Peter and Doris Kule Centre for Ukrainian and Canadian Folklore is a research institution within the Faculty of Arts, University of Alberta. It is permanently endowed through the generous gifts of Peter and Doris Kule, the Wasyl and Anna Kuryliw family, Erast Huculak, Bohdan Medwidsky and many other visionary community leaders. It was formalized in 2001 and received its current name in 2006, though it is based upon endowments and archives existing since the 1980s.
The centre’s five strategic priorities are to:
» Conduct ground-breaking research in Ukrainian and Canadian folklore studies
» Maintain and grow the Bohdan Medwidsky Ukrainian Folklore Archives
» Support undergraduate and graduate courses in Ukrainian folklore and vernacular culture
» Support researchers and students with scholarships and awards
» Engage with diverse communities through publications, exhibits, lectures, workshops and more.
The Ukrainian Pioneers Association of Alberta was initiated by Wasyl Czumer and Wolodymyr Plawiuk. Shortly thereafter Dmytro Ferbey, Tom Tomashewsky and John Basarab joined it. The first meetings were held in March of 1941, and on March 31, 1941 the organization was registered with the Provincial government. On the same day the first executive was elected consisting of W. Plawiuk - President, D. Ferbey - Vice-President, W. Czumer - Secretary.
In May 1941, the following joined the organization: Dmytro Yanda, Paul Melnyk, Iwan Nikiforuk, Iwan Solanych, Nicholas Spachinsky, Kost Hudyma, Roman Stoyko, Dr. Faust Gowda, Ilias Kiriak, Wasyl Chobotar, Wasyl Cheladyn, Paul Woloshynsky, Peter Wasylyshyn, Wolodymyr Masciuk, Iwan Krysa, Kost Sereda, Peter Miskew, Gregory Saik, Iwan Pasnak, Wasyl Hawrysh, Wasyl Sereda and Hnat Lopatynsky. Every new member paid the initial $5 membership fee and signed a declaration to work for the set objectives of the organization, especially to publish a book on the Ukrainian settlers of Alberta.
In 1947, at its annual meeting the organization chose a new executive consisting of: Tom Tomashewsky - President, and W. Plawiuk - Secretary-Treasurer.
In 1957, the organization started to foster the idea of building a monument in honour of the Ukrainian settlers in Alberta. At its annual meeting, a new executive was elected consisting of: John Baron - President, Wm. Lupul - Vice-President, Tom Tomashewsky - Secretary-Treasurer. The monument was erected in the Elk Island Park, AB, and in 1963 it was unveiled by the Honourable Mr. Laing, Minister of Foreign Affairs.
The first book "Ukrainian Pioneers of Alberta" was published in 1970. Joseph Lazarenko was a chief editor. He was assisted by an editorial committee of Dmytro Prokop, Mykola Flak, Wm. Kostash, Isidore Goresky, as well as other members of later publishing committees: Fred Hannochko, Walter Sharek, Nick Poohkay and Dr. Holubitsky. This book, under succeeding presidents, editors/editorial committees, was followed by two more books: "Ukrainians in Alberta. V.1", "Ukrainians in Alberta. V.2", and the "Dictionary of Ukrainian Canadian Biography of Pioneer Settlers of Alberta 1891-1900" edited and compiled by Dr. V. J. Kaye. Some of the publication costs were covered by grants from the Government of Alberta. Local community histories, family biographies and pioneer experiences formed the greater part of the contents of the books.
Current president of the organization is Jars Balan of the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies. Other members of the executive are: Alexander Makar - treasurer, Illya Khineyko - secretary, Maryna Chernyavska, Lynnien Pawluk, Bohdan Medwidsky, Peter Melnycky, Mark Minenko and Peter Opryshko. The executive holds their regular meetings at the Kule Folklore Centre at the University of Alberta.
Canadian Ukrainian Youth Association (Союз української молоді Канади) was formed in 1931 as the Ukrainian Orthodox youth section of the Ukrainian Self-Reliance League, with branches across Canada. H. Tyzuk and P. Yavorsky were pioneer organizers, and I. Danylchuk was an early leader. Sumkivets' was its national quarterly from 1967 to the mid-1970s. Since the early 1970s it has conducted an annual cultural immersion camp, Selo, in various parts of Canada.
