Early Moravian Impressions of Labrador

Hello from North Carolina, USA! I assist the Moravian Archives with managing transcriptions of Labrador Inuit records. Many documents we work with in Uncommon Bonds are written in old German handwriting, called Kurrentschrift, which is not used much today. Luckily, we have help from Transkribus, a program that uses Artificial Intelligence-powered text recognition to transcribe digitized historical documents. Basically, Transkribus allows us to teach a computer how to read really old stuff! My job is to make sure transcriptions generated by the program are correct by checking them against images of the original documents, with the goal of training an AI model specific to German Moravian writing conventions. Roughly 60,000 pages of archival resources are being digitized through Uncommon Bonds, so Transkribus is extremely helpful in ensuring access to as many of those resources as possible.

My interest in Labrador traces to North Carolina, which is not too surprising when you consider that both places are steeped in Moravian history. In 2018 I worked as a gallery educator at the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts here in Winston-Salem. My favorite objects in the museum were several lithographs by W. F. Neuhäuser from the early 1800s that depicted views of Moravian missions all over the world. At the time, I was drawn to images of Lichtenau, Greenland, and Okak, Labrador, their churches, buildings, and kayaks made miniature amid a sweeping glacial expanse – so, so far away from North Carolina.

“Lichtenau in Gronland” by Wilhelm Fredriech Neuhäuser. 1820.  Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts.

“Okkak in Labrador” by Wilhelm Fredriech Neuhäuser. 1825. Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts.

In this post, I want to highlight some early impressions of the natural world of Labrador recorded by missionaries. Observations like this can bring a record to life with sights, sounds, smells, tastes. Obviously, plants and animals are vital to human society: they form the backbone of economic systems; serve as sources of food, travel, companionship, and clothing; provide fuel for heat; and so much more. In examining records, I grew curious: Which types of plants and animals are most important in both missionary and Inuit communities in Labrador? What can we learn from Uncommon Bonds records regarding the changing roles indigenous flora and fauna played in Inuit society following the landfall of missionaries?

“Eskimofrauen beim Speckbearbeiten am Tisch sitzend,” c.1900. From Labrador Inuit Through Moravian Eyes, Memorial University Digital Archives Initiative.

In thinking about these big questions, I tracked mentions of plants and animals I came across while checking transcriptions. Of the thousands of pages within the MissLabr collection, I focused on a diary (MissLabr 13285-13311) kept by missionaries Brother Samuel Liebisch and his family, Sister Anna Regina Falkin, and Single Brothers Sven Anderson and James Branigin while traveling aboard the Good Intent from London to Nain from April 24 to August 16, 1775. There were no Inuit on this journey so the natural world is classified by way of European taxonomy and language. Here, species that may only be found in the Northwest Atlantic and Labrador receive common German and English names. In his first mention of an animal on May 14, the author of the diary, Brother Liebisch, names a bird after one he already knows: “In the morning a swallow [Schwalbe] found its weary way onto our ship, but soon left again” (013290).

Liebisch also includes vivid descriptions of the animals and plants that were eaten on board: the crew shoots at least one seal and many murres [described as “a kind of sea-duck, which looks black on top and white on its underside” (013296)]; barrels full of fish are packed in salt and cured; spruce tips are foraged and brewed into beer (013305). On May 18, Liebisch reports the crew speared “a young shark [Liebisch uses Shark rather than Hai] in the afternoon with a harpoon. It was about 2 ½ cubits long, and its gullet could well accommodate the thickest of mens’ arms. The fish will be cooked today and tomorrow, and it eats quite well” (013290).

The passengers and crew spend an endless summer waiting for good weather and clear seas to finally reach Nain. Every time the Good Intent sailed closer to land, a contrary wind forced them back out to sea. At one point, the sloop became trapped in drift ice, which necessitated an “indescribable toil” to break up the ice with harpoons for days on end, over and over again (013300). As they finally approached the coast of Labrador, sightings of outlying islands became more frequent. The Good Intent eventually dropped anchor at the Gannet Islands, which are replete with wildlife: spruce trees and other scrub trees of “mouse-height” that call to mind European alder and willow; abundant sea-birds Liebisch classifies as wild ducks and doves; and swarming schools of cod and angmarset (013305).

