Continued tidbits of info. about the people and history of our province, "Newfoundland and Labrador" ENJOY! The symbols of Labradorians' pride in their homeland. The Labrador Flag The Labrador Flag is a celebration of the unique identity and common heritage of the people of Labrador. The top bar is white, and represents the snow. This is the one element which, more than any other, coloured the culture and dictated the lifestyle of Labrador's people. The centre bar is green, and it represents the land. The green and bountiful land is the connecting element that unites Labrador's three diverse cultures. The bottom line is blue, and it represents the waters of Labrador's rivers, lakes, and the sea. The waters have been Labrador's highways, and have nurtured Labrador's fish and wildlife. The symbolic spruce twig was chosen because the spruce tree is common to all geographical regions of Labrador. It has provided shelter, transportation, fuel, and even food clothing as it is home to the wildlife which provided Labrador people with meat and skins. The spruce provided planks for boats, komatiks, and houses. The three branches represent the three peoples of Labrador: the Inuit, the Innu, and the European Settlers. The twig grows from one stalk to represent the common origin of all humanity. It is in two sections, or two years' growth. The outer growth is longer than the inner growth, because in good growing years the twig grows longer than in the poorer ones. The inner and shorter twig represents the past, while the larger outer twig represents a brighter future. ARMS The primary colours of the arms are those of the Labrador flag: green for the forests, white for the ice and snow, and blue for the waters. The design also evokes the opening line of the Ode to Labrador: "Dear land of mountains, woods and snow." The three white mountain peaks represent the founding peoples of Labrador: the Innu, the Inuit, and the Settlers. The four spruce trees symbolize the four points of the compass and the great extent and diversity of the territory, its landscapes, and its communities and ways of life. The wavy bars symbolize the lakes and rivers, the bays and the sea. The alternation of white and blue represents the changing of the seasons, and by extension, the history of thousands of years of life in Labrador. The gold star is the Pole Star, symbolic of our northern environment and culture. As a symbol of navigation, it points the way to a bright future. Its points are our grandchildren, for whom we hold the land, its resources, and its heritage in trust. SUPPORTERS Two caribou, an animal central to the life and livelihood of all Labrador people. COMPARTMENT A field of Labrador tea and caribou moss. CRESTA snowy owl (uhu, ukpik) on a gold and red wreath. SCROLL Red and gold. MOTTO Munus splendidum mox explebitur; "The splendid task will soon be fulfilled." Adapted and translated from the first stanza of the Ode to Labrador. The Ode to Labrador The Ode to Labrador was written ca. 1927 by Dr. Harry L. Paddon, a doctor with the International Grenfell Association at North West River, Indian Harbour, and along the Labrador coast. Born in England, he came to Labrador in 1912, and worked tirelessly for his adopted homeland until his death in 1939. While a number of tunes have been written to accompany the Ode, it is traditionally set to O Tannebaum, and the first and third verses are often sung at public events. Dear land of mountains, woods and snow; Labrador, our Labrador. God's noble gift to us below, Labrador, our Labrador. Thy proud resources waiting still, Their splendid task will soon fulfill, Obedient to the Maker's will, Labrador, our Labrador. Thy stately forests soon shall ring, Labrador, our Labrador, Responsive to the woodsman's swing, Labrador, our Labrador. And mighty floods that long remained, Their raging fury unrestrained, Shall serve the purpose God ordained, Labrador, our Labrador. We love to climb thy mountains steep, Labrador, our Labrador, And paddle on thy waters deep, Labrador, our Labrador. Our snowshoes scar thy trackless plains, We seek no city streets nor lanes, We are thy sons while life remains, Labrador, our Labrador. Respecting a Mineral Emblem for the Province. The mineral known as labradorite is the mineral emblem of the province. With its rugged rock and, bleak fiorded coast, and largely unexplored interior, Labrador is one of the most unspoiled parts of Canada. Its climate may be described as somewhere between inhospitable and invigorating. The climate of Labrador is more Arctic than Atlantic. Because it is on the eastern side of the continent, it experiences strong seasonal contrasts in the characteristics and movement of air masses. The predominant flow is off the land. The rugged Torngat Mountains in the north, with peaks above 1500 m, and the Mealy Mountains in the south, with peaks about 1200 m, confine the moderating influence of the Atlantic Ocean to the rocky islands