Iceland: An Introduction
to its History, Geography, Economy,
and Culture
A presentation by Geir Þorbjörn Jónsson,
Honorary Vice Consul for Iceland
On Wednesday, November 14, 7:00 pm, Geir Þorbjörn Jónsson, Honorary Vice
Consul for Iceland in Seattle, will present an overview of Iceland.
Admission: $10 (General), $8 (SCC Members), PLU Students Free. Reservations not
required. Reception follows.
Geir Jónsson accepted the position of Vice
Consul in 2003 and in that capacity, his duties include promoting cultural
relations and trade and commerce, providing assistance to Icelandic nationals
in the Northwest, and protecting the interests of Iceland.
Geir graduated from Yale
College, Hasting College
of the Law, and has earned a master’s degree in taxation from the University of
Washington School of Law. He is an attorney practicing estate planning and
probate law in his own firm in Seattle.
He also serves
on the board of the Icelandic Club of Greater Seattle and lives
in Seattle with
his wife and daughter.
Iceland, officially the Republic of Iceland, is the least populated of the
Nordic countries and the second smallest; it has a population of about 313,000
and a total area of 103,000 km². Iceland is the
most geologically active area in the world with its volcanoes and seismic
activity. Its capital and largest city is Reykjavik.
Reykjavik means 'smoky,' but in the case of Iceland's pristine
capital, the smoke is not smog but rather steam from the underground springs
that warm the city. Reykjavik has a
well-deserved reputation for being the cleanest, most invigorating city in Europe, where the standard of living is one of the
highest in the world.
Glædeleg jul! Hauskaa joulua!
Gledileg jöl!
Gledelig jul!
God jul
The holiday season is rapidly approaching
and we are looking forward to our annual holiday events. Each year the Christmas in Scandinavia exhibit sets the stage for the holiday season on the
PLU campus. Fir trees are decorated in the tradition of each Nordic country and
a 13-foot noble fir is placed in the center of the Great Hall. Christmas in
Scandinavia will be on display from November 28 to January 6.
The Norwegian Christmas Service (Norsk
Julegudstjeneste) will illuminate the SCC with
candlelight on
Wednesday, December 5, at 7:00 pm. A
PLU tradition since 1976, the service continues to be a favorite family and
community event. The service features a
local pastor who delivers the holiday message in both English and Norwegian.
Students in PLU’s Scandinavian Studies Program take an active part in the
service, forming small class choirs, and reading scripture. Midway through the
service, the lights are dimmed, candles are lit, and the congregation joins
together in the singing of traditional Norwegian Christmas hymns. The
Scandinavian Cultural Council is proud to partner with the Scandinavian Studies
Program to bring you this very special event.
Free admission.
Another
holiday favorite is the Swedish Sankta Lucia Fest that has delighted audiences at 
PLU
for 57 years. The celebration is scheduled for Friday, December
7, at 7:30 pm in Lagerquist Hall.
The event features traditional singing, festive dancing, and a visit from Jultomten.
After the program, Sankta Lucia and her täg will lead the way
along a lighted pathway to the Scandinavian
Cultural Center
where there will be more singing, dancing, refreshments. For tickets and
information call 253-535-7411 or visit PLU Concierge in the University Center. $8 (General); $5 (SCC Members/Students); $3
(Children 11 and under). All major credit cards accepted. A limited number of tickets will be available
at the door.
The holiday events will culminate with the
annual Nordic Christmas Fest on Saturday,
December 15. The festive
evening features a mouth-watering
holiday buffet featuring some of our favorite Nordic dishes such as pickled
herring, gravlax (salmon) with dill sauce, leverpostei (liver
paté), medisterpølse (Norwegian sausage) with red cabbage, frikadeller
(Danish meatballs), lanttulaatikko (Finnish rutabaga casserole), kötbullar
(Swedish meatballs), and much, much more! Following the meal, guests will enjoy
outstanding entertainment. $35 (General); $30 (SCC Members). Reservations are
required. Invitations will soon be in
the mail.
Newest Acquisitions Enhance SCC Permanent Artifact Collection
T
here are so many ways one can support the
Scandinavian Cultural Center. One important way is by donating artifacts to
our Permanent Artifact Collection. Two Gig Harbor
families have recently done just that.
We are grateful for their generosity and their support.
Linda Caspersen-Andresen has donated
myriad items over the past several years.
Her most recent donation comes in the form of a seven-piece authentic
(vintage) Norwegian bunad (circa 1940). The costume (left) is made of
wool with
hand-embroidered wool yarn, and is the only costume from the Romsdal
District in the collection.
