Boian, Alberta
Encyclopedia
- For other uses of this and similar names, see BoianBoianBoian may refer to:* Boian, a village in Ceanu Mare Commune, Cluj County, Romania* Boian, a village in Bazna Commune, Sibiu County, Romania* Boiany, a village in Chernivtsi Oblast, Ukraine...
.
Boian, is an unincorporated community in Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It is located in the floodplain of the North Saskatchewan River
North Saskatchewan River
The North Saskatchewan River is a glacier-fed river that flows east from the Canadian Rockies to central Saskatchewan. It is one of two major rivers that join to make up the Saskatchewan River....
, 6 km east of Willingdon
Willingdon, Alberta
Willingdon is a village in central Alberta, Canada. It is located in Two Hills County, 117 km northeast of the city of Edmonton.- Demographics :...
, in Two Hills County
Two Hills County No. 21, Alberta
The County of Two Hills No. 21 is a municipal district in east-central Alberta, Canada.It is located in Census Division 10. The county was formed in 1963, from the Municipal District of Eagle No. 81 and the Two Hills School Division. The seat of the county is in the Town of Two...
. It is the oldest Romanian
Romanians
The Romanians are an ethnic group native to Romania, who speak Romanian; they are the majority inhabitants of Romania....
settlement in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
History
The first Romanian colons arrived here in late 19th century, most of them coming from BukovinaBukovina
Bukovina is a historical region on the northern slopes of the northeastern Carpathian Mountains and the adjoining plains.-Name:The name Bukovina came into official use in 1775 with the region's annexation from the Principality of Moldavia to the possessions of the Habsburg Monarchy, which became...
, a Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
n territory occupied at that time by the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Today, most of the remaining inhabitants are of Romanian descent.
The community
Community
The term community has two distinct meanings:*a group of interacting people, possibly living in close proximity, and often refers to a group that shares some common values, and is attributed with social cohesion within a shared geographical location, generally in social units larger than a household...
was named for Boian
Boyany
Boiany is a village in the Chernivtsi Oblast of western Ukraine. It is located in the Novoselytsia Raion close to Sadagura in the historic region of Bukovina....
, the Romanian village in Bukovina, from where the settlers originated. In the fall of 1903, the community built a Romanian Orthodox Church
Romanian Orthodox Church
The Romanian Orthodox Church is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox church. It is in full communion with other Eastern Orthodox churches, and is ranked seventh in order of precedence. The Primate of the church has the title of Patriarch...
, named by locals like the one in their homeland, St Mary Orthodox Church. It was completed in the summer of 1905. By the year 1909, the need of a Romanian language
Romanian language
Romanian Romanian Romanian (or Daco-Romanian; obsolete spellings Rumanian, Roumanian; self-designation: română, limba română ("the Romanian language") or românește (lit. "in Romanian") is a Romance language spoken by around 24 to 28 million people, primarily in Romania and Moldova...
school
School
A school is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...
became more accentuated, and a small building was constructed in 1910, including almost all the subjects taught in Romania at the time.
The Romanians of Boian later encouraged their relatives from Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
or Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
to move there, due to the fertile farmland, the lakes and forests.
Today, the Romanian school is a museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
showcasing Romanian immigration
Immigration
Immigration is the act of foreigners passing or coming into a country for the purpose of permanent residence...
in Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, photos of the first Romanian settlers in the area and the typical Romanian farmer's life in rural
Rural
Rural areas or the country or countryside are areas that are not urbanized, though when large areas are described, country towns and smaller cities will be included. They have a low population density, and typically much of the land is devoted to agriculture...
Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. As well, the house of the local family Yurko
William Yurko
William Yurko, MLA, MP, was a Canadian politician, and member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta and the Canadian House of Commons....
has been moved to the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village
Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village
The Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village is an open-air museum that uses costumed historical interpreters to recreate pioneer settlements in east central Alberta, Canada. In particular it shows the lives of Ukrainian Canadian settlers from the years 1899 to 1930...
where it portrays the similarities and differences between Ukrainian Canadian
Ukrainian Canadian
A Ukrainian Canadian is a person of Ukrainian descent or origin who was born in or immigrated to Canada. In 2006, there were an estimated 1,209,085 persons residing in Canada of Ukrainian origin, making them Canada's ninth largest ethnic group; and giving Canada the world's third-largest...
and Romanian Canadian
Romanian Canadian
According to the Canadian Census data of 2006, there are almost 200,000 Romanian-Canadians. Some sources estimates that this number might be as high as cca. 400,000 Canadians of Romanian descent.- Before World War I:...
culture.