Everything Icelandic
Everything Icelandic is an INLNA initiative to better serve members and friends of the league through online means. It will present monthly presentations or interviews on a variety of topics – travel and tourism, literature and music, history and geography, food and art, cinema and sagas, business and public affairs. We’ll explore all things Icelandic, whether here in North America, over in Iceland, or anywhere else in the world.
Next event
The Icelandic National League of North America (INLNA) is delighted to host Fara Heim team leads, David Collette & Johann Sigurdson, who will give behind-the -scenes insights into their documentary ‘Quest for the Lost Vikings’, an 8- part series first aired on Super Channel in January 2026.
The Fara Heim team have deep family roots in exploration and adventure. Both David Collette and Johann Sigurdson are descendants of Thorfinn Karlsefni and Gudrid Thorbjarnardóttir who sailed with Leifur Eiriksson to Vinland. Once thought to be merely a folk tale, archaeological evidence uncovered by Norwegian explorers Helge and Anne Stine Ingstad established the truth of a Viking trading post in North America, one which David and Johann’s ancestors, Thorfinn and Gudrid, would certainly have called upon. But did they sail further into the continent?
Research suggests that Norse settlers in Greenland traded goods in Europe , like ivory, furs and lumber, most likely sourced from the area along the north east coasts of Canada. Voyages west may have lasted into the 15th century, when the onset of the “Little Ice Age” and rising sea levels made trading unsustainable. David and Johann both grew up in the Interlake area of Manitoba, listening to the Icelandic sagas, including Grœnlendinga saga and Eiríks saga rauða. They developed a love for their Icelandic heritage and a Viking spirit of adventure. As their interests turned towards serious research, they began to wonder: after the time of the sagas around 1000 CE, did the Norse sail back to Vinland—and perhaps beyond?
In an interview with Discover Westman news, David and Johann pointed out that the Norse were more “traders than raiders”—people looking for places and communities to settle amongst and trade with. To them, it seemed unlikely that a maritime trading culture would abandon familiar routes rather than continue to exploit them, and even push farther. In 1929, the discovery of an old letter and map from a Hudson’s Bay trapper—who wrote about finding a Norse-style cairn on the western coast of James Bay—gave them a thread to follow. This, together with the books and research of Canadian author Farley Mowat, and the mystery of the Kensington Runestone, set the Fara Heim team on the trail to find archaeological evidence that Vikings may have travelled farther into the heart of the continent, across Hudson Bay, down into what is now Manitoba and further south into Minnesota.
It’s a fascinating story. Filmed over the course of a year, the documentary invites you into the explorer’s process —as you follow their systematic research, planning and preparation for their journey. Drawing on Indigenous oral history and local accounts, the team pairs community knowledge with expert insight and real-life dangers in their quest for new knowledge. Their journey takes them into a deep analysis of the Kensington Runestone and potential grave sites in Minnesota, using specialists and the latest scientific equipment to uncover an overlooked history. As the investigation unfolds, you share the explorers’ excitement and their disappointment alike, carried forward by the intrigue of a captivating mystery.
I love the conclusion of Lögberg Heimskringla’s feature article on the ‘Quest for the Lost Vikings’ and I quote: ‘Maybe the most important thing the show captures is this: the quest isn’t only about Vikings. It’s about the way the past refuses to stay buried, and the way a question – asked honestly, pursued carefully – can bring generations together around a shared purpose.” David’s daughter, Mackenzie and Jo’s son, Johann joined the Fara Heim expedition and feature prominently in the documentary. They bring the fresh insights and talents of a new generation. As the INLNA, we are so pleased and honoured to have the Fara Heim join us to share their research and discoveries, and light the passion of curiosity and interest in our Icelandic culture and heritage in North America for the next generation.
Gwen Sigrid Morgan
President, INLNA
About the Presenters - See https://faraheim.com/
Johann Straumfjord Sigurdson
Johann began his life in Lundar, an Icelandic community in Manitoba’s Interlake between Lake Winnipeg and Lake Manitoba. This predominantly Icelandic community provided Johann with a deep and rich understanding and appreciation of his Norse roots… and the forefathers that ventured before him across the oceans to make a home in this new land called North America.
The son of a community leader who also served as President of the Icelandic National League of North America, Johann was never far from his deep-rooted Icelandic culture. A youth spent pursuing outdoor activities with his family prepared Johann for a career in Natural Resource Management. After graduating from the University of Manitoba, Johann started his professional career as a Biologist for the Federal Dept. of Fisheries and Oceans and finished as a Resource Manager with the Department of Natural Resources in Manitoba. His years spent in the field of natural resource management branched into studies of the environment, environmental impact assessments, and ecology. He has spent years in, on, and around the lakes and Hudson Bay coastline of Manitoba.
