Ukrainian Culture

Canada's National Ukrainian Festival (Dauphin)

Canada's National Ukrainian Festival (CNUF) office has the pulse of the Ukrainian heritage community in Dauphin.

Aside from providing information regarding Canada's National Ukrainian Festival, the office is a retail store, providing a wide variety of clothing, jewelry and giftware, directly from Ukraine. CDs of many local Ukrainian musicians, as wells as past performers of CNUF are also available.

Historic Ukrainian Catholic Church of the Resurrection (Dauphin)

The Historic Ukrainian Catholic Church of the Resurrection was built by parish volunteers between 1936 and 1939, at the height of the Depression. Designed by the Very Reverend Philip Ruh, OMI (1883-1962), the Dauphin church features the early Kievan style of Eastern Byzantine architecture and is considered one of his best. Ruh helped design many Ukrainian Catholic parishes throughout Western Canada which became known as "prairie cathedrals", due to their size and decorative appeal.

Noted iconographer Theodore Baran (1910-1995) completed the religious painting of the church interior in 1957. His frescoes, icons and murals create one of the most visually spectacular church interiors in Manitoba.

In 1990, the parish built a new church, but chose to honour their heritage by preserving this landmark Dedicated both a national and a provincial heritage site, the Historic Ukrainian Catholic Church of the Resurrection offers guided tours, as well as tours featuring traditional Ukrainian cuisine, available upon request.

Negrych Farmstead (Gilbert Plains)

Built in the Ukrainian style of the Carpathian Mountain region, the Negrych Farmstead is a national historic site near Gilbert Plains. It was developed between 1897 and 1910 by the Wasyl and Anna Negrych family and is believed to be the only complete Ukrainian pioneer homestead still in existence in North America. The site has remained steeped in the past, as the two youngest children of Wasyl and Anna, ran the farm according to traditional practice until their deaths in the 1980s. They never introduced electricity, sewer or telephone lines.

The 1908 bunkhouse contains a traditional handmade clay oven or peech and the 10 surviving log buildings were constructed with natural materials gathered on the farm. The site features an extremely rare Canadian example of a traditional long-shingle Eastern-European style roof. The primary orchard, located in the centre of the farmyard, still supports a variety of the original fruit, berry, and herb plantings.

In 1991, Gilbert Plains area residents preserved the Negrych Homestead to honour the Ukrainian pioneer experience in Manitoba.

Selo Ukraina (Dauphin)

The Selo Ukraina site is focused on the preservation of Ukrainian heritage and culture with several attractions. The Ukrainian Heritage Village is a living museum depicting a prairie settlement between 1896-1925. It consists of three pioneer homes, several farm buildings, a church, a prairie school, a shoe shop, a community hall, pioneer farm equipment, as well as artifacts and documents.

A multi-faceted site, Selo Ukraina also pays tribute to Ukrainian Canadians who fought for Canada in the last centenary, at the Memorial Park. The Tomb of the Ukrainian Soldier commemorates the 100th anniversary of the first arrival of Ukrainian pioneers in Canada, and on the same site, the Filip Konowal Victoria Cross monument acknowledges receipt of Canada’s highest honour for valour in combat. The site also recognizes the 80th anniversary of the end of Canada’s first national interment operations and there is a dedication to the memory of victims of the genocidal Ukraine Great Famine of 1932 to1933.

Trembowla Cross of Freedom Historic Site (Dauphin)

Trembowla is the site of the first Ukrainian Catholic mass held in Canada, in 1897. Marked with a stone cross and commemorative plaque, it is a tribute to the new life many early Ukrainian settlers struggled for, in seeking land and political freedom.

The site boasts a collection of historic buildings, including St. Michael's Ukrainian Catholic Church built in 1898, which is the oldest remaining Ukrainian Catholic church in Canada. The Trembowla Cross of Freedom Historic Site features a pioneer home and a school, which houses many artifacts from early Ukrainian settlers. A grotto was erected in 2002, to honour Nykyta Budka, the first Ukrainian Catholic Bishop in Canada.