HISTORIES

Inuit brass bands began in Northern Labrador in the nineteenth century. Many historical accounts appear in Moravian missionary publications like Periodical Accounts, Moravian Missions, and Nachrichten aus der Brüdergemeine. Many archives also hold historical photos of the bands, including the Moravian Archives in Bethlehem, the Unity Archives in Herrnhut and Them Days Archive in Goose Bay.

One of our goals with this project is to educate about the history of this unique brass band tradition. As part of that, we would like to hear more stories and recollections about the bands from the people of Northern Labrador. If you would like to share anything, including photos, you can email us or post to our Facebook page.

These short histories of five community bands (Okak, Hebron, Makkovik, Hopedale, and Nain) were written by Mark David Turner. Earlier versions of these histories were included in an article published in the Historic Brass Society Journal titled “A Short History of the Moravian Brass Bands of Northern Labrador” (vol 30, 2018, pp 37-62).