The Moravians in Labrador

This anonymous 1822 account documents one of the most extraordinary missionary enterprises in North American history. The Moravian Church, those Protestant idealists known for their radical commitment to equality and outreach, sent their missionaries to the frozen shores of Labrador where European expeditions had repeatedly failed. The narrative follows figures like Jens Haven as they struggle against brutal weather, deep-seated mistrust, and the corrupting influence of European traders who had preceded them. What unfolds is not a simple tale of religious conquest but something far more nuanced: a slow, often painful process of cultural negotiation where missionaries learned Inuit languages, adapted their methods, and gradually built fragile trust with people who had every reason to fear European arrivals. The book captures a world in transition, where ancient ways of life encountered an unstoppable commercial and spiritual force. The Moravians in Labrador represents an important early record of this encounter, written when the outcome remained uncertain and the stakes, for both peoples, could not have been higher.