Liebisch writes the words “Cod” and “Angmarset” in Latin script, indicating they are not German words, but instead borrowed from a different language. “Angmarset” appears several times in an 1851 book by Gideon Algernon Mantell, Petrifactions and their teachings, or, A hand-book to the gallery of organic remains of the British Museum. One mention on page 447 includes the scientific name, Mallotus villosus, with a description of “a small fish allied to the Smelts, of which there is but one species, an inhabitant of the northern seas” . In researching Mallotus villosus, Fishbase.us lists “Angmagsaat” as one of many Inuktitut names for this fish. Mallotus villosus is most familiar to English-speakers as capelin.

Continuing toward Nain, Liebisch names other places they pass along the way: Itzoarpit Islands, Byron Bay, Cape Nautulus, Kernertok Islands, Nisbet’s Harbor.

Graphic courtesy of the author.

Then, on August 5, with the ice pressing in and steep, craggy rocks that block their view of land, they suddenly find themselves drifting into a pleasant cove hugged by land “steep and lovely to see. All around us grew many spruce trees and resembled from far away a beautiful hop garden:

“At midday we went out and wandered a bit through the dense forest. The woods were beautiful and strong, so that one could not cut through the old trees. Of young trees we found none besides small thickets of willow and birch. We also saw species of small and somewhat larger gray birds, the first of which have red heads. On the beach a pretty grass and wild vetch that blooms red grew in different spots; and then we found even more. Indeed, in the sand at the water’s edge we found fresh tracks from bears and deer, the latter of which a few were seen by the sailors but could not be caught. From a mountain, one could see yet more ice drifting out at sea.” (013307)

It is around this time that the Good Intent receives its first visitor. Liebisch writes, on August 8 “at 12 o’clock we suddenly saw an [Inuk man] in his kayak, making his way to our ship.” They invite him aboard, and Liebisch describes him as “cordial and trusting.” The man introduces himself as Makok, and he informs them that the surrounding land is called Makowit. After sharing a meal together, Makok requests a thimble for his wife, for which he has brought a parcel of duck down to trade. A discussion ensues concerning whether Makok will travel on board with them to guide them to Nain; he responds that he must consult his wife, and paddles back to land. (013307/08)

The Good Intent waits for a good wind, and on August 9 a small group makes their way toward Makowit to locate Makok. After firing a signal shot, Makok and his wife appear and beckon the group to their settlement, where they again have the discussion: Liebisch writes simply, “After a few questions, both were willing to guide us to Nain.” Liebisch notes that they break down their tent and bring three dogs, provisions, and seal blubber aboard the ship. “The woman was in particular quite happy, because she was given a sewing needle and silk thread by each of the sisters.” (013308)

“Eskimozelt mit zwei Frauen und zwei Hunden” c.1900. From Labrador Inuit Through Moravian Eyes, Memorial University Digital Archives Initiative.

The Good Intent makes its final stretch to Nain thanks to the work of Makok and his wife, who is not named. They provide their knowledge of the geography and the surrounding Inuit communities; they navigate the innumerable islands and inlets; and they serve as liaisons to other Labrador Inuit encountered along the way. But, they are only the first of several Inuit navigators, hunters, and craftspeople who assist the crew to its destination, all the way up the coast.

These individuals survive in the record as a list of names; but there is so much unwritten about their contributions that we are left to wonder. I’m so curious to learn about Inuit resources today that might speak to historical knowledge of the natural world of Labrador. Do you have any suggestions?

I look forward to sharing more records and delving into other Uncommon Bonds topics here in the future!

Until then,
Kayla Cavenaugh
Transcription Manager, Moravian Archives