With the Harmony to Labrador: Notes of a visit to the Moravian mission stations on the north-east coast of LabradorLa Trobe, Benjamin
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With the Harmony to Labrador: Notes of a visit to the Moravian mission stations on the north-east coast of Labrador
La Trobe, Benjamin
Indians of North America -- Missions; Inuit -- Missions; Labrador (N.L.) -- Description and travel; Moravian Indians -- Missions
This part of the coast is rugged and grand. There is a good deal of
snow on the heights of Aulatsivik and the northern extremity of that
great island is a bold precipitous cliff. Port Mauvers, at the mouth
of the narrow strait, which separates Aulatsivik from the mainland,
figures so prominently as a name upon most maps of Labrador, that one
might suppose it to be at least the capital. But there are no
inhabitants there, nor indeed all along the coast between Nain and
Okak. Kiglapeit, to the north, is so splendid a mountain range that I
am quite sorry we shall pass it in the dark. We are getting more into
the open sea as evening advances, and there are icebergs to be seen
here and there.
Come into the captain's cabin and look at this little budget of
letters. They are notes from Eskimoes at our southern stations to
their relatives and friends in the north. Some are funny little
pencilled scraps folded and oddly directed, e.g. "Kitturamut-Lucasib,
Okak." That means "To Keturah (the wife) of Lucas or Luke, at Okak."
Our Eskimoes seem to have a talent for phonetic spelling;
"ilianuramut" is evidently "To Eleanor," and "Amaliamut-kuniliusip,
Okak," is meant for "Amalia (the wife) of Cornelius at Okak." Some are
very respectable epistles, and I doubt not the Christian tone of most
would please us could we read the Eskimo language, with its strange
long words. Here is a good-sized letter folded and directed in a bold
clear hand, "Sosanemut-Andoneb, Hibron" (To Susannah, the wife of
Antony at Hebron). It is not sealed, so, as we shall scarcely
understand a word of its contents, we will venture to open it and
glance at them. It is a well-written letter, covering three pages of
blue foolscap paper, so it must be conveying a good deal of news to
Antony and Susannah. The writer names himself at the commencement,
"Boas-Kedoralo." "Lo" is Eskimo for "and," and "Kedora" is another
phonetic version of Keturah. He closes his long epistle with "Amen."
The Eskimoes also write the names of their missionaries with
considerable variations as to spelling. "Pinsilamut" might be the
address of a letter to Mr. Bindschedler, and I have seen "Karizima"'
stand for Mr. Kretschmer. The natives have no idea of such titles as
Mr. or Mrs., and they still call the majority of their missionaries by
their Christian names.
[Illustration: ICE AGROUND.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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