The Moravians in Labrador

by Anonymous

CHAPTER VII.[ToC]

Desire of the heathen to hear the Gospel.—Brethren meditate a new settlement—voyage to explore the country.—Quiet course of the mission—advantages of their church discipline.—Death of Burghardt.—Exertions of the aged survivors.—Schreiber, superintendant, arrives.—Anxiety of the native Christians to attend the ordinances of religion.—Advantages of the Bible as a school-book.—Four missionaries unexpectedly carried to England.—Baptized Esquimaux seduced by traders.—Perilous voyage of the returning missionaries.—striking accident.—Schreiber retires from the superintendance—Kohlmeister succeeds—his journeyings to Okkak, to Nain.—Stability of the work of God at Nain—hopeful deaths—conversion and recovery of a young native.—Remarkable preservation of an Esquimaux youth.

Ever since the settlement of the brethren on the east coast of Labrador, scarcely a year had passed, without their being visited by great numbers of Esquimaux from the north, either for the purposes of traffic or curiosity; and latterly, to visit their friends and acquaintances who had become residents. From these strangers, the missionaries obtained much interesting information respecting the inhabitants along the coast; they were told that the most considerable part of the nation dwelt beyond Cape Chudleigh, lat. 60 deg. 17 m., called by them Killineck; that accounts of the settlement had reached them, and that they were desirous of teachers to instruct them in the good words. When some of these natives were asked by the brethren to remain and settle with them, they expressed a great inclination to have done so, but urged as an objection, the difficulty of procuring food for their families, and requested the missionaries rather to come to them, where they could be easily able to obtain a comfortable supply. The brethren, in consequence, had long meditated a new settlement, and the Society for the furtherance of the Gospel had repeatedly consulted with them about the best plan for carrying their wishes into execution. Various obstacles had, however, always prevented any effectual steps being taken, till, in consequence of repeated invitations, it became a subject of serious consideration, by what means a more correct idea of the extent and dwelling places of the Esquimaux nation might be obtained, and a general wish was expressed, that one or more of the missionaries would undertake the perilous task of visiting such places as were reported to contain more inhabitants than the southern coast, but remained unknown to European navigators.

When brother Kohlmeister was in Europe, it was arranged with the Synodal Committee for the management of the missions of the United Brethren, that an exploratory voyage should be undertaken, for which Kohlmeister made preparation on his return to Labrador, and on the 17th of June, he and brother Kmoch set out from Okkak. The vessel engaged for the arduous undertaking, was a two masted shallop, 45 feet long, 12 broad, and 5 deep, belonging to Jonathan, (vide p. 213) who also accompanied them as their captain. Jonathan was a man of superior understanding and skill, possessed of uncommon intrepidity, and looked up to, at Hopedale, as the chief of his nation. It was therefore no small sacrifice on his part, to agree to leave, for an indefinite time, the place where he was so much respected; but he was ready to forsake all, and enter on an expedition of unknown length and peril, in the hope that it would be a means of introducing the gospel among his countrymen. The greater part of the other Esquimaux thought the voyage impracticable, and an old Angekok predicted that if the adventurers did not perish in the violent currents that set in round Cape Chudleigh, they most certainly would never return.

But none of these dark forebodings made any impression on the mind of Jonathan. When told that the wild heathen would kill him, he generally answered, "Well we will try, we shall know better when we get there;" and once, when conversing with the missionaries, who were not altogether without apprehension, remarked, "When I hear people talking about the danger of being killed, I think—Jesus went to death out of love to us; what great matter would it be, if we were to be put to death in his service, should that be his good pleasure concerning us." Nor did his conduct belie his profession: under all circumstances, during the voyage, his firm, cheerful faithfulness, proved honourable to his character as a true convert. Besides the missionaries, the expedition consisted of four Esquimaux families from Hopedale, and one from Okkak, who attended with a skin, or woman's boat, in case of any accident befalling the shallop, and to be used in landing, as the larger vessel could never safely be brought close to the shore—in all eighteen persons.