Today he lives on Lake Winnipeg, where he still studies mitigation techniques for shoreline erosion and has been an activist in restoration and remedial actions to help minimize the longer-term environmental effects of commercial developments and climate change.
An avid horseman and polo player, Johann was actively involved in the import of Icelandic Horses for the centenary celebration of the Icelandic Celebration in Gimli, Manitoba.
Johann has spent many years in entrepreneurial ventures including the design and manufacture of a unique line of boats based on his own design. His progressive and innovative designs have endured the test of time with many boats still being used through-out the Canadian Arctic and various lakes around the world. Another of the unique products designed by Johann is a polar bear resistant module for use during field research on arctic bears in their natural habitat. He also designed and developed a modernized aluminum komatik (Inuit sled) used in transport of goods across the Arctic. This product is currently in use by such clients as the Canadian military and the Canadian Rangers across the remote reaches of the Canadian Arctic during the winter patrol season.
A life-long adventurer who holds a Commercial Pilots License, Scuba Diving Certifications, Master of Inland Waters Certificate, and various other leading outdoorsman acknowledgements, Johann has never lost the need to explore new territories and concepts.
Johann has set this decade as the time to develop and launch this expedition along with his kindred spirited nephew, David F. Collette to undertake a life-long dream of exploring northern waters in search of the presence of ancient Norse passage……but this time Fara Heim!
David Frederick Collette
David has the Nordic sense of experiencing life to its fullest. Born in Beausejour, Manitoba he grew up across Canada the son of an RCMP officer. David spent all his teenage summers working on his Afi’s (grandfather) ranch in the rural community of Lundar. He annually attended the Islendingadagurinn in Gimli, Manitoba where he was introduced to his Norse heritage. He has a BSc Mechanical Engineering from the University of Manitoba and an MBA in Finance and Marketing from the University of Chicago.
After graduating from university David was a Pilot in the Canadian Air Force, taught at the Aerospace Navigation School, flew as a Captain for a South American airline while living in Curacao and founded several tech start-ups. He has worked with Unilever, Johnson Wax, Cintas and now is President of Substratum Group. He is married to Nicole Collette and has a daughter, Mackenzie.
David has a passion for testing his limits via outdoor sports and has actively participated in ultramarathons, scuba diving, mountaineering and sailing. He has spent the last decade honing his offshore sailing skills while living on the shores of Lake Michigan. He is a Fellow of The Explorers Club. He is an active member of the Great Lake Solo Society and among other races won his division while competing in the Solo Mackinac Island race completing the sail in 96 hours. He is a Past Commander in the United States Power Squadron, a Navigator and Instructor. He is now looking over the horizon to find the wind in his face as he puts miles under the keel of a sailboat on an expedition to find Norse presence in the Arctic and voyage like his ancestors.
Don’t miss this chance to meet David and Jo and hear firsthand the story behind the making of the ‘Quest for the Lost Vikings’ documentary aired on Super Channel.
Past events
Emily Kilgore and “The Christmas Book Flood”
Celebrating the Magic of Jólabókaflóð and the Joy of Reading
SUNDAY, December 14th, 2025 at 3 pm Central Time
The Icelandic National League of North America (INLNA) is delighted to present a special session in our “Everything Icelandic” webinar series. This event will feature creative children’s author Emily Kilgore, who will share her enchanting picture book, The Christmas Book Flood, a story that beautifully brings to life the Icelandic tradition of Jolabokaflod.
Exploring the Dark Heart of Nordic Storytelling
with Professor Gunnar Iversen
Tuesday, November 18, 2025 at 7 pm Central Time
As the days grow shorter and shadows stretch longer, it feels only fitting that we turn our attention to one of Scandinavia’s most distinctive cultural exports — Nordic Noir.
Everything Icelandic is thrilled to host Professor Gunnar Iversen, Professor and Head of Film Studies at Carleton University, for a special talk as part of INLNA Nordic Noir November. Professor Iversen will delve into the origins and evolution of Nordic Noir, exploring its central themes, enduring appeal, and deep connection to the Nordic landscapes.
Often described as bleak, atmospheric, and psychologically complex, Nordic Noir has captivated audiences around the world through novels, television dramas, and films that reflect not only crime and mystery, but also the social and moral undercurrents of the Scandinavian societies. Iceland has become a significant part of the Nordic Noir genre, both through its unique landscapes, its authors and films. Popular Netflix productions, like Trapped and The Valhalla Murders, have topped ratings and authors, like Arnaldur Indriðason, Ragnar Jónasson and Yrsa Sigurðardóttir, have become international best sellers.
