Renowned folklorist Klymasz visits University of Alberta (12/17/06)

Renowned folklorist Klymasz visits University of Alberta

EDMONTON, Alberta - The Kule Center for Ukrainian and Canadian Folklore at the University of Alberta hosted Dr. Robert Bohdan Klymasz, renowned Ukrainian Canadian folklorist, on October 26 and 27.

Dr. Klymasz took the opportunity to offer a public lecture as well as spend time with the center'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 that we are all able to do the work we do today," said Nadya Foty, M.A. graduate and archivist at the Bohdan Medwidsky Archives at the University of Alberta.

During his talk in Edmonton, Dr. 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, Dr. Klymasz related. 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.

Dr. 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.

| Home Page |