The Vikings are coming!
To the Canadian Museum of
Civilization
Hull, Quebec, On May 8, 2002, the Canadian Museum of
Civilization will be the site of a new sort of Viking invasion
with the opening of the exhibition Vikings: The North Atlantic
Saga. Featuring more than 300 priceless artifacts gathered from
nine institutions on both sides
of the Atlantic, this major exhibition sheds new light on the
Vikings' culture and history - a thousand years after their
first arrival in North America.
"We are pleased to be the only Canadian stop on this
outstanding exhibition's North American tour," declares Dr.
Victor Rabinovitch, President and CEO of the Canadian Museum of
Civilization Corporation. "We
are also proud to be able to introduce - for its presentation at
the Canadian Museum of Civilization - the Helluland Archaeology
Project: a new research initiative undertaken by one of our
staff archaeologists,
suggesting more extensive contact between the Norse and Native
peoples than previously suspected."
The Vikings have traditionally been viewed as violent marauders,
invading foreign shores to loot and pillage. Vikings: The North
Atlantic Saga, mounted by the National Museum of Natural
History, Smithsonian Institution, challenges this view and shows
that the Vikings were skilled
farmers, accomplished traders,
intrepid explorers and masterful artisans. Although
they did raid nearby settlements in search of loot and land, the
Vikings often built towns, farming communities and cultural
centres in the territories they conquered or settled. Based on
sagas, historical documents and archaeology, Vikings: The North
Atlantic Saga examines and celebrates the rich Viking legacy, as
well as the Viking journey westward, which reached the North
American coast 1,000 years ago.
The CMC is proud to have contributed more than 25 key pieces
from it's collections to this travelling exhibition. Among the
highlights of the exhibition are four original manuscripts -
including the Jňnsbňk (The Book
of Laws, circa thirteenth century) - Icelandic national
treasures whose loan to this exhibit required an act of
Parliament. Also to be seen is a famous piece of Viking
"loot": Ranvaig's Shrine, a reliquary casket. The
oldest
object in the exhibition is the Gotland Picture Stone, dating AD
750, that depicts a fallen warrior's voyage into the afterlife.
"The Viking expansion from their Scandinavian homelands and
their arrival in North America was a truly historic event,"
says head curator, Dr. William Fitzhugh of the Smithsonian
Institution. "The arrival of the Vikings on North American
shores marks the first meeting of two streams of humanity -
European and Native American - on the northeastern shores of
this continent."
In support of Vikings: The North Atlantic Saga, the Canadian
Museum of Civilization is planning a number of outstanding
programs and events. The possibilities include a series of
Norse musical and theatrical performances, a summer solstice
festival, a ten-day Viking festival, educational programming and
more.
Vikings: The North Atlantic Saga has been made possible through
the generous support of the Nordic Council of Ministers and
Volvo, and is presented by
the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution,
in partnership with the White House Millennium Council.
Additional support has been provided by Husqvarna Viking Sewing
Machines, the Barbro Osher Pro Suecia Foundation and Phillips
Petroleum Company Norway.
The exhibition will be presented at the Canadian Museum of
Civilization from May 8 to
October 14, 2002.
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