Another collection of Labrador Moravian records

In this month’s post, Dr. Martha MacDonald discusses her work on a related collection of Moravian records from Labrador stored at the Them Days Archive in Happy Valley-Goose Bay. These records were managed by the Moravian Church in Nain and transferred to the Them Days Archive around 2003. The records are not presently accessible to the public. This post is the first of an occasional series on the broader constellation of Moravian records concerning Inuit in the Northwest Atlantic.

My interest in the records of the Moravian Mission goes back a long way, and throughout my 32 years’ residence here in Labrador, the value of those records has made itself known during numerous projects in my career and academic life.  Most recently, I have been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to closely examine the specific collection of papers belonging to the Moravian Church in Newfoundland and Labrador, housed in the climate-controlled space at Them Days Archive in Happy Valley-Goose Bay through the generous permission of that organization. While not directly related to the Uncommon Bonds project, this work deals with materials of related interest, namely twentieth-century records of mission activity in northern Labrador.

A committee comprising of Moravian Church in Newfoundland and Labrador and Nunatsiavut Government interests decided that it would be useful to examine the contents of these 39 bankers’ boxes and seven Neutracor boxes to see if the existing box list was accurate in its representation of the contents.  This modest ambition expanded, as archival work tends to do, and grew to include basic conservation work and the compilation of a revised inventory of the contents.

The materials are a rich assortment of books, documents and correspondence, revealing much about daily life in the mission stations on the north Labrador coast in the mid-twentieth century.  Although the work of the church is evident in the inclusion of newsletters, bulletins and voluminous sermon notes in English and Inuttitut, much of what comes through in the letters exchanged between missionaries and between the clergy and the British Mission Board is the struggle and reward of the missionaries’ long-term community residence.  The difficulty of getting teachers for the schools, the recalcitrant boat engines, the frustration with the mail service, all appear beside the larger satisfaction of spending time with community members.

The materials also lend a topical account of the great changes taking place in Labrador and the wider world at that time, including the advent of World War II, Newfoundland and Labrador’s Confederation with Canada, and industrial and military development in Labrador. Post-Confederation, we see the changes brought about by the new relationship with Canada and what that meant for the Inuit as newly forged Canadian citizens.

Much of this comes through correspondence to and from Rev. F.W. Peacock, head of the mission from 1942-1971 and a figure of significance in Labrador history because of his presence during a changing time in the region’s life. (Peacock’s extensive writing on the Inuttitut language has been digitized and appears within the Digital Archive Initiative.) Many of the letters had already been arranged and described by summer student Chris Guidon some years ago, making that part of the task much easier.  The letters are a joy to work with, as they are typed and numbered copies for the most part!  The correspondence with Brother F.E. Birtill of the British Mission Board gives a comprehensive glance at the ongoing issues of concern in running the ever-underfunded mission, while the letters to, from and concerning the missionaries at the various stations are revealing about the world views and relationships amongst very different people working towards the same ends.

The next stage in the work is to annotate the updated inventory and provide a timeline of events occurring during the lifespan of these records, to provide some context for future researchers. I hope to have the opportunity to expand on this phase in future posts.

Martha MacDonald