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eports. W. T. Grenfell's The Han-est a/the Sea' also gives an account ora fishcnnan's
life.
Apart from published accounts ofthe Labrador fishery, there is a wealth of
unpublished material on deposit in the Memorial University ofNewfoundland Folklore
and Language Archi\'e.' Much ofthe data arc in the fonn ofpersonal experience
narratives ofthe men. women. and children who wcnt to the Labrador. They prO\;de
many insights into the type ofperson \\ho could sur"i\'e the hardships and dangers ofthe
summer fishery. These narrati\'cs arc ofvarying degrees of usefulness, as some student
collectors did not go into sufficient depth \\lth their line ofqucstioning. The manuscripts
examined for this study cover the period 1893-1985, and although few go into delails
about the actuallexts ofthe folklore genres used. all of them describe social context and
give insight into the functions ofthe folklore.
The opening section ofthis chapter presents historical overviews orthe fishery,
and of Colliers and its summer fishing stations "on the Labrador," plus a description of
the rolklife ofColliers. Subsequent sections summarize the methodological approaches.
The folklife of the Labrndor fishery, as expressed in narratives, roodways, and folk
medicine; an examination and analysis ofconnie!. both potential and realized, between
migratory Newfoundland fishennen and Labradorians; and the conclusions ofthe
research will be dealt with in subsequent chapters.
• W. T. Grenfell. The Han'esl o/the Sea: A Tale 0/801h Sides o/Ihe Allantic (New York:
Fleming H. Re\'ell. 1905).
9 Hereinafter referred to as MUNFLA.