Another first for the Artifact Collection
is the acquisition of an original Danish folkdragt, donated by Liz
Bates, a close friend of Linda. The
costume (right) is from Præstø, Denmark, and
was originally owned by Inger Seiffert who brought it to the U.S.
circa 1980. Liz purchased it in from
Inger in 1990. The costume also includes a matching hat, green shawl and shoes.
Scandinavia and the Sea: A Nautical
Exhibit
The first exhibit scheduled for 2008 will
follow a nautical theme using artwork and artifacts from our permanent artifact
collection. Model ships and boats built
by PLU alumni (’70) and retired Navy Captain Egil Arthur Sortland will be on
display in the Larson Gallery located in the foyer outside the SCC. The exhibit
will be on display through March 2008.
More about Cpt. Sortland’s Ships and Models
The models on display will highlight ship
design from the Viking Era to that of England’s Man-of-War ships that
ushered in world domination through sea power. Norway is synonymous with the sea.
Of particular interest is Norwegian shipping during World War II and the use of
watercraft in Norway’s
resistance to Nazi occupation. Also displayed will be pleasure craft, the
standard of an earlier period, highlighting the use of wood for their hulls and
decks.
The post-World War II years were difficult
for Norwegians, and many families had to look for new hopes and new dreams in America. Many
were drawn to the Puget Sound Area and northward to Alaska’s coastline, mainly because these
areas reminded them of their native land.
This exhibit explores the story of one
such family whose destiny was shaped by the ships that traveled the seas taking
them to a new life in Washington
State. You can learn more
about the Sortland family history by visiting the website of PLU’s Scandinavian
Immigrant Experience Collection, located on the third floor of the university library
(www.plu.edu/~archives). The collection includes an on-line personal interview
(1982) with Captain Sortland’s father, Erling Arthur Sortland.
Smuler fra Presidenten . . .
In an Op-Ed piece in the Norwegian
American Weekly (September 7 issue), Jack Moe (publisher and
editor-in-chief of the NAW) made an assertion that puzzled me a bit. He claimed
that “a problem with Norway
is that it has an image problem…throughout North America.”
Norway,
he said, “really has NO image.” I was puzzled. I wouldn’t have thought that was
true. (But perhaps I’m prejudiced.) It is true, of course, that Norway, a very
small country, doesn’t directly affect the lives of that many Americans. And,
as we have heard recently, there are a few Americans that clearly are, shall we
say, “geographically challenged,” so it wouldn’t be altogether surprising if
some of them know next to nothing about this little country in the far north of
Europe. Yet, it seems to me that Norway does feature quite regularly
in American national news. Just recently, for example, Norwegians announced the
awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Al Gore. And it’s not so very long ago
that the whole world was focused (or at least so I thought) on the winter Olympic
games in Lillehammer.
But, even if it were true that Norway
is not known to most Americans today, that by itself doesn’t mean, does it,
that Norway
has an “image problem”? Norway
could surely have an image, even a sterling image, even if North Americans generally
were not aware of it.
Well, I don’t really want to belabor this
point. What I do agree with Mr. Moe about is that, however well known Norway is in North America,
it would not at all be a bad thing if it were to become better known to most
Americans. And that, of course, was the real thrust of his Op-Ed piece. His
main purpose was to introduce his readers to a new magazine, the Norway.com
Magazine. The inaugural issue came out just this last June. And the explicit mission of Norway.com
Magazine is precisely “to invigorate the image of Norway in North America.”
No Norwegian, and certainly not I, would argue with such a mission.
It was only recently, in fact it was at
our annual banquet in September, that I picked up a copy of this magazine. And I
have to say I was impressed. The magazine bills itself as “the gateway to
modern Norway”—and
it really does an impressive job. My friend Rose-Marie asked, “What are they
going to do for an encore? They have used all the best pictures and told all
the best stories in this first issue, haven’t they?” A pretty fine compliment, I thought. And it
so happens, I discovered, that Mr. Moe is also the publisher of Norway.com
Magazine. Well, my hat is off to Mr. Moe, and to Vice Consul Kim
Nesselquist, and to all who are responsible for the publication of this new
magazine. Wonderful job!
And, speaking of the Annual Banquet, it,
too, was outstanding. It was a wonderful evening of sharing of accomplishments,
enjoyment of good fellowship, and, of course, wonderful food. Two very special
awards were presented that evening. The Scandinavian Cultural Center
Outstanding Service Award was presented to Elene Emerson for her many years of
dedicated service to the Center. My
longtime friend, Pastor Ron Vignec received the 2007 Greater Tacoma Peace
Prize. Ron is truly deserving of the prize and the honor for the incredible
work he has done with the Salishan community in East
Tacoma.
