In the late 18th century, the Moravian Church established a mission on the coast of Labrador, in what is now Canada. This book tells the story of that mission, and its ultimate demise in the face of harsh weather and hostile indigenous peoples. Drawing on firsthand accounts and historical records, the author provides a detailed and engaging narrative of the mission, its successes and failures, and its impact on the region. This book will appeal to anyone interested in the history and culture of Canada, as well as those interested in the history of Christian missions. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

The Moravian Church became widely known and respected for its 'missions to the heathen', achieving a high reputation among the pious and with government. This study looks at its connections with evangelical networks, and its indirect role in the great debate on the slave trade, as well as the operations of Moravian missionaries in the field. The Moravians' decision, in 1764, to expand and publicise their foreign missions (largely to the British colonies) coincided with the development of relations between their British leaders and evangelicals from various denominations, among whom were those who went on to found, in the last decade of the century, the major societies which were the cornerstone of the modern missionary movement. These men were profoundly influenced by the Moravian Church's apparent progress, unique among Protestants, in making 'real' Christians among the heathen overseas, and this led to the adoption of Moravian missionary methods by the new societies. Dr Mason draws on a wide range of primary documents to demonstrate the influences of the Moravian Church on the missionary awakening in England and its contribution to the movement.

An examination of the musical traditions of the Inuit of Nain, Labrador. Particular emphasis is placed upon the influence of Moravian missionaries on Inuit performance since 1771, a situation which is compared with that of Christian missionaries on the Inuit of Pangnirtung, Northwest Territories.

Explorer Jacques Cartier dismissed it as the land God gave to Cain, but generations of people from widely differing cultures living in dense wilderness conditions have forged the people of Labrador into a thriving, vital culture of their own. Here are their stories in their own voices, written by the expert hand of a person whose heart's home is Labrador.

Diary of voyage on board Niger, 1766, scientific manuscripts, and detailed account of his biological collections.

With contributions from historians, literary critics, and geographers, Curious Encounters uncovers a rich history of global voyaging, collecting, and scientific exploration in the long eighteenth century. Leaving behind grand narratives of discovery, these essays collectively restore a degree of symmetry and contingency to our understanding of encounters between European and Indigenous people. To do this the essays consider diverse agents of historical change, both human and inanimate: commodities, curiosities, texts, animals, and specimens moved through their own global circuits of knowledge and power. The voyages and collections rediscovered here do not move from a European center to a distant periphery, nor do they position European authorities as the central agents of this early era of globalization. Long distance voyagers from Greenland to the Ottoman Empire crossed paths with French, British, Polynesian, and Spanish travelers across the world, trading objects and knowledge for diverse ends. The dynamic contact zones of these curious encounters include the ice floes of the Arctic, the sociable spaces of the tea table, the hybrid material texts and objects in imperial archives, and the collections belonging to key figures of the Enlightenment, including Sir Hans Sloane and James Petiver.

A silent clapboard church on a barren Arctic landscape is more than just a place of worship: it is a symbol that can evoke fraught reactions to the history of Christian colonization. In the Inuit homeland of Northern Labrador, however, that church is more likely to resonate with the voices of a well-rehearsed choir accompanied by an accomplished string orchestra or spirited brass bands. The Inuit making this music are stewards of a tradition of complex sacred music introduced by Moravian missionaries in the late 1700s – a tradition that, over time, these musicians transformed into a cultural expression genuinely their own. Called Upstairs is the story of this Labrador Inuit music practice. It is not principally a story of forced adoption but of adaptation, mediation, and agency, exploring the transformation of a colonial artifact into an expression of Inuit aesthetic preference, spirituality, and community identity. Often overlaying the Moravian traditions with defining characteristics drawn from pre-contact expressive culture, Inuit musicians imbued this once-alien music with their own voices. Told through archival documents, oral histories of Inuit musicians, and the music itself, Called Upstairs tracks the emergence of this Labrador Moravian music tradition across two and a half centuries. Tom Gordon presents a chronicle of Inuit leadership and agency in the face of colonialism through a unique lens. In this time of reconciliation, this story offers a window into Inuit resilience and the power of a culture’s creative expressions.

Intended for young people, for Moravians, and more. It deals with a history of early Protestantism.