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The march resulted in the death ofa Harbour Main man, the closure ofthe church
in Cat's Cove (Conception Harbour) for one year. and strained relationships between
people and communities at the head ofthe bay lasting up untilthc prescnt time.
Thrortlical Approaches
The annuallrip from e\\foundland to the Labrador embodies many elements
that contemporary geographers would regard as I)'pieal ofmigration, a process thcy
define broadly as a permanent or semi-permanent change ofresidence that can be
voluntary or involunlar)', over a soon distance or a long distance." Migration theory was
summarized by Ravcnstcin in 1885 and reaffirmed in 1889. Few additional
generalizations have been advanced since. Ravenstcin found that gcncrally people
proceed only a shon distance when migrating. and that the move is done in stages. in
streams (and consequently countcrstreams). mostly by rural people in response to
technological or economic demands. Ravcnslcin also noted the significa", role playcd by
womcn in shon distance moves. JI
Essentially, economy and tcchnology arc the dominant factors in migration, which
thcn follows certain pallcrns for the distancc and lbc type of people moving. From the
economic perspective, theorists hold that a basic rcquircmellt for any industry, be it
agriculture, mining, fishing, or factory is to havc a rescrvc anny of skilled workers. This
anny has to be recruited, transponed, worked, paid, and retumed or disperscd when the
)7 Everett S. Lee. ··A Theory ofMigration:' Popllialion Geography: A Reader (Ncw
York: McGraw-Hili, 1970),p .29.
JI For an ovcrview. see Lee. pp. 288·89.
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