The Icelandic Roots Podcast

Exploring Iceland’s Geology with Erik Schoonover: From Hotdogs to Basalt Igneous Rocks in the Anthropocene Epoch

Interview with PhD Candidate Erik Schoonover discussing all things related to Icelandic geology. 
Erik was a fellow member of the Snorri program with our cohort in summer 2022. His grandma emigrated to the US from Iceland as part of the Post-WW2 1960’s wave. 
Listen and learn all about geology (and geological puns), hotdogs in Iceland, more Snorri stories, and an overall enlightening discussion on the natural sciences of Iceland and beyond.
From the Holocene Epoch to the Anthropocene, to the Basalt Igneous rocks, this episode is sure to be ground-breaking (there's a geology pun somewhere).
Takk fyrir!
 
Erik’s Geology Podcast Recommendation:
Planet Geo Podcast
Icelandic history, heritage, & culture: Sign up for the Icelandic Roots newsletter:
https://www.icelandicroots.com/newsletter-signup 
See all of the fun upcoming events on our calendar here: www.icelandicroots.com/event-calendar

We Three Snorri’s - Meet Your Hosts: Owen, Jack & Cass share the story of their Icelandic Roots

Get to know your hosts Owen, Jack, and Cass as we dive into the history of Icelandic immigration to North America and discuss what we hope to achieve with this podcast going forward.
Join us and discover the life-changing cultural exchange program that brought us together - the Snorri Program - where young people of Icelandic descent from North America and Iceland explore their shared heritage.
Whether you're a fellow Snorri alum or simply interested in learning more about Iceland and its people, this episode is a must-listen.
Takk fyrir að hlusta, gaman að hitta þig! Sjáumst.
Learn More:
Icelandic Roots
The Snorri Program info
 

Season 2 Epsiode 1 - Julianna Gudbjartsson (Roberts) and New Iceland

Join us as we dive into the exciting world of Gimli, MB with Julianna Roberts!
The director of the New Iceland Heritage museum also happens to be Owen's Mom!
 
New Iceland is the historical term used to describe the Icelandic settlement in Manitoba, (Gimli & Riverton) Canada in the late 19th century. A group of Icelandic immigrants established a community and government in the area now known as Gimli, which became the center of Icelandic culture and heritage in Canada. They faced many challenges including a smallpox epidemic but were able to establish a thriving community based on their shared Icelandic heritage and culture. Today, the community is still active and vibrant, and it continues to celebrate its rich cultural heritage through the now 134th year at the Icelandic festival and other community events throughout the year. New Iceland's relationship with the Canadian government and other neighboring communities developed over time and they did join the province of Manitoba.
 
Julianna Roberts (Gudbjartsson) has been involved in the Icelandic community for her entire life, taking university classes at the University of Manitoba when she was younger, attending the Icelandic festival in Gimli every summer, speaking Icelandic, her passion and knowledge of the culture has spurred her to be a leader in the community, managing the New Iceland Heritage Museum in Gimli, MB.

Sunna Furstenau Intro to Podcast Season 2 - Embarking on a New Journey into Icelandic Heritage

Your three new hosts: Owen Roberts, Jack Plumley and Cass Heigaard, are joined by Sunna Furstenau for a quick introduction to Icelandic Roots and our focus for the new Season of this Podcast.
 
Sunna is a prominent figure in promoting cultural exchange between Icelanders and North Americans. She grew up in Eyford in Thingvalla Township, North Dakota, and always had an interest in family history.
In 2003, she connected with Icelandic genealogist Hálfdan Helgason and started helping George Freeman with the genealogy center at the Deuce of August celebration.
In 2012, she traveled around Iceland as the INLNA guest speaker and started a blog to document the journey, calling it Icelandic Roots.
The following year, Sunna and her husband founded the nonprofit Icelandic Roots, centered around the genealogy database that Hálfdan Helgason had started.
Sunna remains deeply involved in various projects, with the goal of preserving and promoting our shared Icelandic heritage. 
 
Stay tuned for lots of fun and educational podcast episodes dedicated to preserving and sharing the stories of Icelandic heritage.
Visit the Icelandic Roots Website for more

Emigration Investigations with Dave Jonasson and David Johnson

Volunteer Icelandic Roots genealogists Dave & David share their journey in helping to build an impressive database of Icelandic emigration records that tell the stories of thousands of families who left the island.
 

Jason Doctor - IR Volunteer: The Saga Project

Jason tells us about how the Saga Project is making it easier for Icelandic descendants to connect to the lands of their ancestors through maps and stories in the Icelandic Roots genealogy database. 
 
Plus, Natalie gives a PSA on how to watch the new Viking Valhalla series on Netflix. 
 
Non-Icelanders can view the Saga Map at:
http://sagamap.hi.is/is/
 
Learn more about Icelandic history, heritage, and culture with our public newsletter: https://www.icelandicroots.com/newsletter-signup 
Find the Fitness Challenge details + upcoming events on our calendar: www.icelandicroots.com/event-calendar 
 
 
Learn more about the sagas:
 
What is a saga?
https://www.icelandicroots.com/post/what-is-a-saga 
 
Flóamanna Saga
https://www.icelandicroots.com/post/fl%C3%B3amanna-saga
 
Fljótsdalur Saga
https://www.icelandicroots.com/post/flj%C3%B3tsdalur-saga
 
The Saga of Þorsteinn Staff Struck
https://www.icelandicroots.com/post/the-saga-of-%C3%BEorsteinn-staff-struck 
 
The Saga of the Vopnafjörður
https://www.icelandicroots.com/post/the-saga-of-the-people-of-vopnafj%C3%B6r%C3%B0ur 
 
Tracing Njáll’s Saga
https://www.icelandicroots.com/post/tracing-njalls-saga
 
Saga Thing Podcast
https://sagathingpodcast.wordpress.com/

Jodi Dunlop (Mise en Scene) - Artist / Musician

Jodi Dunlop is an artist and musician from Gimli/Winnipeg, Manitoba. She shares her experiences growing up in Gimli - the heart of New Iceland, working for the New Iceland Heritage Museum and the Lögberg-Heimskringla (Canada's oldest ethnic newspaper still printing) as well as her journey into music. Her band, Mise en Scene, was named Rock Artist of the Year in 2021 at the Western Canadian Music Awards. Their new music and upcoming shows can be found on their website: www.misensceneband.com 
 
Learn more about Icelandic culture, heritage, history, and language on our website www.icelandicroots.com. 
 
Find upcoming events on our calendar: www.icelandicroots.com/event-calendar

Volcano - Anniversary Episode

March 19th, 2022 is the one-year anniversary of the Geldingadalsgos volcanic eruption on the Reykjanes Peninsula in Iceland. This capricious volcano captivated a global audience around the world as 24-hour webcams captured the changing nature of the fissures and lava flow. 
This episode features interviews from some of our friends, family, and volunteers who had the opportunity to see the volcano up close with their own eyes. Join us as we hear them describe their experiences and impressions. 
 
Read more about the volcano:https://www.icelandicroots.com/post/iceland-s-volcanomania-2021-edition 
 
Learn more about Icelandic history, heritage, and culture with our public newsletter: https://www.icelandicroots.com/newsletter-signup 
 
Find upcoming events on our calendar: www.icelandicroots.com/event-calendar