Hebron, Newfoundland And Labrador
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Hebron ( Nunatsiavummiutitut: ''Kangerdluksoak'',Jarvis, Dale Gilbert. ''Exploring God's Acre: The Moravian Church Mission Graveyard at Hebron, Labrador''. p. 93 ''Kangikluksoak''Carol Brice-Bennett, ''Dispossessed. The Eviction of Inuit from Hebron, Labrador''. Montréal:Imaginaire , Nord, “Isberg” series, 2017. pp. 3, 13-15 or ''Kangertluksoak''Loring, Stephen and Beatrix Arendt. 2009. ''« ... They Gave Hebron, the City of Refuge... (Joshua 21:13): an Archeological Reconnaissance at Hebron, Labrador »''. p. 35) was a Moravian mission and the northernmost settlement in
Labrador Labrador () is a geographic and cultural region within the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is the primarily continental portion of the province and constitutes 71% of the province's area but is home to only 6% of its populatio ...
. The traditional Nunatsiavummiutitut name for the area means "the Great Bay". Founded in 1831, the mission disbanded in 1959. The Inuk
Abraham Ulrikab Abraham Ulrikab (January 29, 1845 – January 13, 1881) was an Inuk from Hebron, Labrador, in the present-day province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, who – along with his family and four other Inuit – agreed to become the latest attract ...
and his family, exhibited in
human zoo Human zoos, also known as ethnological expositions, were a colonial practice of publicly displaying people, usually in a so-called "natural" or "primitive" state. They were most prominent during the 19th and 20th centuries. These displays of ...
s in
Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
in 1880, were from Hebron.


Climate

Hebron has a polar tundra climate (
Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...
: ''ET''). The site has an unusual sub-type of arctic (
tundra In physical geography, a tundra () is a type of biome where tree growth is hindered by frigid temperatures and short growing seasons. There are three regions and associated types of tundra: #Arctic, Arctic, Alpine tundra, Alpine, and #Antarctic ...
) climate, characterized by relatively high average annual precipitation with half the precipitation occurring during the six coldest months (51% of the total falling from October through March). January, for example, averages -21 °C (-6 °F) and has of water-equivalent precipitation on average, perhaps the most humid air at that temperature experienced anywhere on earth.


Wildlife

The area features numerous fauna such as
harp seals The harp seal (''Pagophilus groenlandicus''), also known as the saddleback seal or Greenland seal, is a species of earless seal, or true seal, native to the northernmost Atlantic Ocean and Arctic Ocean. Originally in the genus ''Phoca'' with a nu ...
, ringed seals, bearded seals,
walruses The walrus (''Odobenus rosmarus'') is a large pinniped marine mammal with discontinuous distribution about the North Pole in the Arctic Ocean and subarctic seas of the Northern Hemisphere. It is the only extant species in the family Odobenida ...
, beluga whales,
polar bears The polar bear (''Ursus maritimus'') is a large bear native to the Arctic and nearby areas. It is closely related to the brown bear, and the two species can interbreed. The polar bear is the largest extant species of bear and land carnivo ...
,
red foxes The red fox (''Vulpes vulpes'') is the largest of the true foxes and one of the most widely distributed members of the order Carnivora, being present across the entire Northern Hemisphere including most of North America, Europe and Asia, plu ...
,
otters Otters are carnivorous mammals in the Rank (zoology), subfamily Lutrinae. The 13 extant otter species are all semiaquatic, aquatic animal, aquatic, or Marine ecology, marine. Lutrinae is a branch of the Mustelidae Family (biology), family, whi ...
,
caribou The reindeer or caribou (''Rangifer tarandus'') is a species of deer with circumpolar distribution, native to Arctic, subarctic, tundra, boreal, and mountainous regions of Northern Europe, Siberia, and North America. It is the only represe ...
, black bears,
Arctic hare The Arctic hare (''Lepus arcticus'') is a species of hare highly adapted to living in the Arctic tundra and other icy biomes. The Arctic hare survives with shortened ears and limbs, a small nose, fat that makes up close to 20% of its body, and a ...
,
Arctic char The Arctic char or Arctic charr (''Salvelinus alpinus'') is a cold-water fish in the family Salmonidae, native to alpine lakes, as well as Arctic and subarctic coastal waters in the Holarctic realm, Holarctic. Distribution and habitat It Spaw ...
,
cod Cod (: cod) is the common name for the demersal fish genus ''Gadus'', belonging to the family (biology), family Gadidae. Cod is also used as part of the common name for a number of other fish species, and one species that belongs to genus ''Gad ...
,
geese A goose (: geese) is a bird of any of several waterfowl species in the family Anatidae. This group comprises the genera '' Anser'' (grey geese and white geese) and ''Branta'' (black geese). Some members of the Tadorninae subfamily (e.g., Egyp ...
, eiders,
mergansers ''Mergus'' is the genus of the typical mergansers ( ) fish-eating ducks in the subfamily Anatinae. The genus name is a Latin word used by Pliny the Elder and other Ancient Rome, Roman authors to refer to an unspecified waterbird. The common mer ...
,
loons Loons (North American English) or divers (British / Irish English) are a group of aquatic birds found in much of North America and northern Eurasia. All living species of loons are members of the genus ''Gavia'', family Gaviidae and order Gav ...
and harlequin ducks.Brice-Bennett, Carol. ''Our Footprints are Everywhere: Inuit Land Use and Occupancy in Labrador''., Labrador Inuit Association, 1977. pp. 109, 189-190


