The Northern Ranger docked in Rigolet, Nunatsiavut en route to Goose Bay, Labrador
The deck of the Northern Ranger
Resting on deck before the flight to Newfoundland
We met Bertha last summer in Rigolet. She showed us amazing hospitality when we were complete strangers. We had the good fortune to meet up with her again on the ferry from Rigolet to Goose Bay.
James Andersen (known affectionately as Uncle Jim) has been documenting the isolated town of Makkovik for more than 30 years. Recently, The Rooms Provincial Museum in St. John’s sponsored a retrospective of his work. We had the honor of meeting Jim last summer, and we had a chance to reconnect briefly on our ferry stop in Makkovik.
Three generations: When the Northern Ranger stopped in Makkovik, Lena invited us to meet her family.
As a child, Lena’s grandmother came from northern Quebec to Labrador via dog sled.
Lena’s mother
Lena
Lena’s grandparents were Inuit folk singers
Lena’s sister Juliette
Departing Hopedale aboard the Northern Ranger
We met Lena aboard the Ranger. She is the first Inuit archaelogist in Nunatsiavut. This is her son second son.
Icebergs dot the ocean.
Docking at Postville, Nunatsiavut
A boat in Postville, Nunatsiavut
Augusta grew up in Hebron and came to Hopedale as a child. She spent an evening with us sharing her life story.
A community choir sings at the Moravian Church.
Sled dogs in Hopdale: To put it mildly, the adult versions are not nearly so cuddly.
Photo by Anna Maria Johnson
A polar bear skin dries on a rack in Hopedale.
Nunatsiavut has a strictly limited polar bear hunt. I believe only one resident in the community was allowed to shoot a bear.
Splitting Arctic char
Caribou antlers
A view of the Amaguk Inn in Hopedale
Anna Maria draws the scene outside our window.
A boat trip out to the icebergs
Seagulls and Eider ducks maintain nests on nearby islands.
A fish net yields an arctic char.
Eddie prepares a delicious meal featuring arctic char after a cold ride back to Hopedale.
Moravian Mission at Hopedale, Nunatsiavut
The Moravian Seal in the church
David Igloliorte with and EMU student in the Moravian Mission Museum
A magic lantern slide
A book signed by Jens Haven, founder of the Moravian presence in Labrador
Brandon, an EMU student, holds a book from the 18th century.
A 1929 guest book signed by Wildfred Grenfell and Nelson Rockefeller
That evening we were greeted by the children of Hopedale.
Jens and Derek (an EMU student)
Our charter flight to Hopedale at the Goose Bay, Labrador airport
Inside the Twin Otter
Flying over Labrador
The approach to Hopedale, Nunatsiavut
Gravel runway in Hopedale
Taxi, Hopedale style!
