In the 1760s, Moravian missionaries became the first Europeans to establish a presence north of Hamilton Inlet. Granted large tracts of land by the British, they established themselves in Nain, Okak, Hopedale and Hebron, set up trading posts and began to convert Inuit to Christianity.

It was the beginning of large-scale change in Inuit society. The Moravians discouraged Inuit from occupying southern Labrador. They also discouraged Inuit from living communally in seasonal dwellings, urging them to live a mission-centred existence. By the late 1800s, the winter homes of the majority of Labrador Inuit were Moravian Mission Stations. Such close contact with Europeans exacted a heavy price. Many Inuit died from exposure to European diseases to which they had no immunity. Most devastatingly, the 1918 Spanish flu epidemic, brought on a Moravian supply ship, wiped out one-third of the Labrador Inuit population.

Managed access to European trade goods brought other consequences. In time, the Inuit adopted modern technology and became increasingly integrated in the emerging market economy of Newfoundland and Labrador. Trapping, seal netting, cod fishing and salmon fishing became important activities, their yields traded for goods with Moravian and independent traders. Over time, Inuit life became more and more connected to the trading posts. Initially, the trading posts flourished, but in the 1920s the Moravians experienced losses and sold their stores in the northern communities from Killinik to Makkovik to the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC). But profits were low and in 1940 the Commission of Government took over the HBC stores.

After Confederation, the Moravian Church, the Grenfell Medical Mission and the provincial government decided to suspend services to the northern communities of Hebron and Nutak. Residents were to be resettled to Nain, Hopedale, Makkovik and North West River. The government told Inuit that our social and economic welfare would be improved. Instead, a social, cultural and economic disintegration occurred, the effects of which can be felt to this day.

While the upheaval of life on the island of Newfoundland as a result of resettlement is well known, the devastation of Labrador resettlement remains largely an untold story. Dislocation from traditional lands and natural resources was devastating for a people whose very culture and identity were intrinsically connected to the land. Inuit were resettled to communities where the residents had already established fishing and hunting rights; the newcomers were relegated to more distant and less prolific resources. Many were ostracized in their new communities. For many, the failed promise of a better life and forced dependency on social programs resulted in loss of dignity, stigma and alienation. By the 1970s, an ancient culture marked by resourcefulness and independence had suffered many losses. It was time for change, driven, this time, by Inuit and intended to meet Inuit needs and priorities.

Brief History
A New Beginning