Where are the Pioneers?
There are people of Ukrainian descent in
pretty well every community in
Danny Evanishen has been
searching for them since 1991, in order to
record their stories. Since Evanishen is of Ukrainian descent himself, he has
been searching mainly for Ukrainian pioneers, as he is working on a collection
of all Ukrainian folk tales. But by now, he feels that here are no more
pioneers of any nationality left.
“I can’t even remember the
last time I talked to a real pioneer,” says Evanishen. “Now I am concentrating
on the children and grandchildren of the pioneers, hoping they might remember
some of the stories their parents told …The stories are important to us as
Canadians, as they tell us about
where we came from, and if we know where we came from, we will have a
better chance of understanding where it is that we are going,” explains
Evanishen.
Since starting his search
for stories, Evanishen has collected enough of them to fill ten volumes of folk
tales translated into English, and two of humorous stories about the old days.
In addition, he has
published another ten books of material he has collected. Some of the books are
Ukrainian-related, some are purely Canadian, and some have been written by
other authors. “All of the books we have published so far are of interest to
the general public,” says Evanishen. “Everybody loves to hear a good folk tale
or a funny story well told.”
If you have stories to
share or would like more information about the works published so far,
Evanishen can be reached by email at danny@ethnic.bc.ca or by mail:
Danny Evanishen
250-494-3205
http://www.ethnic.bc.ca
Books are available through your book store or by ordering directly from
Evanishen.
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