and near shore. The limitation of the ocean's influence,however, is not a serious disadvantage, because in this region its effect on the climate is generally unpleasant. The Labrador sea is infested with floating pack ice and icebergs for eight months of the year. The masses of ice keep sea temperatures below 4C. An east wind off the Labrador Current is a cool wind in summer, often with light rain or drizzle. In winter, when the Atlantic air is relatively mild, the accompanying weather includes cloud and frequent snowflurries. Whenever easterly winds bring very moist air from the Atlantic, widespread fog occurs. Temperature Winters are very cold, with typical daytime temperatures for January between -10 and -15C, colder than Newfoundland and more like the frigidity of the southern Prairies. An occasional incursion of Atlantic air will warm up the winter. The summer season is brief and cool along the coast because of the cold Labrador Current. July average temperatures are from 8 to 10C along the coast but are 3 to 5C warmer in the interior. The pleasantness of the summer day along the coast is often determined by the wind direction--westerly winds bring clear, mild continental air, whereas easterlies, blowing off the Labrador Current, bring cold,cloudy, and moist weather. Precipitation Precipitation is heaviest in the south and decreases northwards. On the whole it is much lighter than in Newfoundland, although amounts can vary considerably from year to year. Southern Labrador is not unlike the moist northern shores of Newfoundland, with 1000 mm, as a typical yearly fall of precipitation. About 45% of this occurs as snow. Over much of Labrador 800 mm is a more typical amount, with about half of it snow. In summer, rainfall is quite reliable, with seasonal totals seldom less than 175 mm in the north and 275 mm in the south. Snowfall is heavy, with Churchill Falls in the interior having 481 cm, making it one of the snowiest places in Canada. Goose Bay has a mean snowfall of 445 cm. In the south, Cartwright averages 440 cm, and in the north Nain is typical with 424 cm. - The ground is snow-covered for eight months in the far north and for six months in the south.. Aboriginal Peoples The province of Newfoundland and Labrador today is home to four peoples of Aboriginal ancestry: the Inuit, the Innu, the Micmac and the Metis. The Inuit are the descendants of the Thule people who migrated to Labrador from the Canadian arctic 700 to 800 years ago. The primary Inuit settlements are Nain, Hopedale, Postville, Makkovik and Rigolet on the north coast of Labrador, but Inuit people are also found in a number of other Labrador communities. They are represented by the Labrador Inuit Association. Dorset soapstone bear carving. In the Arctic, Dorset artists using ivory, bone and wood, carved bears, fish, birds and human faces, all in a remarkable style not previously seen in the region. In Labrador, the preferred medium was soapstone. Courtesy of the Newfoundland Museum, St. John's, Newfoundland. The Innu, formerly known as the Naskapi-Montagnais, are descended from Algonkian-speaking hunter-gatherers who were one of two Aboriginal peoples inhabiting Labrador at the time of European arrival. The major Innu communities in Labrador are Sheshatshiu on Lake Melville in central Labrador and Utshimassit (Davis Inlet) on Labrador's northern coast. Today the Innu are represented by the Innu Nation. The Labrador Metis are descendants of Europeans and Labrador Native people, primarily the Inuit, Labrador Metis today live in a number of communities on the central and southern Labrador coast. They are represented by the Labrador Metis Association which is currently attempting to win acceptance of its Aboriginal status from the federal and provincial governments. Innu woman carrying tree boughs. Spruce boughs are often used to line the floor of family tents in hunting camps. Courtesy of Nigel Markham. From Peter Armitage, The Innu (The Montagnais-Naskapi) (New York: Chelsea House Publishers, ©1991) 54. The Newfoundland Micmac are found on the island of Newfoundland. They are descended from Algonkian hunter-gatherers whose homeland included what is now Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, part of New Brunswick, and the Gaspé peninsula. The largest Micmac community is Conne River in Bay d'Espoir on the island's south coast. Conne River is a reserve recognized by the federal government and its people are represented by the Miawpukek Band Council. Other people of Micmac descent live in central Newfoundland and on the west coast of the island. They are represented by the Federation of Newfoundland Indians. The Beothuk were the aboriginal inhabitants of the island of Newfoundland. They were Algonkian-speaking hunter-gatherers who once occupied most of the island. As a result of a complex mix of factors, the Beothuk became extinct in 1829 when Shanawdithit, the last known Beothuk, died in St. John's.