Vol. 42, No. 3 – “A War of our Own”: Spanish Flu, 1918-19
$7.50
The Spanish influenza pandemic of 1918-19 killed between 20 million and 100 million people worldwide. Nearly one-third of the entire world population was infected over a course of 18 months. In Labrador, the death toll was the among the highest in the world, if not the highest, percentage-wise. Its impact is still felt today. The largest community in Labrador at the turn of the century was Okak, and the Spanish flu was devastating there. All the men were killed, and the overall population went from 263 to 59. Okak was shut down as a Moravian Mission, and the community was disbanded. The Inuktitut language was dealt a severe blow—Okak and Hebron were Inuktitut-speaking communities, and orphaned children were sent to places where English were spoken. In Sandwich Bay, where more than a quarter of the population was killed, an orphanage was opened after St. Anthony’s was filled to capacity. This magazine examines the terrible time in Labrador’s history, 100 years later.
In Memoriam
Further Reading in Them Days
Also featuring accounts from: Bill Brown, Harriet (Learning) Barrett, Frank Davis, Charlotte Gear, Edward Pardy, John Pardy, May Pardy, John Dickers, Vera Butt, Marian Saunders Tharp, Arthur Ford Lethbridge, Miriam Hamel, Matilda Martin, Joseph Palliser, Elizabeth Goudie, Maud Chaulk, Sarah Ponniuk, Noah Ikkiatsiak, Joshua Obed, Emelia Merkuratsuk, Martha Joshua, Gustav Sillett, Herman Daniel, Kitora Boas, Maggie Saunders, Rosie Ford, Gwen Watts, Alex Saunders, Sophie Ford, and Bertha Holeiter.
- Description
- Additional information
Description
These Days at Them Days – Aimee Chaulk
Excerpts from Cartwright HBC Post Journal, 1918
Rev. Henry Gordon’s Diary, 1918-19
A Letter from the Nurse at Indian Harbour – Selma Carlson
Excerpts from the HBC North West River Post Journal, 1918
Zacharias Zad, Silent Movie Actor, Perishes in Spanish Flu Epidemic – Kenn Harper
The Influenza Epidemic
Government Response – Anne Budgell
The Last Report from Okak 1918/1919 by Siegmund Waldmann – Hans J. Rollmann
Front cover: “The titles ‘Mr’ and Mrs’ are seldom used in Labrador: ‘Uncle’ or ‘Aunt’ are the normal forms of address. This is a dear old soul known as ‘Aunt Liz.’ She figures prominently in her heroic fight for survival at North River during the onset of the Spanish Flu.” Rev. Henry Gordon collection.
Back cover: Kitora Boas, Georg (Jiri) Jaeger, Eleanor Nivitsiak after the
Spanish flu. Okak, 1918. Julius and Rosie Ford collection.
Additional information
| Weight | .12 kg |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 23 × 15 × .5 cm |
| Magazine Type | Physical, Digital |
