Abstract
From 1733 to 1900, Moravian missionaries settled in West Greenland to missionize and teach. These activities resulted in local mission and settlement layouts that followed Moravian principles and at the same time adapted to local landscapes and Inuit traditions and subsistence practices. This article explores spatial data, objects, oral tradition, and written sources from sites at Uummannaq, Akunnaat (Lichtenfels), and Kangillermiut, West Greenland. At these sites, landscape use was transculturated, and the material culture changed among both the European missionaries and the local Inuit. Moravian missionaries traded European commodities for Inuit artefacts, and an Inuit industry evolved through creating souvenirs for the missionaries. At the same time, local Inuit material culture was influenced by the presence of the Moravians, who introduced written language, administrative birth numbers, goats, and new crafts such as European-style basket weaving. The cultural encounters at the three Greenlandic sites resulted in objects and practices that were cultural composites of European and Inuit ideals and traditions.
Highlights
On 20 May 1733, the cousins Mathæus and Christian Staach, as well as the carpenter Christian David, arrived at the Danish colony of Godthaab in West Greenland (Kleivan, 1983)
Encounters between Greenlandic Inuit and Moravian missionaries at missions and settlements involved a process of transculturation, in which settlement layout, cemetery location, grave forms, and material culture were transformed
Moravian ideals and Inuit traditions, or the coexistence of the two, which is evident at the missions of Lichtenfels and Uummannaq, as well as the Kangillermiut settlement
Summary
On 20 May 1733, the cousins Mathæus and Christian Staach, as well as the carpenter Christian David, arrived at the Danish colony of Godthaab (present-day Nuuk) in West Greenland (Kleivan, 1983). Such objects were often cultural composites of Inuit and European traditions and ideals, and often the location, layout, and features of Moravian missions and settlements reflected this composite culture. No sources reveal whether Lichtenfels was inhabited prior to the establishment of the Moravian mission, but the site location fits well with the traditional Inuit settlement pattern.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