The Verkhovyna vocal ensemble was formed in 1952 under the directorship of Olena Hlibowych. It performed both classical and contemporary repertoire. In 1954, Verkhovyna was the first Ukrainian Canadian vocal group ever in Canada and the United States to give full concert programmes touring the larger cities of Canada and the United States. After that they performed at many important events other than their performances for the Ukrainian communities, such as World Congress of Professional Women in Toronto, Canadian Club (1955), Stratford Festival (1956), CFRB's Anniversary Celebrations, CTV, etc.
In 1967 Verkhovyna released its first long playing record that was played on CBC and all Ukrainian radio programmes in Canada and the United States. In 1968, they went on a concert tour of Western Canada. After the tour, they were asked to appear as the official representatives for Ontario at Manitoba's Centennial Celebrations. They also performed at Canadian universities (Toronto, York, Windsor, Ottawa, Buffalo), for the Ontario Ethnic Press and many political personalities (Ontario Premiers, Prime Ministers, Governor General of Canada, etc.).
In 1979, the Year of the Child, Verkhovyna paid tribute to Ukrainian children by releasing a long playing record of children's songs and stories "Kurochka Ru Ru Ru" (A Chick Peep Peep).
Verkhovyna celebrated its 30th anniversary in 1982 with another tour of Western Canada winding up with a grand Anniversary Concert in Toronto where many of its past singers attended and once again participated. In honour of this anniversary, the Government of Ontario presented Verkhovyna with a special citation commending its dedicated artistic and community achievements.
1984 brought Verkhovyna to England where they performed in ten cities. The same year - Ontario's Bicentennial - Verkhovyna premiered the song "Ontario, Ontario" (in Ukrainian and English) at Ontario Place and later released a single of this song which was aired on CBC coast to coast.
The colour cover of the record "Verkhovyna Sings" released in 1985 was used as the promotional background on the poster for the Australian tour, to which they were invited after their appearance at the World Congress of Free Ukrainians.
Verkhovyna is known not only for its repertoire (religious, classical, folk, and popular songs in Ukrainian, English and French), but also though its many colourful original and stylized costumes.
Rodyna Ensemble is a Ukrainian Australian folk group. First informal performances started in 2009. In 2012, the ensemble was formed. It performed at the concert celebrating the 60th anniversary of Ukrainian immigration to Australia in Geelong. Stefan Semeniuk suggested at one of the family gatherings that the group was formed and that they performed at the concert. The group included: Roman, Lubka and Larisa Varenica, Stefania and Stefan Semeniuk, Natalka and Lesia (violin) Choma, Myroslav Mazur and Ihor Jurista (bass guitar). They prepared two songs: "Oi, harna ia, harna" and "Kalyno". The first performance took place at the Federation Square in Melbourne at the Ukrainian Independence Day. Later, Myroslav Graliuk and his sister Anna Okanovich from Geelong joined the ensemble, and later Petro Borovok and Tania Misiurak. The first CD was recorded in a cathedral in North Melbourne and released. Rodyna performed often in Melbourne, Sydney, in Tasmania. Roman Varenica's daughter Mariana Miladinovich moved to Australia from Vienne in 2013 and joined the group. And so did her older sister Larisa. The second full concert by Rodyna Ensemble took place also at the Federation Square in Melbourne on June 14, 2015. The group was invited to perform carols in Melbourne and Geelong.
The current members of the Rodyna Ensemble are:
- Veronica Granolich, alto
- Larisa Varenica Burlak, soprano, alto, solo
- Stefania Semeniuk, alto
- Stefan Semeniuk, tenor
- Myroslav Mazur, baritone
- Petro Borovok, bass
- Roman Varenica, Baritone, bass
- Tania Misiurak, clarinet
- Ihor Jurista (bass guitar)
In 1906 a “Prosvita” society reading room (читальня Товариства “Просвіта”) was founded in Edmonton that later developed into the Ukrainian National Hall (Український народний дім, UNH) organization. After erecting a UNH building in 1917, Ukrainians of Alberta at their national meetings put in place documents regulating the organization activities aimed at growing cultural and national development of the Ukrainian community of Alberta. Ukrainian National Hall in Edmonton has always worked together with the Ukrainian Catholic Unity and often operated under the double name, Ukrainian National Hall/Ukrainian Catholic Unity. Although UNH was considered an independent organization with a separate Statute, at the same time it was deemed a “grassroots unity” of the Ukrainian Catholic Brotherhood. UNH had a library and hosted many Ukrainian organizations including dance groups, educational schools, choir, orchestra, etc.
