The Moravians in Labrador

by Anonymous

Sad as this catastrophe was, it did not prevent the brethren, in the year 1775, from undertaking new journies to explore the south and north coast; nor deter others from offering themselves to supply the place of those who had perished in the cause. When the accounts of Brazen's departure reached the Unity Elders' Conference, they appointed Samuel Liebisch superintendant of the mission, who, on the 16th August, the same year, arrived at Nain with some new assistants to the mission.

As usual, about the month of November, all the Esquimaux left the neighbourhood of Nain for their winter places, but towards Christmas great numbers came on their sledges over the frozen sea to visit the brethren. Among their visitors was Kingminguse, who had formerly been an Angekok, but who, by the preaching of the word of God, had experienced such an apparent change of mind as to give hopes of his conversion; and, indeed, early next year, on the 19th of February, the day on which the meeting-hall at Nain was consecrated, he was baptized as the first fruits of that mission, and received the name of Peter. Some days before his baptism he told the brethren, "that he had been an Angekok, and believed what his forefathers said, but now he believed it no more; that he would give up all his former evil customs and follow the Lord Jesus, though he should be persecuted by his countrymen; that he was ignorant, but what the brethren who had come thither had told him of the Lord who made heaven and earth, who had become a man, and shed his blood from love to us, had taken fast hold of his heart—he had rejoiced in it, and would forsake all for it. He knew but little of the Saviour, but was willing to learn, and placed his confidence alone on him, because he truly believed he only was good; and that when the body died the soul went to the place of rest to be with him, and happy for ever." Shaking hands with every brother, individually, he promised that he would remain with the congregation of the believers, to be constantly obedient to his teachers, and walk worthy of the gospel. In the administration of the ordinance he was quite overcome, as were also several of the other Esquimaux, who expressed their wishes likewise to be baptized, which afforded the missionaries an opportunity of speaking earnestly and affectionately to them.

Peter, likewise, every where testified to his people his great joy that he now belonged to the faithful; they viewed him with particular respect, and listened attentively to his discourse about the Saviour, which was remarkably urgent and affectionate. For instance, upon one occasion he expressed himself in the following manner to them: "You must turn wholly to the Saviour and place your confidence on him alone, so shall he by his precious blood purify and fill your hearts. You know that I am baptized, for this I am very thankful; and it would be well with you would you but learn to know Jesus in time, for we have no other Saviour either in this world or in the future. If we are washed in his blood we need no more fear death or darkness, we shall then come where it is ever light, and where we shall ever see the Saviour. When we are sick or in pain, we must turn to him, for he hath born all our sicknesses. He still calls us to come to him; this call we have never hitherto understood, therefore he has sent the brethren who know him, to shew our souls the way to him. You know they have built a house, and ask nothing but to make the Saviour known to our hearts. We cannot be grateful enough to him who sent them thither, for it is of the greatest importance to us; and, even those among them who do not know our language sufficiently to speak to us, pray to him that we may feel the power of his blood on our hearts. I have learned sorcery, and I have practised it, but that is the road to the greatest darkness, and can give no peace to the heart; but he who looks to the Saviour, and to his wounds, receives peace and joy in his heart, and that is the only thing of any value in this world." In the following summer there were above two hundred Esquimaux in thirty-seven tents near Nain, and they were so assiduous in their attendance on the meetings, that the new hall could not contain the crowd that anxiously pressed to hear, and some were entered among the candidates for baptism.

Liebisch brought with him a commission for Jans Haven to commence a new settlement. "I felt," said Haven, "not a little anxiety on this occasion, knowing the difficulties attending such a commission, but accepted it in reliance on our Saviour's help." He accordingly, accompanied by Stephen Jensen, proceeded in an Esquimaux boat to a little creek, afterwards Okkak, which had been formerly fixed on as a most eligible spot for a settlement, and purchased from the Esquimaux a hundred thousand acres, or three German square miles, of land; they expressing great joy at the prospect of the brethren coming to reside among them. Stones were placed to mark the boundaries, and the place taken possession of with the usual formalities. The following was the mode of expression used by the brethren upon the occasion: "In the name of our God and Saviour, and under the protection of our gracious monarch, George III King of England, we take possession of this land for the purpose of a missionary settlement for the Brethren's Unity, and the Society for propagating the gospel."