Set against the long, dark winters of Iceland, the setting itself becomes a character—its stark beauty and isolation shaping the tone, tension, and humanity of each story. It’s no coincidence that Iceland, where November is both the darkest and bleakest month of the year, hosts its own celebrated Nordic Noir Festival. (See https://icelandnoir.weebly.com/)
Professor Iversen’s presentation will explore:
The history and defining features of Nordic Noir.
Its cultural and political roots in Scandinavian society.
The reasons behind its global popularity.
And perhaps, what this fascination with moral ambiguity and darkness tells us about ourselves.
Join us for what promises to be an illuminating journey into the shadows of Nordic storytelling — where the line between good and evil is never quite clear, and the cold light of day reveals more than we might expect.
About Gunnar Iversen PhD
Professor Gunnar Iversen is head of Film Studies at Carleton University, Ottawa. He is an expert in Nordic Noir literature and film. He has published more than 20 books and over 200 articles in 8 different languages, including co-authoring The Intellect Handbook of Nordic Cinema which provides a comprehensive of cinema in the Nordic countries of Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Iceland and Sápmi (the cultural region traditionally inhabited by the Sámi people). Other books include Nordic National Cinemas, Historical Dictionary of Scandinavian Cinema, and Beyond the Visual: Sound and Image in Ethnographic and Documentary Film. Most recently, Professor Iversen edited an anthology titled Unwatchable, which explores the complex themes and social impacts movies and images can have on the global visual culture.
Not Alone on the Prairie
How Indigenous Wisdom Helped Icelanders Endure and Thrive
Wednesday, October 1st, 2025
This year, 2025, marks the 150th anniversary of the landing of Icelandic immigrants at Willow Island near Gimli, Manitoba, that left over 60 families on the shores of Lake Winnipeg. The settlers arrived in land that had been ‘given to them’ by the Dominion of Canada to start a new colony and found Nýja Ísland. However, the land already had people living on it. This proved to be fortuitous for the newcomers. The weary Icelanders arrived on October 21st which was very late in the year to be successful in enduring the winter. We know that the local indigenous groups, particularly the Anishinaabe, Cree, and Métis, were key to their survival. In the 150 celebrations in Gimli and Riverton, Manitoba this year, the memory of John Ramsay, who was of the Saulteaux peoples, was honoured. Ramsay, despite the arrival of settlers on land he called home, chose to offer incredible generosity and selfless compassion at a great personal cost. In that first winter, he is credited for saving as many as 75 of the settlers from starving and freezing to death. Ramsay’s beloved wife and four children died of smallpox the following year.
There were many hardships, as we know, but the Icelanders more than survived, they thrived. In those early years, learning from indigenous people how to fish through ice was essential for food, but later it became the basis of an international commercial fishing industry on Lake Manitoba. This is just one story of the success of Icelanders in this country. This year as we celebrate the 150 years of Icelandic heritage in Canada, the INLNA invites us to take a pause on Truth and Reconciliation Day to recognize how the people who were here already helped our ancestors. In a sense we stand on their shoulders – most with names unknown but acts of kindness and generosity to be remembered. Ramsay’s story also reminds us of the cost of colonial encounter—not only in land, but in lives and culture. His generosity did not shield his family from the devastating impact of disease or displacement, yet his actions endure as a model of courage and grace in the face of great challenge and shine like a beacon into the future.
The INLNA is pleased to be joined online a conversation led by distinguished guest Glenn Sigurdson C.M,K.C.
Glenn Sigurdson C.M,K.C , a fifth generation descendent of one of the original Icelandic fishing families on Lake Winnipeg, will tell us stories of how indigenous wisdom was integrated into the fishing industry through the deep and lasting relationships between the Icelanders and local indigenous peoples. The stories he shares are personal, passed down from family members. Glenn also professionally works in reconciliation around environmental and resource land use involving indigenous treaties and rights. Glenn Sigurdson received the 2025 INLNA Joan Inga Eyolfson Cadham Award and the Order of Canada in 2022.
In Conversation with Eliza REID
Joint Presentation of The Icelandic National League of North America (INLNA) and the Icelandic National League of the United States (INLUS)
Wednesday, October 8th, 2025 @ 11 am Central Time Online Webinar
Eliza Reid’s first mystery novel – DEATH ON AN ISLAND – weaves Agatha Christie, Louise Penny and Nordic Noir together to create a suspenseful surprise which will capture the intrigue of avid mystery readers and those new to the genre. It’s a novel you won’t be able to put down!
What compelled Eliza to turn to writing mystery novels? How did she conjure up such a compelling host of characters?