History

Prior to European contact, Inuit from different regions used Hebron as a meeting place. It is used mainly as hunting and fishing grounds.
Moravians Moravians ( or Colloquialism, colloquially , outdated ) are a West Slavs, West Slavic ethnic group from the Moravia region of the Czech Republic, who speak the Moravian dialects of Czech language, Czech or Czech language#Common Czech, Common ...
began establishing missions in Labrador in 1771. The first was located at Nain. The Moravians sought to
evangelize Evangelism, or witnessing, is the act of sharing the Christian gospel, the message and teachings of Jesus Christ. It is typically done with the intention of converting others to Christianity. Evangelism can take several forms, such as persona ...
the
Inuit Inuit (singular: Inuk) are a group of culturally and historically similar Indigenous peoples traditionally inhabiting the Arctic and Subarctic regions of North America and Russia, including Greenland, Labrador, Quebec, Nunavut, the Northwe ...
in Labrador. Mission work started at Hebron in 1818, a site located about north of Nain. It wasn't until 1827 that a small blockhouse was built as a seasonal outpost for missionaries. In 1831, temporary quarters having been completed, the first permanent missionaries were appointed to Hebron. The construction of the 53-meter-long, ten-metre-wide and one-storey-high building needed to house the church, the missionaries’ quarters and storage was started in spring 1835 and completed in October 1837.The Founding of Hebron: The arrival of missionaries and the expansion to the north: disease, trade and conversion. In ''Kinatuinamut Ilingajuk''. Fall 1999. pp. 8-12. That building still dominates Hebron's landscape. Inuit living in Hebron primarily relied on traditional subsistence activities. They lived in sod houses constructed with whalebone or wooden frame and seal-gut window. Life was hard at the settlement.
Epidemic An epidemic (from Greek ἐπί ''epi'' "upon or above" and δῆμος ''demos'' "people") is the rapid spread of disease to a large number of hosts in a given population within a short period of time. For example, in meningococcal infection ...
s of
whooping cough Whooping cough ( or ), also known as pertussis or the 100-day cough, is a highly contagious, Vaccine-preventable diseases, vaccine-preventable Pathogenic bacteria, bacterial disease. Initial symptoms are usually similar to those of the common c ...
,
influenza Influenza, commonly known as the flu, is an infectious disease caused by influenza viruses. Symptoms range from mild to severe and often include fever, runny nose, sore throat, muscle pain, headache, coughing, and fatigue. These sympto ...
and
smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by Variola virus (often called Smallpox virus), which belongs to the genus '' Orthopoxvirus''. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (W ...
ran through the community periodically. Between the mid-1800s and early 1900s, the population in Hebron stayed at about 200 to 250 Inuit. In 1918, Moravian missionaries brought an outbreak of
Spanish influenza The 1918–1920 flu pandemic, also known as the Great Influenza epidemic or by the common misnomer Spanish flu, was an exceptionally deadly global influenza pandemic caused by the H1N1 subtype of the influenza A virus. The earliest docum ...
that devastated Hebron and Okak. Approximately 86 of Hebron's 100 residents died. The flu epidemic of 1918 was believed to have wiped out a third of the 1,200-member Inuit population of Labrador. In July 1943, US Army received permission from the Newfoundland government to secretly construct a weather station to improve Allies' weather forecasting in North Atlantic and Arctic oceans during WWII. The American soldiers stationed at Hebron also kept watch on the Moravian missionaries who were suspected of being sympathetic towards Germany.Enerson Junker, Rozanne. ''Renatus’ Kayak : A Labrador Inuk, an American G.I. and a Secret WWII Weather Station''. pp. 10-11 and afterword While the secret US weather station operated until February 1946, the existence of this station was made public in 2017 through the publication of a book.


