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MARTHA BIELISH: GIVING RURAL WOMEN A VOICE
Senator Martha Bielish was the daughter of impoverished immigrants from Ukraine. She grew up in rural Alberta where women in her community suffered from isolation and a lack of education. As an adult, Martha would devote her life to easing the plight of rural women.
Her work, first for the Alberta Women’s Institute and then for the Associated Countrywomen of the World, would earn her an appointment to the Canadian senate in 1979. But her involvement with the cause she loved would come at a steep price.
Photo: Martha Bielish, an Alberta school teacher who became the first Ukrainian Canadian woman to be appointed to the senate
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The first Ukrainian immigrants came to Canada in the 1890s from Galicia and Bukovyna in Western Ukraine. They were driven out by overpopulation, unemployment and economic hardship.
The first Ukrainian settlment in Canada was established between 1892-1894 in an area east of Edmonton but this was followed by more Ukrainian villages in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
The newcomers cleared the virgin lands and built their distinctive churches. Often they settled in the most remote areas and they experienced great economic hardship. But here in Canada they could own their own farms and that gave them hope for the future.
Photo: Holy Trinity Eastern Orthodox Church in Smoky Lake
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- Learn about the role Ukrainian immigrants played in settling this region at the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village where costumed guides portray the lives of real-life pioneers in more than 30 heritage buildings. Spend the day and take some time out for authentic Ukrainian food.
- Drive on to Smoky Lake, a town where many Ukrainians homesteaded. Visit the beautiful, onion-domed Holy Trinity Eastern Orthodox Church where Martha got married. Don’t miss the Smoky Lake Museum, where you'll find a charming jumble of local and Ukrainian artifacts.
- Today there are about 100 small Ukrainian churches in this region, many are designed in the Byzantine style. Download a a self-guided historic church driving tour booklet from the Lamont County website. Plan your trip soon as congregants have dwindled and without community funding, many of these buildings will soon fall into disrepair.
- When the Ukrainian settlers came to this region in the late 1800s, the land was thickly forested and wild. See what it was like at Elk Island Conservation Park where there are moose, elk, deer, beaver, coyote, bison and 250 species of birds.
Photo: Threshing time at the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village
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UKRAINIAN CANADIAN HISTORY
Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village
25 min. east of Edmonton along Hwy 16.
Email: uchv@gov.ab.ca
Telephone: +1 (780) 662-3640
www.cd.gov.ab.ca/uchv
SMOKY LAKE HISTORY
Smoky Lake Musuem
Located south of the intersection of Highway 28 and 855.
Open from Victoria Day to Labor Day
Saturdays 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
Sundays 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm
Admission is by donation
Telephone: +1 (780) 656-4023
www.smokylake.ca
CHURCH TOURS
Free booklet of self guided church tours
Download from Lamont County website or email
tina.h@tclamont.ca
Telephone: +1 (780) 895-2233
www.countylamont.ab.ca
EXPLORING NATURE
Elk Island National Park
Located on Highway 16
Telephone: +1 (780) 922-5790
http://www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/ab/elkisland/index_e.asp
FESTIVALS
Ukrainian Pysanka Festival
Vegreville, Alberta
July 1-3, 2005
Telephone: +1 (780) 632-2777
www.vegrevillefestival.com
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SCN
Tue, November 28, 2006 @ 8:30 pm (CST)
channel m
Sun, November 5, 2006 @ 11:00 am ()
Mon, October 30, 2006 @ 8:30 am ()
Tue, June 13, 2006 @ 1:00 pm (PST)
Sun, March 19, 2006 @ 9:30 pm (PST)
SCN
Tue, November 29, 2005 @ 10:00 pm (CST)
Canadian Learning Television
Mon, November 14, 2005 @ 9:30 pm (EST)
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Pre-viewing Question:
1. What are some of the problems that rural women have faced in the past?
Post-viewing Questions:
1. Martha’s mother was poor, illiterate and died shortly after the birth of her ninth child. How did the quality of her mother’s life influence Martha?
2. Martha was very independent; however, that is not to say that she stood alone. Who were the people in her life who influenced her, enabled her to continue with her work, and even paid a price for her ongoing community service?
3. Women in rural Alberta did not have easy access to education, health or social institutions. How did associations like the Alberta Women’s Institute compensate for the lack of accessible supports?
4. Martha took the experience she gained and the skills she honed to the larger national and international stage. Do you think that the issues faced by rural women in Canada have much in common with the issues faced by rural women in other, less developed countries? Discuss.
5. Martha’s daughter-in-law, Pat, mentioned that Martha “paid a stiff price” for the selfless and devoted work that she did. What was that price? Is there always a price paid for exceptional accomplishments? Have circumstances changed since Martha’s time? Do women continue to make sacrifices in their personal lives in order to make an impact in a larger arena? Do men have to make the same sacrifices?
Further Research:
1. Write a short history of Ukrainian immigration to Canada from the early 1900’s until the present.
2. Groups like the Alberta Women’s Institute, by offering opportunities to socialize and get together, played a vital role in ensuring the social well being of many rural families. Choose a similar organization that exists in your community. Interview a member, read the mission statement, by-laws and meeting minutes. Write a short essay on the organization of your choice and comment on its effectiveness in your community.
3. Write a short essay on the issues of rural women in a location of your choice, e.g. Ontario, the Maritime Provinces, Ethiopia, Afghanistan, Uganda, etc.
Additional Research Question:
This film tells the story of a woman who is a role model to women in her family and in her community. Who, in your life has been a role model? If you would like to share the story about this person with other young people to whom you think this story might act as a beacon, please add it to the website www.mothertongue.ca. Alternately, if you would like to read stories that others have posted, please click on the website and become a part of a dialogue about the importance of role models.
Note
These starting points for discussion and research questions were written by Dr. Carole Ann Reed, an educational consultant. Dr. Reed has worked as a human rights educator for almost twenty years in the Toronto area and has authored and co-authored many articles, curricula, and educational kits as well as a book. The topics she writes about include issues such as the Holocaust, the Rwandan genocide, women’s rights and anti-racism. For several years she was the Director of the Holocaust Centre of Toronto.
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This series of educational videos was made possible with funding from
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Mother Tongue: A woman's history of ethnic Canada is a 13-part TV series that documents Canada's multicultural history from a female perspective. Each program tells the story of a notable woman in one of Canada's communities, including a Black fugitive slave, an Acadian mail order bride, and an Icelandic suffragette.
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