Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant: The Archaeology of Labrador Inuit Choices in an 18th-and 19th-Century Mission Context

University Of Virginia Main Campus, Charlottesville VA

Investigators

Abstract

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). This archaeological and ethnohistorical project explores the long-term economic and social impact of German Moravian missionaries on Canadian Inuit culture, by examining changes in 18th-and 19th-century Inuit material culture and foodways near the mission town of Hopedale, Labrador. It examines why Inuit chose to move out of their settlements to missions, convert to Christianity and adopt European practices, and whether this cultural transformation was part of a longer historical trajectory that was influenced by an earlier hierarchical social system. More specifically, the project will use archaeological evidence and historical documents to determine whether there was an Inuit social hierarchy where prominent Inuit men rose to positions of leadership due to their ability to organize hunting groups and trade with Europeans. Hunting and trading captains would experience greater accessibility to desired trade goods, and, as a result, accumulate more of those items. The timely arrival of the Moravians disrupted this hierarchical system by offering lower status Inuit access to those same desired goods. Examining data from the early historic period provides information on social structures already in place and serves as a foundation for models explaining Inuit religious choices. Thus, testing models of Inuit social organization may reveal reasons why Inuit converted to Christianity. Beyond the academic importance, this proposed project incorporates a community archaeology component offering alternative education and work opportunities while contributing to local cultural heritage efforts. This program will include local archaeologists, museum directors, teachers and Inuit elders along the coast to promote and preserve a cultural landscape reflecting individual and collective memories. A collaborative effort to develop a permanent exhibit on local archaeology in the Hopedale museum and a special archaeology resource book for Labrador schools provides a cultural experience for Inuit youth as well as significantly expands awareness and appreciation of the 19th century Inuit and Moravian tenure in Northern Labrador.