Abandonment

In 1955, a member of the International Grenfell Association, an organization dedicated to the health and welfare of residents of
Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the populatio ...
, wrote to the
Government of Canada The Government of Canada (), formally His Majesty's Government (), is the body responsible for the federation, federal administration of Canada. The term ''Government of Canada'' refers specifically to the executive, which includes Minister of t ...
expressing concern about cramped living conditions at Hebron that had led to
tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...
and a shortage of firewood. After consultation with Moravian leaders, the decision was made to close the mission. The Inuit would be resettled into larger communities. "I see no other way than to suggest the Mission withdraw from Hebron this summer," said the Rev. Siegfried Hettasch. By April 1959, there were 58 families at Hebron. The decision was announced at an Easter Monday service in 1959. There was no consultation with community members. By the fall of that year, half of the families had moved on their own. The remainder left soon after the Grenfell nurse was withdrawn and the community store closed in the fall of 1959. The relocation broke up extended families to different communities. Most were sent to Hopedale,
Makkovik Makkovik (Inuit languages, Inuit: ''Maggovik'') is a town in Labrador in eastern Canada. It had 365 residents in 2021. The main industry is snow crabbing and there is a fishing cooperative. Makkovik is only accessible by air or sea. History The ...
or Nain. Houses were not ready when the relocatees arrived. When the accommodations were finally built, they were clustered in “little Hebron” villages, on the edges of the existing communities, reinforcing the isolation many Hebron Inuit already felt. A report written for the Canadian Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples said the forced relocation led to poverty for several of the Inuit. "They were put in places where they weren't familiar with the local environment so they didn't know where to hunt, fish or trap and aside from that, all of the best places were already claimed by people who originally lived in those communities," said the report's author, Carol Brice-Bennett.


Aftermath

The site was designated a
National Historic Site of Canada National Historic Sites of Canada () are places that have been designated by the federal Minister of the Environment on the advice of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada (HSMBC), as being of national historic significance. Parks C ...
in 1976. It is frequently visited by cruise ships. The buildings of the original mission still stand. The main mission building has been undergoing renovation by Inuit volunteers and hired carpenters, who are relocatees or their descendants, organized by Nunatsiavut government and are in reasonably good condition considering the passage of time. In August 1999, a first reunion of the relocatees was held in Hebron. Brice-Bennett, Carol, 2000 : ''Reconciling With Memories: A Record of the Reunion at Hebron 40 Years After Relocation''. Labrador Inuit Association, Nain. In 2005, Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Danny Williams apologized to Inuit affected by the relocations of Hebron and Nutak. In August 2009, the provincial government unveiled a monument at the site of Hebron with an inscribed apology for the site closure. In May 2024, the Arctic Inspiration Prize awarded $298,000 to the Hebron and Nutak Reunions to provide an opportunity for the remaining able-bodied evictees to return to their homeland together at Hebron and Nutak/Okkak Bay in the summer of 2024.


References


External links


Hebron Mission, National Historic Site of Canada
at
Memorial University of Newfoundland Memorial University of Newfoundland, or MUN (), is a Public university, public research university in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, based in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, St. John's, with satellite campuses in Corner Brook ...

Relocated Labrador Inuit to get apology monument, CBC News, 2009-07-24Monument unveiled to commemorate apology to Labrador Inuit, The Telegram, 2012-08-15Travelling back in time to Moravian Mission in Hebron
NTV, 2014-11-03
Inventory of Moravian Mission Records
at Dartmouth College Library
William Whiteley Inventory of the Moravian Mission in Labrador
at Dartmouth College Library {{DEFAULTSORT:Hebron, Newfoundland And Labrador History of the Labrador Province of the Moravian Church Hudson's Bay Company trading posts National Historic Sites in Newfoundland and Labrador Forcibly depopulated communities in Canada Former populated places in Newfoundland and Labrador