The relationship between Icelanders and North America stretches back over a thousand years, with early encounters recorded in medieval Icelandic sagas. Yet, the story of Icelandic Canadians as a distinct group begins in the late 19th century, when a significant migration reshaped both Icelandic history and Canada’s prairie landscape.
Mass migration and the New Iceland colony
After the volcanic eruption of Askja in 1875 and years of economic hardship in Iceland, emigration to North America surged. While most European migrants then chose the United States, the majority of Icelanders who left home moved instead to Canada. By 1914, over 14,000 Icelanders, about 20% of the country’s population at the time, had resettled in North America, and evidence indicates roughly 17,000 made the journey with around 2,000 eventually returning home.
Canada’s appeal was shaped by government incentives, offering land to new arrivals, and by direct recruitment. The Allan Line shipping company became active in Iceland in 1873, just as emigration was beginning there.
The western shore of Lake Winnipeg in Manitoba became the heart of Icelandic settlement. In 1875, more than 200 settlers established a colony known as New Iceland (Nýja Ísland), with permission to create their own self-governing community. Initially, New Iceland consisted mainly of immigrants and the local Ojibwa and Cree peoples. Towns founded by Icelanders dotted surrounding areas, with Gimli soon becoming the focal point. The settlement system included schools, local laws, and a degree of autonomy unique among immigrant communities. While agricultural challenges, flooding, and epidemics drove many to leave within a few years, the legacy of these first Icelandic enclaves can still be felt in what is now the Interlake Region.
Cultural traditions and community life
Icelandic Canadians preserved distinctive customs through food, language, and festivals. Everyday life in the settlements encompassed dishes such as hangikjöt (smoked lamb or mutton), harðfiskur (dried fish eaten with butter), and sweet breads like rúgbrauð. Perhaps the most celebrated delicacy remains vínarterta, a layered fruit torte that stirs spirited debate about recipes and preparation at every community gathering.
Unlike the patronymic system that prevails in Iceland, most Icelandic Canadians use fixed family surnames, usually derived from their immigrant ancestor’s name or hometown. This adaptation signifies both a connection and a departure from Icelandic traditions.
Language was another marker of identity. North American Icelandic developed within these communities, characterised by loanwords from English and the persistence of a phonetic trait called flámæli (the merger of certain front vowels). Although flámæli faded in modern Icelandic, it survived much longer among Icelanders in Canada. By the early 21st century, however, speakers of North American Icelandic had become rare.
Publication and literacy flourished, too. Handwritten and printed newspapers appeared within a year of the first major influx, culminating in the long-running Lögberg-Heimskringla paper published in Winnipeg.
Today, Gimli remains the centre of Icelandic-Canadian culture, home to the Icelandic Festival of Manitoba, known as Íslendingadagurinn, a tradition continuing annually since the 1930s. The festival’s Fjallkona (‘Maid of the Mountain’) ritual, where a chosen woman in traditional costume represents Iceland, endures as a poignant symbol of heritage.
Across Canada, settlements in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and Ontario preserve the layered history of Icelandic Canadians. The community’s influence runs deep, not only in places but also in practices that bridge two continents’ identities.
Sources
- Wikipedia
- Wikipedia (Icelandic) in Icelandic
