Peter and Doris Kule Centre for Ukrainian and Canadian Folklore, University of Alberta
6 October 2006, Edmonton
Ukrainian Culture Seeps into the Lives of All Canadians
The Kule Centre for Ukrainian and Canadian Folklore at the University of Alberta proudly hosted Dr. Robert Bohdan Klymasz, renown Ukrainian Canadian folklorist, on Oct 26 and 27. Dr. Klymasz took the opportunity to offer both a public lecture as well as spending time with the Centre’s many graduate students - providing his invaluable insight into their individual research projects. “This man is a living legend in the field of Ukrainian and Canadian folklore, it is because of his vision and work we are all able to do the work we do today.” - Nadya Foty, MA graduate and Archivist at the Bohdan Medwidsky Archives at the University of Alberta.
During his talk in Edmonton, Klymasz drew attention to the importance of Ukrainians on the Canadian scene. “Ukrainian Canadian folklore is alive and well”, he said. Over the hundred years since the arrival of the pioneers, Ukrainian tradition has readily absorbed mainstream culture and songs originally sung in English have acquired Ukrainian lyrics and come to be seen as Ukrainian. Meanwhile, Ukrainian items such as the pysanka or Easter egg have lost their ritual meaning and come to symbolize Canada, especially the Canada of the Prairies. Certain Ukrainian ethnic foods are now prepared by all cultures. In short, the Ukrainians are a vital part of Canada and Ukrainian Canadian folklore, though quite different from the lore brought from the Ukrainian homeland, is vibrant and ever-changing.
Klymasz, a pioneer in Ukrainian Canadian folklore scholarship, worked at the Museum of Civilization, formerly the Museum of Man, in Ottawa. Under the auspices of the Museum, he ran important collecting expeditions, many to the Prairie provinces, which recorded Ukrainian Canadian songs, beliefs, rituals, and vernacular architecture. The expeditions yielded exhibits at the Museum and a series of publications that laid the foundation for Ukrainian Canadian folklore scholarship.
For more information please contact:
Sheryl Mayko
Communications and Public Relations Officer
Kule Ukrainian Folklore Centre
University of Alberta
780-492-6906
smayko@ualberta.ca