On March 9, 1969, the Ukrainian National Hall, serving the community for over fifty years, burned down. At the beginning of the 1970s Ukrainian community continued discussing whether Ukrainian organization would be interested to rebuilt the UNH through joint efforts. It is unclear when UNH ceased to exist.
Bohdan Medwidsky was born in 1936 in Stanislaviv in interwar Poland (present day Ivano-Frankivs'k in Ukraine) in the family of Konstantyn and Natalia (nee Lebedowych) Medwidsky. He was separated from his family at the age of 2, and grew up in Switzerland where he learned to speak French and German. When he was 12, he was reunited with his family in Vienne and that's where he first met his younger brother Wolodymyr. The family came to Canada on a ship from Hamburg to Quebec City as a post-WWII refugee in 1949. They settled in Toronto, where Bohdan's family operated a pharmacy. Both Bohdan and Wolodymyr were active in Plast, Ukrainian scouts organization. The family attended St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic church, a converted Presbyterian building, whose members were almost all also recent Ukrainian immigrants.
Bohdan attended Huron school in Toronto in his first year, then switched to Howard Park. He attended Humberside High School. He enjoyed history best among all his subjects. When he completed high school, Bohdan continued on to university. He was interested in furthering his Ukrainian studies, and chose that as his major field. He was quite committed to academics, and knew early that he wanted to continue into graduate school. His parents didn’t particularly push him to become a Ukrainianist, but neither did they discourage it.
Bohdan di his graduate studies at the University of Toronto. Toronto had a well developed Russian program, but little Ukrainian studies at that time. There were two graduate courses in Ukrainian literature, taught by Professor George Luckyj. Though Bohdan had declared a research interest in Ukrainian linguistics, he attended more classes on Russian literature than Ukrainian, and more on Ukrainian literature than linguistics. Professor Luckyj’s own research specialization dealt with Ukrainian literary politics in the early Soviet period. Bohdan’s classmate Danylo Struk pushed to be allowed to write his dissertation on a Ukrainian literature topic, rather than a Russian one, which in a way paved the way for Bohdan who wrote his doctoral dissertation on the language of Vasyl' Stefanyk's novels.
After a short teaching contract at Carlton University in Ottawa, he moved to Edmonton in 1971, when he received a teaching position at the University of Alberta. In 1977, he offered his first class in Ukrainian Folklore. Soon after, several class offerings grew into a graduate program in Ukrainian Folklore, third folklore program in Canada to offer both master's and PhD degrees. Medwidsky became the founder of the Ukrainian Folklore Archives and in 1989, established the Ukrainian Folklore Archives Endowment Fund.
Over the years, Dr. Medwidsky was very active in professional societies in Alberta, Canada, and abroad, as well as in numerous Ukrainian community organizations. In the late 1970s, he served to develop bilingual Ukrainian school programs in Alberta supported by the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies. He was a founding member of the Ministerial Advisory Board to the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village in 1982. Bohdan Medwidsky served on the board of the Friends of the Ukrainian Village Society, the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, the Association of Ukrainian Writers Slovo, the Alberta Society for Advancement of Ukrainian Studies, the Ukrainian Pioneers Association of Alberta, the Alberta Ukrainian Commemorative Society, the Western Canadian Branch of the Shevchenko Scientific Society, and many other organizations.
Dr. Robert Bohdan Klymasz was born in Toronto, Ontario in 1936. In 1957, he obtained a B.A. from the University of Toronto, and later studied at Charles University, Prague (1952), University of Manitoba (M.A., 1960), Harvard University (1960-1962), and Indiana University (Ph.D., 1971). He married Shirley Zaporozan in 1963, and they have two daughters, Andrea and Lara. In 1967, he joined the Canadian Museum of Civilization and served as its first programme director for Slavic and East European Studies. Throughout his career, he has held several prestigious positions, including the executive director of the Ukrainian Cultural and Educational Centre (Oseredok) in Winnipeg, visiting associate professor in Folklore for Memorial University's Department of Folklore, visiting professor in Folklore and Slavic Studies at the University of California at Los Angeles, and visiting scholar at Harvard Divinity School.
