Immigration History >Ukrainians in Canada

Wasyl Eleniak and Ivan Pylypiw

The two individuals to be credited as the first Ukrainians to walk on Canadian soil are Wasyl Eleniak and Ivan Pylypiw who landed in Montreal aboard the steamship Oregon on September 7, 1891. Since these two individuals were the first Ukrainians to come to Canada, their roles and lives have become somewhat legendary and mythical. Their initial entrance into Canada and eventual settlement is considered to be instrumental in the mass emigration from western Ukraine prior to World War I. Many writers have labeled these two men as trailblazers or pioneers for Ukrainian immigrants locating in Canada.

Anyone conducting research on Ukrainians will be met with many problems such as English transliteration and the changes to names and places both in Canada and Ukraine. For example, both men came to Canada in 1891 and their names are listed as W. Illilik and I. Pylipiwsky. In addition, Nay (1997) explains that sailing lists of Ukrainian settlers arriving in Canada at Quebec City and Halifax show entries for each of these men as W. Elyniak (1891) and J. Pylypiwsky (1891). Later the two men returned to Canada separately with their families and the spelling of their names changed slightly. For example, Wasyl Eleniak was written as Wasyl Elyniak (1894) and Ivan Pylypow's name was written as Iwan Pylypiw (1893).

The names of both men have seen a great diversity in the spelling; for example:

1.) Wasyl Eleniak - his first name has been spelled Vasyl, Vassil, and Wassil and his last name has appeared in the literature as Illilik, Ililik, Elyniak, Elenjuk, Yeleniak, Yelyniak, Jelyniak, Jeleniak, Ileniak, Elenjak, and finally Eleyiak.

2.) Ivan Pylypiw - in the literature (and official documents), his first name is seen as: Ivan, Iwan, Jan, Jon and John and there are plenty of alternatives for his last name including Pilipiwsky, Pylypiwski, Pylypiwsky, Pylypiw, Pylipiwsky, Pillipow, Pyllipiw, Pylypow, Pillipiw, Pillipoo, Plypoe, Pylyporesky, Pylypiwskyi and he is described as Jan Pilipoli on his naturalization papers. To further add to the problem of tracking down an individual, Nay (1997) explains that Ivan would sometimes change the way he spelled and signed his own name for no reason.

The spelling of names is not the only example of problems associated with research on the Ukrainian community. In fact, these two men were not described as 'Ukrainians' in the official documents. Both men, who were thirty-three at the time of their arrival, were described as being Ruthenian workers from the Carpathian village of Nebilow in Galicia. So the question would be "Are these two individuals Ukrainian?" The answer is yes; however, it is complicated. During this period of time, 'Ukrainian' referred to people living in the geographical region in southeastern Europe called Ukraine. However, in an earlier period, the Roman Catholic Church referred to Ukrainians (especially those living in the Western region) as "Rutheni", hence the earlier ethnic label "Ruthenian".

Further, the term "Ruthenian" was also used widely during the early decades of the Ukrainian presence in Canada. Since Galicia, Bukovyna, and Transcarpathia were part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire until the end of World War I, the immigrants from these regions were often labeled Austrian. In addition, many of them took their 'nationality' from the region in Ukraine from which they came, hence the terms Galician, Bukovynian, and Transcarpathian. Moreover, it was also not uncommon for the early Ukrainians in Canada to refer to themselves as "Rusyns" (rusyny). Further, early Ukrainian settlers from western Ukraine who were Russophiles (pro-Russian) and those who came from Eastern Ukraine (which was part of the Russian Empire at the time) might actually consider themselves Russian. The term "Ukrainian" gained in Canada slowly over other ethnic terms after World War I.

Some research has argued that it is not correct to credit these two individuals as the first Ukrainians to set foot on Canadian soil. In fact, Nay (1997) explains that there are a number of theories and evidence that they may not have been the first Ukrainians to enter Canada. One theory is that Ukrainian immigrants may have come to Canada in conjunction with the colonization of the west coast of North America; this theory was developed by Reverend Honcharenko of Kyiv who came to the United States in 1865. He claimed that over 20,000 Ukrainians were living in the Alaskan colonies of the Russian American Company. The theory further states that Cossacks had established outposts on the west coast of North America as early as the 1700's; however, there is no evidence to support this claim.

Another argument explains that Great Britain sent mercenary regiments to protect Canada in the War of 1812 with the United States and later in the conciliation of the Metis in the Red River Colony in the province of Manitoba. However in this case, there is substantial evidence that many of these mercenary soldiers were of Ukrainian descent. It is a well known fact that Ukrainians arrived in the United States before they immigrated into Canada. There is evidence of Ruthenians (Ukrainians) coming to Canada from the United States as early as 1883 to the province of Manitoba, as well as in the area of the Northwest Territories (now southern Alberta). The movement of Ukrainians between the borders of the United States and Canada was not uncommon during this time; in fact, Luciow (1979) tells a story of her grandmother, who came to America in 1912. As a young fifteen-year-old girl, she lived on a farm in Pennsylvania with her brother. She decided to travel to Winnipeg, Manitoba, to visit her other brother, however she decided to stay and live with her cousin in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Lastly, research done by Lysenko (1947) indicates that the first Ukrainian immigrants on record are Vassil Kochur and his wife Anna; the couple were servants of a German colonist named Landetz and followed him to Canada in 1888. To further complicate matters, research indicates that Vassil Kochur met Wasyl Eleniak and Ivan Pylypiw. Upon their meeting, they explained that Kochur had been in Canada two to three years before they had met and they (Eleniak and Pylypiw) never claimed to be the first two Ukrainians to enter Canada.

Regardless of whether Wasyl Eleniak and Ivan Pylypiw were the first Ukrainians to land on Canadian soil can be debated, what is important is that their appearance is significant as a marker of a large influx of Ukrainians to immigrate to Canada following their arrival.

(For a complete biography of Wasyl Eleniak and Ivan Pylypow, see 'Trailblazers of Ukrainian Emigration to Canada' by: Marshall A. Nay (1997)