The Songs of Our Ancestors: Ukrainian Settler Heritage on the Prairies

This exhibition, which opened in September 2023, creatively reimagines our permanent collection, offering visitors a unique exploration of the material culture, aspirations, hardships, and accomplishments of early Ukrainian settlers who influenced the cultural landscape of Canada’s prairies. The exhibit is designed to evolve dynamically over time.

Elements still on display include:

Tools of the Prairie Pioneers
A display of the tools used by early Ukrainian settlers as they toiled to cultivate the Canadian prairies, build homes, and care for their families.

Ceramics by Peter Rupchan
An unsuccessful Ukrainian homesteader in Saskatchewan, Rupchan found solace and sustenance in pottery, building his own pottery wheel and kiln, mining and processing clay and glazes, and marketing his creations by selling them from his wagon to local communities.

Legacy in Photographs
A heartfelt display of early 20th-century family photographs belonging to Ukrainian settlers, now in the archives of the Ukrainian Museum of Canada. Ask us how to contribute your family photos! Email [email protected] or call 306-244-3800.

Echoes of Home
A soundtrack of Ukrainian and early Ukrainian Canadian folksongs, resonating with homesickness and reflecting the hardships endured by the pioneers in a foreign land – guest curated by acclaimed Ukrainian folk singer and ethnomusicologist, Olga Zaitseva-Herz (Zaitsa).

This spring, the exhibition includes a new element focused on the art of Vasyl Stratiychuk.

The Ukrainian Museum of Canada is grateful for the Shevchenko Foundation’s support for this exhibition.