In 1993, as a curator with the Museum of Civilization, Dr. Klymasz began a comprehensive study on community life in Gimli, Manitoba. Fieldwork on this project began in 1993 and continued on an annual basis every summer until the summer of 2001. The project, which became known as the Gimli Community Research Project (G.C.R.P.), was meant to offer insight on what makes the Town of Gimli a safe and prosperous town in which to live. The early work was low-key in nature, focusing on the town's life and culture, for example, attending meetings of the town's council, various public forums, proceedings of the local public law court, and meetings of the Board for the New Iceland Heritage Museum. Gradually, the fieldwork shifted to monitoring phenomena that gave Gimli its "dreamtown" quality. The final report was completed in 2002 and was entitled ""Dream Town": Art and the Celebration of Place in Gimli, Manitoba."
Upon his retirement in 2000, he was named Curator Emeritus with the Canadian Museum of Civilization. Dr. Klymasz is a renowned expert on Ukrainian Canadian folklore, having extensively written, published, and lectured on this subject. His publications include An Introduction to the Ukrainian-Canadian Folksong Cycle (1970), Ukrainian Folklore in Canada (1980), '??Svieto': Celebrating Ukrainian-Canadian Ritual in East Central Alberta Through the Generations (1992), and The Icon in Canada (1996). Dr. Klymasz also published many reviews of books and exhibitions in Canada's Ukrainian and Icelandic ethnic press. He continues to pursue his recent interests with grants from the University of Alberta (CIUS) and the University of Manitoba (CUCS).
In 2004, he delivered a paper at the Congress of Humanities and Social Sciences in Winnipeg. Dr. Klymasz was awarded the Marius-Barbeau Prize by the Folklore Studies Association of Canada (Laval University) for his studies in Ukrainian Canadian Folklore. In 2005, he completed the Archival Research Project on Walter Klymkiw, the conductor of Koshetz Choir, titled "Playing around with Choir": the Correspondence and Papers of Walter P. Klymkiw. The manuscript is held at the University of Manitoba Archives & Special Collections. Between 2006 and 2008, he completed several archival research projects including A priest, a maestro, a community: epistolary insights into the music culture of Winnipeg's Ukrainian community, 1936-1944 (2006-2007), Winnipeg Papers on Ukrainian Music (2008), Nuggets from the past: quotations on the Ukrainian experience in Canada (2007), Winnipeg Papers on Ukrainian Book Culture (2009), and Winnipeg Papers on Ukrainians and Aboriginals. In 2013 a Ukrainian translation of Klymasz's 1971 Indiana University PhD dissertation was published in Ukrainian, under the title, 'Ukrains'ka narodna kul'tura v kanads'kykh preriiakh' (Kyiv: Duliby, 2013) .
Roman Andrew Brytan was born in Edmonton, AB, on December 4, 1959 to Michael and Annie Brytan. Roman was married to Suzanna Brytan (nee Sidlar). They had five children. Roman was the voice of the Ukrainian community across Alberta, as he worked with CKER Radio 1480-turned 101.7 World FM, from March 1982 until November 2017. Over these 35 years, Roman's practice of his calling brought together all parts of the Ukrainian Canadian community, as he was regularly called upon to host and MC many events - local, provincial, national and international. Roman devoted his life to his community and to his family. He always said that his children kept him young, and instilled in them a pride in their heritage, culture and traditions. A broadcaster, song-writer, playwright, poet, lyricist, deejay, movie actor and event producer, Roman was the consummate showman, making sure that any event associated with his name was carried out with the utmost of professionalism and flare. His work was a credit to the Ukrainian community, elevating the efforts of its arts sector beyond its own expectations. His devotion to the Ukrainian Youth Association (CYM) was evidenced by the many years he spent as local, and later national, president. Roman was a keynote speaker on many subjects connected to media and community, and in his later years, he earned the respect of his peers, playing the role of mentor and "elder statesman" to younger generations who sought his counsel. Roman passed away on November 26, 2018, at the age of 58 years.