I made some brief comments at the banquet,
and one thing I said I also want to repeat here. It is that we on the
Scandinavian Cultural Council are making a strong appeal for “fresh faces.” We
feel strongly that we should enlarge the current membership of the Council. So,
we appeal to you: join us! If you are
unable to do so yourself, perhaps you know of someone who could make a
contribution to the valuable—and rewarding—work that we do. And I should emphasize, perhaps, since in my
remarks today I have focused on Norway, that on the Scandinavian Cultural Council
we do, of course, focus on the whole of Scandinavia, not just on Norway. So,
whatever your Scandinavian “affiliation” or interest, we would love to have you
come on board with us. ~Gunnulf Myrbo
News from the
Scandinavian Studies Program at PLU:
The Harstad
Lecture
Each year, the Scandinavian Studies
Program at PLU hosts the Harstad Lecture, presented by a prominent Norwegian or
American scholar of Norwegian culture. This annual lecture is made possible
through the generosity of descendents of PLU’s first president, Bjug Harstad.
The lecture fund these family members and friends have created is meant to
further the founder’s conviction “not to lose touch” with Norwegian
culture. What an important purpose this
is today for students studying Norwegian and Scandinavian Studies and for
members of the community who identify themselves as Norwegian-American! But
just as the PLU campus has changed since its founding in 1890, so has the
country of Norway
changed. With this change, the Harstad Lecture becomes more important every
year, as we work to know and understand the multicultural and internationally
engaged country and cultures of Norway.
This year’s lecture, “Literary Voices of
the Immigrant Experience: Scandinavian-American and Contemporary Nordic
Perspectives,” builds a bridge between the experience of emigrants who left and
immigrants who have come to Norway.
The lecture is presented by Professor Ingeborg Kongslien from the University of Oslo,
whose research of migrant literature began with a dissertation on the novels of
Ole Rølvaag, and today focuses on the literature of new immigrants from Pakistan, Chile,
Iran
and beyond. Her research and publishing continue to inform Norwegians and
Scandinavian Americans alike of the power of literature to tell the immigrant
story.
With the focus Professor Kongslien places
on the experience, many questions about immigration become common in the best
sense of the word. How many Americans of hyphenated identity have asked
themselves “Who am I?,” and made choices to create themselves in the hybrid
space of the multiple cultures in which they live? How many Norwegian Americans
have rejected lutefisk (perhaps
much to their relatives’ chagrin!) but welcome the challenge to travel and
study in the Norway
of today? We can know that, for any immigrant, what one keeps and what one
leaves behind in the physical process of leaving is a relatively simple
question compared to the process of becoming that informed and insightful
person who has crossed cultural borders and become wiser for the journey.
We pride ourselves, and rightly so, on the
university’s immigrant heritage. We have a treasure house of materials in the
Scandinavian Immigrant Experience Collection, housed in the library, that bring
to life in written texts and oral interviews the lives of many Scandinavians
who have immigrated to this region. The relevance of this material to our
ability to “keep in touch” with the experience of living in Norway and the
Nordic region today is exciting and profound. And the Harstad Lecture, the gift
of the descendent of immigrants, allows us to recognize how much we indeed have
in common in the experience if immigration.
~Professors Claudia Berguson and Troy
Storfjell
November/December 2007 Calendar of Events
Exhibits
«Christmas in
Scandinavia, November 28 through January 6
Public Hours: Sundays, 1-4 pm;
Tuesdays/Wednesdays, 11 am-3 pm — Free Admission
Meetings
Danish Sisterhood: November 7 and
December 5, 9:30 am, 253-843-2249
Danish Sangaften: November 18, 6:00 pm, 253-984-6700 (December meeting date
to be announced)
Norwegian Rosemalers Group: November 21, 28
and December 19, 9:30 am,
253-841-3392
Executive Board: November 13 and
December 11, 4:45 pm, UC 212
SCC Council: November 13,
5:30 pm, SCC (No meeting in
December)
Classes
Intermediate Norwegian Language Classes, Mondays, 6-9 pm
Beginning Norwegian Language Classes, Tuesdays, 6-9 pm
Contact for Language Classes: Audun Toven
(253-536-8392) or <tovenat@plu.edu>
Major Events
Nordic Sweater
Exchange/Sale/Silent Auction, Saturday, November 10. Invitations are
in the mail.