During the following year, [1776,] the brethren were busily employed in cutting down wood in the forest near Nain, and preparing it for a dwelling-house at the new station; and so diligent were they in their work, that in August, when the ship Good Intent arrived from England with the other necessary articles for building the house, the timber was all ready to be shipped for Okkak. On the 13th September, Jans Haven, with his family and three other missionaries who had been appointed for the new settlement, arrived there, and immediately went to work and erected their house. "I had," says the devoted Haven, "the peace in all trying circumstances to cleave to my Saviour, of whose gracious assistance I had manifold experience. He was with us, and gave us success in our present enterprise. Having finished the building of our house, we moved into it; and in our first conference, were so united by the power of Jesus' grace in brotherly love and harmony, that we made a covenant with each other to offer soul and body to the Lord, to serve him without fear, and bear each others' burdens with a cheerful heart. Nor did we meet with the least interruption during the whole year, so that I justly count it the happiest of my life."

This station lies thirty German miles north from Nain, in 58 deg. 20 m. N.L., and is of great consequence both to the European settlers and the Esquimaux, of whom above three hundred always live near it. There is a good harbour for ships and boats—a supply of wood and of fresh water in summer and winter—great quantities of fish, particularly haddocks—also some whales, but few seals, so that the Esquimaux are obliged to go to various places at a considerable distance for this valuable animal, whose skins are among their absolute necessaries for their tents and clothing. The mission-house is built at the side of a high mountain, which serves as a protection from the north-west wind.

The natives received the brethren with great joy, and evinced a pleasing desire to hear the gospel; but it was not till the 29th of August 1778, that any baptism took place. On this occasion, however, six adults were received into the church by this holy ordinance, and several others soon followed. The baptized lived for the greater part of the winter in the mission-house, where daily meetings were held, and where they received farther instruction, for which purpose a larger meeting-hall was built in 1779.

At length at Nain, also, the brethren had the pleasure in the winter of 1779-80, to see five Esquimaux families, consisting of thirty-seven souls, come to the resolution of remaining during that season in their neighbourhood, and the year after their number increased from seventy to eighty; by this means the brethren were enabled to collect small congregations at each station, and in the winter at least carefully to observe their conduct, and to give them regular employment. Meanwhile the mission work proceeded; they held daily meetings, where the gospel was preached to the resident Esquimaux and numerous visitors. A school was opened for children, besides which, the baptized were twice a-week instructed in writing. A weekly meeting was likewise kept with the latter for furthering their knowledge on doctrinal points, particularly on the meaning of the Lord's supper. During the season when the baptized were necessarily called away from the settlement, one of the missionaries generally attended them. In the year 1780, William Turner made two visits of twenty miles each into the interior of the country from Nain in their company when they went to hunt the rein-deer, along with a number of the Esquimaux; the first in February, and then from the 8th of August to the 25th of September. They travelled over wild mountains between lakes and pools. The rein-deer, which sometimes passed in large herds, were driven into the water by the Esquimaux and there killed. In the winter journey, Turner suffered much from the cold and the want of warm food, and was also frequently in imminent danger from the snow storms, when the great drift-heaps collected upon the mountains rolled down in tremendous and threatening masses like Alpine avalanches. Nor was the summer expedition free from its dangers and difficulties. The party consisted of fifty men, who travelled on foot; about a hundred dogs followed, laden with the baggage that was to be transported over barren mountains and through morasses; and often, after all their exertions and deprivations, they got very few rein-deer. The main design of his journeys too, was but imperfectly obtained, as his people were so very much occupied in the hunt that they could pay but little attention to the preaching of the word; and their heathen companions disliked the presence of a missionary, as it caused those to keep back who believed in their superstitious customs and practices, and who practised them, and on whom, according to their notions, the success of the hunt depended.

From the promising appearances of the two settlements, the brethren now began to think of a third, to be situated south from Nain; and in July 1779, Schneider, Lister and Jensen went to Arvertok, which Jans Haven, Lister and Beck had formerly visited, and pitched upon a spot deemed the most proper for a missionary station. Having purchased the land from the Esquimaux, and fixed the boundaries, placing stones as on the former occasion; they then returned to Nain, where the wood was prepared as for the missionary house at Okkak, and brought to its destination by the Good Intent, on her arrival from England. In the meantime, Jans Haven, who had been on a visit to Europe, arrived with his wife, after having experienced a wonderful escape on their voyage. When approaching near the coast of Labrador, they discovered an ice-berg of prodigious extent and height approaching them, and had scarcely passed it in safety ere it fell to pieces with a tremendous crash, putting the surrounding sea into the most dreadful agitation and foam. Had it happened but a few minutes before, they must every soul have perished in the immense ruin.—All the preparations being finished, the building was begun in 1782 at the new station, and Jans Haven was employed as first architect. On the 21st September of that year it was finished so as to be habitable.

This settlement, which is thirty German miles south of Nain, and lies in 55 deg. 40 m. N.L., was called Hopedale, in remembrance of those brethren, who, in 1752, had erected their dwelling a little farther to the south, at Nisbet's Harbour, and given it this name; the ruins of which had been discovered in the exploratory voyage, 1775.