side of Lake Winnipeg in Manitoba, Canada. The community's first European settlers were Icelanders who were part of the New Iceland settlement in Manitoba. The comm ...](_blank)
, was within the "Icelandic Reserve" granted to Icelandic settlers by the Government of Canada in 1875. Contrary to popular misconception, New Iceland was never a "republic", though the settlers did organize their own local government, which until December 1881 was outside the boundaries of Manitoba. The reserve, at that time within the District of Keewatin, Northwest Territory, was always under Canadian jurisdiction, and the Icelanders were keenly aware of their new loyalties and obligations as Canadians and British subjects—as evidenced during speeches made at Gimli during the visit of Lord Dufferin, Governor General of Canada, in 1877.
See also
* Council of Keewatin
The Council of Keewatin was an unelected legislative body and territorial government for the now defunct District of Keewatin in Canada. The District of Keewatin was created by the passage of the ''Keewatin Act'' on October 7, 1876 from a portion ...
* Demographics of Manitoba
Manitoba is one of Canada's 10 provinces. It is the easternmost of the three Prairie provinces.
Manitoba's capital and largest city (containing over half its population) is Winnipeg. Other important cities and towns include Brandon, Thompson, Da ...
* David Arnason
David Arnason (born 23 May 1940) is a Canadian author and poet of Icelandic heritage from Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Life
Born in Gimli, Manitoba, Arnason is of Icelandic descent and often writes about the Icelandic community in Canada. He is the son ...
* Einar Hjörleifsson Kvaran
Einar Gísli Hjörleifsson Kvaran (6 December 1859 in Vallanes, Iceland as Einar Hjörleifsson – 21 May 1938 in Reykjavík) was an Icelandic editor, novelist, poet, playwright and prominent spiritualist.
Life
Einar Kvaran was the son of Rev ...
* Jón Bjarnason (minister)
* Sigtryggur Jonasson
Sigtryggur Jonasson (February 8, 1852 – November 26, 1942) was a community leader and politician in Manitoba, Canada. He played a major part in establishing the Icelandic community in Manitoba. Jonasson served in the Legislative Assembly o ...
* Leif Erikson
Leif Erikson, Leiv Eiriksson, or Leif Ericson, ; Modern Icelandic: ; Norwegian: ''Leiv Eiriksson'' also known as Leif the Lucky (), was a Norse explorer who is thought to have been the first European to have set foot on continental North ...
* Lake Manitoba
Lake Manitoba (french: Lac Manitoba) is the List of lakes of Canada, 14th largest lake in Canada and the List of lakes by area, 33rd largest lake in the world with a total area of . It is located within the Provinces and territories of Canada, Cana ...
* Fraserwood
Armstrong is a rural municipality in the province of Manitoba in Western Canada. It lies in the southern area of the Interlake and was named after James William Armstrong, a Manitoba politician.
History
The surrounding area was settled by immig ...
* Interlake
Interlake was a provincial electoral division in the Canadian province of Manitoba. It was created by redistribution in 1979, and has formally existed since the 1981 provincial election. Previously, much of the Interlake region was include ...
* Rural Municipality of Gimli
The Rural Municipality of Gimli is a rural municipality located in the Interlake Region of south-central Manitoba, Canada, on the western shore of Lake Winnipeg. It is about north of the provincial capital Winnipeg. The rural municipality's popul ...
References
Bibliography
* Guðjón Angrímsson (1997), ''Nýja Ísland: Saga of the journey to New Iceland''
* David Arnason (1994), ''The new Icelanders: A North American community''
* Kristin Olafson-Jenkyns (2001), ''The Culinary Saga of New Iceland: Recipes from the Shores of Lake Winnipeg''
External links
''Manitoba Historical Society - Icelandic Settlement''
New Iceland Heritage Museum
*
Lögberg-Heimskringla
'
Icelandic Festival (Íslendingadagurinn)
Facts about Icelandic Canadians
{{authority control
Icelandic-Canadian culture in Manitoba
Places in Canada settled by Icelanders
Geography of Manitoba
History of Manitoba by location
19th century in Iceland
Populated places established in 1875
1875 establishments in Canada