Icelandic Lecture, Wednesday,
November 14, 7:00 pm. (See P. 1 for details.)
Sankta Lucia Fest,
Friday,
December 7, 7:30 pm, Lagerquist
Hall
Norwegian
Christmas Service, Wednesday, December 5, 7:00 pm
Nordic Christmas Fest, Saturday, December
15, 6:30 pm
News and Notes
New Members: A warm welcome to our newest
member, Linda Russo of Tacoma.
We are also excited to announce that we have four new PLU student members:
Robin Dickson (Seattle), Emma Kane (Portland, OR), Christina
Mandt (Sandefjord, Norway),
and Knut Anders Enoksen (Randaberg,
Norway).
Friday, November 16, 8:00 pm, Everett Symphony Orchestra: Pops Concert, Northern
Lights “Uff Da!” Music from Norway,
Finland, Sweden, and Denmark. Tickets $12-$36 (425-258-1605; 1-888-266-8486;
www.everettsymphony.org) Everett Civic Auditorium.
Long-time member Astrid Hildahl has a new
mailing address: South 222 Evergreen, Spokane
Valley, WA 99016.
Phone: 509-891-2549.
Penguin books has a new English
translation of Knut Hamsun’s, Growth of the Soil, that redresses some of
the Victorian prudishness of the book’s only other English translation (1920).
KKNW Radio-1150 AM will present Scandinavian
Christmas Music on December 22 (9:00-10:00 am
and December 24-25 (Noon—2:00 pm). Listen for a special greeting from
the SCC!
Annual Banquet Draws Record Crowd
Serving as master of ceremonies, SCC Vice
President Lisa Ottoson welcomed one of the largest crowds we have seen in quite
some time. Nearly 200 people gathered in
the beautifully decorated Center for the long-awaited Annual Banquet on
Saturday, September 29. The evening’s fine programming, organization, and
content were outstanding, and the dinner (roasted tenderloin filet with herb
crust) was a culinary triumph.
Following the meal, SCC President Gunnulf
Myrbo recognized the 2007-2008 SCC Executive Board—Lisa Ottoson (Vice President
and Outreach Group Coordinator), Joanne McDonald (Secretary), Norita Stewart
(Treasurer), Maynard Hedegaard (Activities Group Coordinator), and Janet Ruud
(Past President and Services Group Coordinator). In his brief remarks, President Myrbo invited
those interested in preserving and promoting Nordic cultures to join him and
others on the Council. 
It was then time for one the highlights of
the evening—the presentation of the Scandinavian Cultural Center Outstanding
Service Award (OSA). SCC Director Susan
Young and Janet Ruud (last year’s
recipient) shared the honor of presenting this year’s award to Elene Emerson in
recognition of her unwavering dedication to the SCC through volunteerism,
leadership, and service. Elene’s name has been added to the impressive list of
previous OSA recipients whose names are engraved on a perpetual plaque that
hangs in the Cultural
Center for all to see.
After the award presentation, PLU music majors Kari Liebert (vocalist) and
David Horton (pianist) took the stage where they delighted the audience with
several contemporary selections.
Following the evening’s entertainment, the
Greater Tacoma Peace Prize was awarded to 2007 Laureate Pastor Ron Vignec for
his steadfast service to the community. Bill Lincoln and Louis Zubaly jointly
submitted the nomination, citing that Pastor Ron’s “activities exemplify
international peace work within diverse and often troubled communities. He
creatively, persistently, effectively, and non-intrusively responds to the
needs of citizens and non-citizens while striving to find ways to help them
develop sustainable cultures of peace with justice.”
It was truly a memorable evening,
especially for friends and family who were on hand to congratulate Elene and
Pastor Ron whose dedication and service to others make them outstanding role
models for others.
Danish Wood 'N' Flutes Ensemble Delivers Amazing Performance
The performance by the Danish ensemble Wood 'N' Flutes on Tuesday, October 23, 2007, truly was amazing! Vicki Boeckman, Pia Brinch Jensen, and Gertie Johnsson are not only accomplished musicians, but talented entertainers and storytellers as well. Their performance was profound, lively, humorous, and memorable. Their unique talents created an atmosphere of oneness with the audience. It was, indeed, a memorable evening.
The ensemble will tour the U.S. again in 2009 and we look forward to the possibility of an encore performance. The group has produced two CDs (Journey and Woodworks) that may be ordered by contacting Vicki Boeckman <vickiboeckman@comcast.net>.
