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LEVEL OF DESCRIPTION: Fonds
No.: PR3396
TITLE: Alberta Estonian Heritage Society
CREATOR: Alberta Estonian Heritage Society
DATE RANGE: [18-?]-2012
EXTENT: 4.54 m of textual records and other material
Includes 1832 photographs, 87 negatives, 21 maps, 15 drawings, 4 audio cassettes, 1 audio compact disc, 22 DVDs, 3 videotapes, and 174 data CDs [approx. 54,800 digital files]
ADMINISTRATIVE
HISTORY/BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH: The Alberta Estonian Heritage Society (AEHS) was established in Red Deer, Alberta on April 23, 2005, comprising members of the Edmonton Estonian Society (EES), the Calgary Estonian Society (CES), and what had been the original Medicine Valley Estonian Society (MVES). The MVES ceased activities in 1984, and when the AEHS was formed in 2005, members from the original area of the MVES were included in the formation of the AEHS.

In 2005, the EES ceased activities due to the creation of the AEHS, and was amalgamated into the AEHS. The CES ceased all activities in 2006, amalgamating into the Alberta Estonian Heritage Society. The coordinating council includes at least two members from each of the Calgary, Stettler-Red Deer, Eckville and Edmonton regions.

The objectives of the AEHS include promoting and preserving Estonian heritage and culture in Alberta, providing recreation to members and promoting social activities, and facilitating contact and current awareness among persons with an interest in Estonian heritage and culture in Canada, Estonia and elsewhere.

CUSTODIAL HISTORY:Dave Kiil, member of the Alberta Estonian Heritage Society and former president of the Edmonton Estonian Society, deposited the records comprising PR2010.0503, PR2010.0590, PR2012.0563 and PR2012.0688 at the Provincial Archives of Alberta. The records comprising PR2010.0078 were transferred from Library and Archives Canada.
SCOPE AND CONTENT: The fonds consists of the records of the Alberta Estonian Heritage Society and three sous-fonds: The Medicine Valley Estonian Society sous-fonds PR3396.001SF, the Edmonton Estonian Society sous-fonds PR3396.002SF, and the Calgary Estonian Society sous-fonds PR3396.003SF.
The fonds consists of society records including membership lists, photographs of members and events organized by the society, minutes, correspondence, financial records, maps, songbooks, local history books, and issues of their newsletter Ajakaja.
The fonds also consists of personal documents of Estonian-Albertan pioneers including photographs, bibles, journals, poetry, writings, sketches, correspondence, audio recordings, and legal documents.
The fonds also consists of records, mainly in digital formats, relating to the research and development of several AEHS projects:
  • two exhibits
  • DVD documentary production “Alberta’s Estonians”
  • informational website, “Alberta’s Estonian Heritage” http://www.aehs.ca/
  • illustrated book “Freedom, Land and Legacy: Alberta’s Estonians 1899-1999.”
ASSOCIATED MATERIAL: Several Estonian artifacts from the fonds are in the collection of the Royal Alberta Museum: hand-made gloves, hats, woven textiles, a medallion and needlework.
GENERAL NOTE: Information for the administrative history/biographical sketch was sourced from conversations with the donor and from the website "Alberta's Estonian Heritage:"

accessed July 8, 2010.

RELATED SOUS-FONDS: PR3396.001SF (Medicine Valley Estonian Society sous-fonds)
PR3396.002SF (Edmonton Estonian Society sous-fonds)
PR3396.003SF (Calgary Estonian Society sous-fonds)
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