Jens Haven
Encyclopedia
Jens Haven was a Moravian missionary and the prime mover behind the founding of the Moravian missions in Labrador
.
Jens Haven was brought up as a Lutheran, but after being apprenticed to a Moravian joiner
, joined the Moravian community at Herrnhut
. In 1758 he went to Greenland
as a missionary to the Inuit
, remaining there four years.
Haven had long wished to go to Labrador, and was not deterred by the murder of six missionaries by natives of Labrador in 1752. In Memoir of the Life of Br. Jens Haven he is recorded as saying:
After receiving permission from Moravian Church leaders in 1764, Haven travelled to London
and met Hugh Palliser
, Governor of Newfoundland, and made his intentions to establish a mission known. With Palliser's assistance, he arrived at the Strait of Belle Isle in the summer of that year. His first encounter with Newfoundland Inuit was at Quirpon
, and he was able to speak with them in their native tongue, which he had learned while stationed in Greenland.
Based on Haven's experiences, the Moravians decided to establish a permanent mission in Labrador, and in 1765 Haven returned with three more missionaries. Because of disagreements between the Moravians and the English authorities over land grants, Haven returned to Europe, spending most of his time in England and the Netherlands
. Eventually, in 1769, the requested lands, 100,000 acres (400 km²), were obtained, and Haven returned to Labrador in 1770. He went back to England later that year to make arrangements for the proposed mission house, and before returning in 1771, married Mary Butterworth, an English Moravian.
The 14-member missionary group—consisting of Germans, Danes, and Britons—chose a site which they called Nain
. Nain was not an ideal site for the mission so a new one was set up at Okak
in 1776, north of Nain. Then in 1782 another site at Hopedale
was begun by Haven. In poor health, Haven retired to Herrnhut in 1784 and died there in 1796. He was blind for the last few years of his life.
Haven was received well by the Inuit and was known among them as Jens Ingoak or little Jens. He was respected by the Inuit as he spoke their language, wore similar clothes, and was small in stature.Temperamentally, he was described as rough and having a hot temper, yet warm and single-minded.
The seventh highest peak (58°55′30"N 63°44′30"W) in the Torngat Mountains
is named in his honour. The school in Nain is also named for Jens Haven.
Labrador
Labrador is the distinct, northerly region of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It comprises the mainland portion of the province, separated from the island of Newfoundland by the Strait of Belle Isle...
.
Jens Haven was brought up as a Lutheran, but after being apprenticed to a Moravian joiner
Joiner
A joiner differs from a carpenter in that joiners cut and fit joints in wood that do not use nails. Joiners usually work in a workshop since the formation of various joints generally requires non-portable machinery. A carpenter normally works on site...
, joined the Moravian community at Herrnhut
Herrnhut
Herrnhut is a municipality in the district of Görlitz, in the Free State of Saxony, Germany.It has access to Bundesstraße 178 between Löbau and Zittau...
. In 1758 he went to Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
as a missionary to the Inuit
Inuit
The Inuit are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic regions of Canada , Denmark , Russia and the United States . Inuit means “the people” in the Inuktitut language...
, remaining there four years.
Haven had long wished to go to Labrador, and was not deterred by the murder of six missionaries by natives of Labrador in 1752. In Memoir of the Life of Br. Jens Haven he is recorded as saying:
In the year 1752, hearing at Herrnhut, that Dr. Erhardt, a Missionary sent to the coast of Labrador had been murdered by the Esquimaux, I felt for the first time a strong impulse to go and preach the Gospel to this very nation, and become certain, in my own mind that I should go to Labrador.
After receiving permission from Moravian Church leaders in 1764, Haven travelled to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and met Hugh Palliser
Hugh Palliser
Admiral Sir Hugh Palliser, 1st Baronet was an officer of the British Royal Navy during the Seven Years' War and the American Revolutionary War...
, Governor of Newfoundland, and made his intentions to establish a mission known. With Palliser's assistance, he arrived at the Strait of Belle Isle in the summer of that year. His first encounter with Newfoundland Inuit was at Quirpon
Quirpon, Newfoundland and Labrador
Quirpon is a small, picturesque community situated on the northern tip of the Great Northern Peninsula of Newfoundland in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada...
, and he was able to speak with them in their native tongue, which he had learned while stationed in Greenland.
Based on Haven's experiences, the Moravians decided to establish a permanent mission in Labrador, and in 1765 Haven returned with three more missionaries. Because of disagreements between the Moravians and the English authorities over land grants, Haven returned to Europe, spending most of his time in England and the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. Eventually, in 1769, the requested lands, 100,000 acres (400 km²), were obtained, and Haven returned to Labrador in 1770. He went back to England later that year to make arrangements for the proposed mission house, and before returning in 1771, married Mary Butterworth, an English Moravian.
The 14-member missionary group—consisting of Germans, Danes, and Britons—chose a site which they called Nain
Nain, Newfoundland and Labrador
Nain or Naina is the northernmost town of any size in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, located about 370 kilometres by air from Happy Valley-Goose Bay. The town was established as a Moravian mission in 1771 by Jens Haven and other missionaries...
. Nain was not an ideal site for the mission so a new one was set up at Okak
Okak, Newfoundland and Labrador
Okak is a former community located at on Okak Bay in northern Labrador. It was founded in 1776 by Jens Haven, a missionary of the Moravian Church....
in 1776, north of Nain. Then in 1782 another site at Hopedale
Hopedale, Newfoundland and Labrador
Hopedale is a town located in the North of Labrador, the mainland portion of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Hopedale is the legislative capital of the Inuit Land Claims Area Nunatsiavut, and where the Nunatsiavut Assembly meets...
was begun by Haven. In poor health, Haven retired to Herrnhut in 1784 and died there in 1796. He was blind for the last few years of his life.
Haven was received well by the Inuit and was known among them as Jens Ingoak or little Jens. He was respected by the Inuit as he spoke their language, wore similar clothes, and was small in stature.Temperamentally, he was described as rough and having a hot temper, yet warm and single-minded.
The seventh highest peak (58°55′30"N 63°44′30"W) in the Torngat Mountains
Torngat Mountains
The Torngat Mountains are a mountain range on the Labrador Peninsula at the northern tip of Newfoundland and Labrador and eastern Quebec. They are part of the Arctic Cordillera. This is the peninsula that separates Ungava Bay from the Atlantic Ocean....
is named in his honour. The school in Nain is also named for Jens Haven.