Join us online for an intimate up-close opportunity to chat with our former First Lady of Iceland about this new chapter in her amazing life.
Ryan Eyford
Tuesday, January 21, 2025 8 pm EST (7 CT; 6 MT, 5 PT)
Icelanders love stories, especially ones about journeys. The journey of Icelanders in 1875, to escape the volcanic eruptions and poverty in order to create a new home in North America is a saga to rival all of them. In 2025, we celebrate 150 years since the founding of Nýja Ísland. It is a time to honour the many groups who came in small ships to different harbours and made the long trek across forested wild lands to found settlements from coast to coast. The large group that came to Gimli to found New Iceland in the north-west territories, became a cultural heart for all these disparate communities. They stayed connected through newspapers, letters, visits and resettlements. It was remarkable when you consider 1875 and what travel and communication was like then.
This year the INLNA convention will be held in Gimli, Manitoba. The theme is “Þó Líði Ár og Öld – Though Years and Centuries Pass”. Though the years have passed, we still gather to celebrate our shared and rich cultural heritage.
In this webinar, Professor Eyford will share with us the story and journeys of those original settlers, giving us the beginnings of the saga of Western Icelanders.
Discover Your Icelandic immigration story
with Icelandic Roots
Webinar REplay:
Join in a special webinar which will be jointly hosted by INLUS and INLNA. Dave Jonasson from Icelandic Roots will show us some amazing new features in the Icelandic Roots genealogy database which can help us trace and understand our ancestors and how they emigrated from Iceland to North America.
Icelandic Roots is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Fargo North Dakota and is a member of both INLUS and INLNA. Visit our Icelandic Organizations and Partner Organizations pages for more information.
This event was held on Thursday, October 26th. The conversation will be facilitated by Natalie Guttormsson from INLNA.
Wind, Gravel, & Ice
with Christina Chowaniec
Webinar REplay:
Everything Icelandic presents Christina Chowaniec on Wind, Gravel and Ice, an account of Canadian soldiers in Iceland during World War II.
The result of a 10-year research project, the story focuses on the experiences of Christina’s grandfather, who was stationed at RAF Kaldadarnes from July 1940 to April 1941. Christina herself lived at Laugarvatn while she wrote the book, connecting with Icelandic experts and storytellers. A coming of age story set against the backdrop of Iceland, Wind, Gravel and Ice is told in the first person by Private Claude Hill, a new soldier in a strange land, understanding what it means to wait for war – and what happens when it finds you.
A Little Look at Christmas in Iceland
with Alda Sigmundsdóttir
Webinar REplay:
The Icelandic National League of North America webinar series Everything Icelandic is pleased to have Alda Sigmundsdóttir speak to us directly from Iceland on Wednesday, December 14, 2022.
Alda Sigmundsdóttir is the writer and publisher of the delightfully entertaining "Little Book" series, including The Little Book of the Icelanders at Christmas.
Alda Sigmundsdóttir will be in conversation with INLNA past president Stefan Jonasson, taking us on a journey through Iceland's magical Yuletide festivities, from Advent to New Year's Eve, sharing the history and cultural background to many of the traditions still celebrated today. And, of course, she has favourite traditional recipes, stories of the jólasveinar and much more to share.
Alda Sigmundsdóttir's Little book series is equally informative and entertaining. Many of us have enjoyed The Little Book of Hidden People or smiled in recognition when reading The Little Book of Tourists in Iceland. Alda has also brought her insight and compassion to non-fiction works like Unraveled: Living Inside the Meltdown and Daughter, A Memoir. You can check out Alda's books and publishing company at www.aldasigmunds.com
Ambassador Pétur Ásgeirsson
February 20, 2021
Ambassador Pétur Ásgeirsson was the first guest when the Icelandic National League of North America launched its new webinar series, All Things Icelandic, on Saturday, February 20, 2021.
The ambassador was in conversation with INLNA president Stefan Jonasson. They discussed the relationship between Canada and Iceland, what the two countries have in common and how they differ, how the Nordic embassies in Ottawa collaborate, and even explored the ambassador’s personal background and interests.
Saturday, February 20, 2021 – 1:00 p.m. Eastern / 12:00 p.m. Central / 11:00 a.m. Mountain / 10:00 a.m. Pacific
Ambassador Pétur Ásgeirsson has been Iceland’s representative to Canada since November 1, 2017, when he and his wife, Jóhanna Gunnarsdóttir, a lawyer by profession, arrived in Ottawa. The ambassador joined the Icelandic Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1999 and was previously Consul General in Nuuk, Greenland, which is Iceland’s nearest neighbour.