Traced here are the beginnings of literacy and literature for Inuit living in Labrador and the eastern Canadian arctic. Inuit living in Labrador in the 19th and early 20th centuries were more literate than white settlers as a direct result of the Moravian missionaries who taught them to read and write in Inuktitut in the mission schools. Many of the original Inuktitut texts used by the mission teachers and students are included as part of this exhibition.
The Labrador Inuit are the first Canadian Inuit to have their own language. Their first texts took the form of songs or narratives. This catalog represents this history with images from pages and covers of books in the collection along with detailed descriptions of their importance.
Texts in French, English, Inuktitut and Inuktitut roman orthography descriptions in English.
INTRODUCTION TO THE EXHIBITION
Morviamiut Pigianningit Canadamiut Inungit Allaliginniginni
The Moravian Beginnings of Canadian Inuit Literature
The Moravian literature Inuit in Canada (Nunavik,Inuktitut, Inuit Roman)
Les origines moraves de la littérature inuite au Canada
Collected and Arranged: The Lawrence M. Lande Collection of Canadiana at McGill University
The Moravian Church in Labrador: A Brief History
EXHIBITION
Introduction
Teaching Inuktitut
Reading Inuktitut
Contemporary Writing
POSTSCRIPT
Some Thoughts on Canadian Inuit Literature
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES
CREDITS