Winter Fair Lecture: To Distant Nations: History and Culture from Moravian Missionary Artifact Collections

Come and see actual objects and listen to a national expert.

In the 19th and 20th centuries, Moravian missionaries traveled the world to spread the gospel. The success of each individual mission varied, but their cumulative impact is undeniable. One impact that is often overlooked is how missionary efforts abroad expanded the cultural horizons of the home populations back in Salem, North Carolina. Missionaries collected and sent back hundreds of cultural objects to show their supporters evidence of the diverse communities they worked with. Many of these objects were later donated to the Wachovia Historical Society, which were then transferred to the Museum of Anthropology at Wake Forest University for permanent study and conservation. Using objects collected by missionaries in the Arctic, Caribbean, and Latin America, Dr. Andrew Gurstelle will share stories of cultural meetings, exchanges, and transformations.