As they coasted along, they met several Christian Esquimaux, who were scattered at different summer provision places. At Kangerlualuksoak, sixty miles north of Okkak, a fishing station, with a fine strand and excellent harbour, where they rested on the 30th, [Lord's day,] the missionaries went on shore, and visited the Christian families, whom they assembled together for public worship. The congregation amounted to about fifty, including the boat's company. Brother Kohlmeister addressed them, and expressed his hope that they were all walking worthy of their Christian profession—presenting a good example to their heathen neighbours. A number of strangers sat as listeners, and the missionaries felt their hearts dilate with joy, to hear the cheerful voices of converted heathen melodiously sounding forth the praises of God, and giving glory to the name of Jesus their Redeemer, in a place which had but lately been a den of murderers, and dedicated by sorcerers to the service of the devil. Proceeding northward, they soon found their progress obstructed by drift ice, which forced them, after two days of incessant labour, to seek shelter in the estuary of a river, Nullatartok, where being blocked up, they went on shore, and pitched their tents on a beautiful valley, enamelled with potentilla aurea in full bloom, resembling a European meadow covered with butter-cups. The river abounded with salmon-trout; and their hunters killed two rein-deer, a seasonable supply, as they were detained here twelve days. On the 16th July, they reached Nachvak, where the high rocky mountains, glowing in the splendour of the morning sun, presented a most magnificent prospect. About fifty heathen Esquimaux, who had encamped here, received them with loud shouts and the firing of muskets, and while they remained, behaved with great modesty, neither annoying them by impertinent curiosity, nor harassing them by importunate begging; they also attended their morning and evening prayers with great silence, and apparent devotion. They heard the discourses of the missionaries with respectful stillness, but they listened with much greater eagerness to the exhortations of their own countrymen. Jonas, a son of Jonathan, addressed them thus: "We were but lately as ignorant as you are now; we were long unable to understand the comfortable words of the gospel; we had neither ears to hear, nor hearts to receive them, till Jesus by his power, opened our hearts and ears. Now we know what Jesus did for us, and how great the happiness of those is, who come unto him—love him as their Saviour, and know that they shall not be lost, when this life is past. Without this, we live in constant fear of death. You will enjoy the same happiness, if you turn and believe on Jesus. We are not surprised that you do not yet understand us. We were once like you, but now we thank Jesus our Redeemer with tears of joy, that He has revealed himself unto us." This address, delivered with great energy, produced, at least, a temporary effect, for one of the leading men of the party, Onalik, exclaimed, "I am determined to be converted to Jesus;" and another, Tallagaksoak, made the same declaration, adding, "He would no longer live among the heathen."

Having spent two days with these people, the expedition proceeded on their voyage, and passing Nennoktok, were constrained by tempestuous weather to anchor in Kummaktorvik-bay. Here they met with four Esquimaux families, of whom John, and Mary his mother, had once been residents at Okkak, but had left the brethren, and retired to the heathen; with them Kohlmeister spoke very seriously, representing the danger of their state as apostates from the faith, but they showed no symptoms of compunction, and seemed determined to persist in their ways. When the storm ceased, they resumed their course, and after a providential escape from shipwreck on a sunken rock, they arrived it Oppernavik, where they found Uttakyak, a chief of superior understanding, and of great influence among his countrymen, with his two wives and youngest brother, waiting to receive them. He had, while on a voyage to Okkak in 1800, given the brethren particular accounts of these regions, and as he had learned that the missionaries intended to take a voyage to Ungava-bay, he had waited during the whole spring for them, and put up signals on all heights surrounding his tent, that they might not miss him. Successive storms, and accumulating ice, prevented the progress of our adventurers till the 1st of August, when they left their harbour, and entered Ikkerasak, a narrow channel between Cape Chudleigh Islands, and the continent; it is ten miles in length, and dangerous from the currents and whirlpools occasioned by the flowing and ebbing of the tide, but the missionaries passed through in safety at low water with a fair wind. On quitting the channel, the coast ran S.S.W. low, with gently sloping hills, and the sea [Hudson's straits] appeared studded with small islands. Here they saw the Ungava country at a distance, stretching to the south before them.

Three skin boats, filled with Esquimaux, came to bid them welcome, and followed them to Omanek, a small island, where they pitched their tents; brother Kohlmeister visited them on shore, and explained to them the design of their voyage: they listened, but could not comprehend the scope of his discourse; they shouted, however, with joy, when he told them that he would come and see them in their own country. Many among them had never seen a European before, and not content with accurately inspecting them on every side, came close up to the travellers, and "pawed" them all over.

Dismissing them highly grateful with some trifling presents, the voyagers proceeded, and on the 7th reached the entering of the great river Kangerlualuksoak, 140 miles S.S.W. of Cape Chudleigh, lat. 58 deg. 57 m. Sailing up the bay, they found a fine slope or terrace facing the south, covered with shrubs, from whence a wooded valley extended to the left, which they fixed upon as the most suitable place for a settlement. Uttakisk, who had spent more than one winter in the Ingura country, assured them that there was an ample supply of native provisions both summer and winter, and that many of the Esquimaux would resort to them from every quarter, if they were once fairly settled. And the missionaries were satisfied that Europeans might find the means of existence, as the place was accessible to ships, and had wood and water in plenty. Before departing therefore, they set up high marks of stones on two opposite hills at the entrance of the bay, and placed a board on the declivity of a hill to the right, on one side of which they cut G. III. R. and S.U.F.—Georgius III Rex, Societas Unitatis Fratrum; and on the other, the initials of the missionaries, with the date of their arrival. This tablet was raised with some solemnity in presence of Uttakisk and his family, as representatives of the people of Ungava; and the missionaries informed them, that they had taken possession of the place, in case they or their brethren should think proper to settle there, and called all present to bear witness; they then proclaimed that the name of the river should henceforth be called George River, after which three vollies were fired by those on shore, and answered from the boat.—The texts of Scripture for the day, were very encouraging:—"From the rising of the sun, even to the going down of the same, my name shall be great among the Gentiles, saith the Lord of hosts," Mal. ii 1. "At the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father," Phil. ii 10, 11. After the ceremony, pease and bread and beer were distributed among the Esquimaux, which enabled them to make a splendid feast, and the day was spent in the most agreeable manner.