Island Lecture Series features archaeologist Dr. Helen Kristmanson on October 21
The Institute of Island Studies (IIS) and the Vinland Society of PEI present a talk by archaeologist Dr. Helen Kristmanson about Osland, a historical Icelandic village in northern British Columbia, on October 21, 2025, at 7 pm, in the Faculty Lounge (Room 201), SDU Main Building, University of Prince Edward Island.
Dr. Helen Kristmanson’s talk is part of the Institute’s 2025 Island Lecture Series.
Hidden along the Skeena River’s shores in British Columbia are the remains of a small historical village known as Osland. Settled by Icelanders who migrated west between 1870 and 1914, Osland was part of a thriving network of communities that formed an economic hub supported by fishing and canneries. Today, although a few families preserve their ancestral houses at Osland, these historical buildings are interspersed with the fading remains of those long gone. This presentation draws on a range of primary sources, including memories gathered about 30 years ago from the children and grandchildren of Osland.
Dr. Helen Kristmanson was PEI’s first provincial archaeologist, serving in this role from 2009 until 2021 when she joined the L’nuey team as senior archaeologist. L’nuey is an Epekwitk-based initiative focused on protecting and implementing the constitutionally entrenched rights of the PEI Mi’kmaq. She is a member of the IIS’s executive committee, past president of the Canadian Archaeological Association, and president of the Vinland Society of PEI. Her current scholarly research includes an examination of the underrepresentation of historical Mi’kmaq archaeological sites on Epekwitk through collections, archival, and field research.
She descends from Friðrik August Kristmansson and Elín Jonasdottir, first-generation Osland settlers, and Guðmundur Bjornsson and Thorbjorg Guðny Bjornrdottir, also vesturfarars, who settled in southern British Columbia. In her spare time, she researches Icelandic and Scottish history.
The lecture is free, and all are welcome. For more information, contact Dr. Laurie Brinklow at 902-894-2881 or brinklow@upei.ca.
