A University of Winnipeg history professor with ties to the Icelandic community in Winnipeg Beach and Gimli was honoured in Iceland a few weeks ago for his research work on Icelanders in Canada.
Dr. Ryan Eyford, who teaches Canadian and Indigenous history at the University of Winnipeg and whose research interests include western Canada, Indigenous-settler relations, migration and Iceland, was named the 2025 recipient of the International Vigdis Prize for Languages and Cultures.
The University of Iceland, the Government of Iceland and the Vigdis International Centre for Multilingualism and Intercultural Understanding present the Vigdis Prize each year to individuals, organizations or institutions that “spotlight exceptional achievements in the promotion of cultural and linguistic diversity, multilingualism and translation,” according the University of Iceland’s Vigdis International Centre webpage.
Eyford was chosen for the prestigious award for his research on Icelandic settlement in Canada and enriching both Indigenous and immigrant histories.
“It is a great honour to have been selected as the recipient of this award, particularly because it is named for Vigdís Finnbogadóttir,” said Eyford, who received the award on Nov. 6 in Reykjavik. “In a recent documentary about Vigdís’s life, one commentator referred to her as ‘the cultural mother of the [Icelandic] nation.’ Through her role as UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Languages, she has been a great advocate for linguistic diversity, and the strengthening of small language communities. Many Express Weekly readers will remember Vigdís’s visit to the Interlake in 1989 when she was President of Iceland.”
Eyford has written a seminal historical work on Icelanders in Canada titled “White settler reserve: New Iceland and the colonization of the Canadian west, along with numerous research papers. He curated the current exhibit at the New Iceland Heritage Museum in Gimli titled “Centennial Celebrations: New Iceland 1975,” which pays tribute to Gimli and area’s 100th Anniversary of Icelandic settlement in the context of the economic pressures of that time.
“In White Settler Reserve, I sought to link together Canadian, Icelandic, and Indigenous histories to contextualize the history of New Iceland,” said Eyford. “Being awarded the Vigdís prize is important recognition that my efforts have been at least somewhat successful.”
The first Icelanders arrived on Willow Island, south of Gimli, in 1875 and had to build their lives from scratch in New Iceland, a colony the Canadian government created on Indigenous land. The colony stretched from Winnipeg Beach to Hecla along the western shore of Lake Winnipeg.
During the Vigdis prize ceremony, Eyford spoke about his research, as well as the exhibit he curated at the museum.
“My presentation was partly drawn from my book White Settler Reserve: New Iceland and the Colonization of the Canadian West, and partly based on my current research about New Iceland anniversaries. I discussed New Iceland’s ‘Golden Jubilee’ in 1925, and the centennial celebrations in 1975,” said Eyford “Studying anniversary events from a historical perspective provides insights into the present-day concerns of a community. For example, multiculturalism was an important focus of the 1975 events, which occurred four years after multiculturalism became an official policy of the Canadian government.”
The Vigdis award ceremony was covered by the newspaper Morgunblaðið, a major publication in Iceland. The story appears in its Nov. 7 edition.
Visit www.mbl.is to read its coverage of his award.
