Hebron Will Aways be Home

Mission buildings at Hebron

In 1830, Moravian missionaries (German and Czech protestants) established an outpost on a remote section of the coast of Labrador (now Nunatsiavut). They planted a sizeable garden and constructed a large building that housed a church, a school, and a medical clinic, and they set up a settlement that became an important trading centre on the coast. An Inuit community grew up in the hills surrounding the mission. In 1959, without consultation with community members, the Moravians decided to close the mission, forcing the relocation of some 58 Inuit families who had been encouraged to settle here. It was a time of upheaval and sorrow that is remembered by the Inuit of Nunatsiavut to this day.

The main mission building

To visit Hebron is to step back briefly to that time, and to be haunted by the rugged beauty of the sheltered harbour and the embrace of the hills. The main mission building is under reconstruction, since the settlement was named a National Historic Site in the 1970s. Other abandoned buildings on the site have not fared as well, and are in various states of disrepair. I visited on a perfect summer day in 2015, with Adventure Canada. There was time to reflect on the history of the place and on the lives of those who made their homes here, and to visit to the buildings currently maintained by Parks Canada.

The hills surrounding the Hebron mission

In 2005, a formal apology was made on behalf of the province by Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Danny Williams; in the spirit of reconciliation, a monument on the site is inscribed with the apology in both English and Inuktitut, in combination with an acceptance of that apology. It reads, in part, "What happened at Nutak and Hebron serves as an example of the need for governments to respect and carefully consider the needs and aspirations of the people affected by their decisions."

Many of the buildings have fallen into disrepair

There were eight missions established on the coast; among them were Hopedale, Makkovik, Ramah (closed 1908), Nutak (closed in 1959), Zoar (abandoned 1899), and Okak (abandoned in 1919 as a result of an influenza pandemic). Hebron is a place of great scenic beauty, and even greater cultural significance. In the hearts of many residents of Nunatsiavut, it will always be Home.

Coming back to Nain

Nain's brass band

There's a little community in Nunatsiavut that I've loved since the first time I visited -- it's the northernmost inhabited community in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, and the largest community in Nunatsiavut and its administrative capital. I first visited Nain in 1994 via the M.V. Northern Ranger, as part of a cruise along the coast. In those days, the Ranger operated out of Lewisporte on Newfoundland's northeast coast, and the trip took in all the small ports along the way, including St. Anthony, Red Bay, and Cartwright on the way to Goose Bay - Happy Valley. Today the vessel still runs, but it's now operated by Nunatsiavut Marine and plies the coast only from Goose Bay northward, stopping at Rigolet, Makkovik, Postville, Hopedale, and Nain, with a stop in the Innu community of Natuashish as well.

On the roof!

My most recent visit, though, was from a different vessel: the Ocean Endeavour, operated by Adventure Canada. I was delighted to see that Nain would be one of the stops on their Newfoundland and Wild Labrador cruise in 2015, and was eager to return to the place where there were so many wonderful memories. The icing on the cake was that the stop happened to fall on my birthday, July 11.

Carver John Terriak

In the years since I'd been to Nain, a very important development had taken place: the local brass band, established by the Moravian Church as part of its outreach to the coast, had been resurrected through the efforts of a dedicated group of volunteers and advocates including Dr. Tom Gordon of Memorial University, who was a fellow staffer on the Adventure Canada team.When the Ocean Endeavour arrived, the band was there to greet us -- and after a welcome at the little white church near the public wharf, the band members followed tradition and climbed from the church tower onto the roof to play so the sound would carry better!

Pitsik

The welcome in Nain was as warm as ever, thanks to Tourism Nunatsiavut, and there was time to explore the community, see a demonstration of soapstone carving by noted carver John Terriak, taste some local delicacies like partridge soup and pitsik -- dried char -- and do a bit of shopping for soapstone, sealskin, knitted goods and other keepsakes before a reception with Inuit games at the local school; a buttery-soft sealskin eyeglass case seemed like the perfect birthday present, and by chance, the young man who sold it to me was celebrating his birthday as well -- along with his twin brother! We wished each other a happy birthday, and I was on my way.

The perfect keepsake

It was a delight to return to this little spot after an absence of nearly twenty years; I've promised myself it won't be so long before my next visit. Nain is on the itinerary of Adventure Canada's Greenland and Wild Labrador

cruise for 2016.

Leaving beautiful Nain

The Lure of Labrador

I love the island of Newfoundland and the opportunity to share it with visitors, but Labrador holds a special place in my heart. It's a wild and rugged and raw-boned region, the mainland portion of the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, and its lure is simply irresistible. Accessed by ferry from Newfoundland, by air, or by land via the province of Quebec, Labrador's imposing landscape greets the traveller with sweeping, wide-open vistas. Sparkling rivers like the famous Pinware, a rich salmon stream, flow headlong to the sea, while sharply-defined mountains dominate Labrador's northern reaches. In 2005, this northern region officially became known as Nunatsiavut, (Inuktitut for "Our Beautiful Land") a new territory born out of the Labrador Land Claims Agreement. It is a self-governing Inuit region within the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, the first of its kind, taking in the communities of Nain, Hopedale, Postville, Makkovik and Rigolet. Farther to the south lies the area known as NunatuKavut ("Our Ancient Land"), the territory of the southern Inuit. There are also two Innu communities in Labrador, Sheshatshiu (Sheshatshiu First Nation) and

Natuashish (Mushuau First Nation), making up the area known as Nitassinan, the Innu Land. Many communities in Labrador, particularly those of the south coast, have non-native (or "Settler") populations as well.

Many sights and experiences await the visitor to Labrador, from the restored fishing station at Battle Harbour to Red Bay, site of a large-scale whaling station established by the Basques in the mid-1500s, to

the breathtaking beauty of Torngat Mountains National Park. This region isn't tame or gentle or shy; it demands attention and defies understatement, but if you're willing to meet it head-on and prepared to take in its huge scope and its equally huge appeal, it can be an incredibly rewarding and even life-altering place to explore.