The Awakening Coast: An Anthology of Moravian Writings from Mosquitia and Eastern Nicaragua, 1849-1899

18. Pictures Tell the Story, 1891

18 Pictures Tell the Story, 1891 Wilhelm Sieboerger, “Letter to Rice, Quamwatla, April 22, 1891,” The Moravian 36, no. 25 (1891): 392–93. After almost a decade stationed at Wounta Haulover, Mr. and Mrs. Siebörger traveled home to Germany. On their return to Mosquitia they passed through New York City in May 1890 and started a friendship with the Reverend W. H. Rice of the German Moravian Church there.1 In his first letter of correspondence—mentioned here as the letter published by the weekly Moravian—Siebörger thanks Rev. Rice for sending a box of many fine pictures. Rice footnotes this to explain that “the Sunday-school of the German Moravian church voted to subscribe for the Bible Lesson Pictures, published at Providence, R.I., in Illustration of the International Series of Lessons from St. Luke’s Gospel, for 1890, for the Quamwatla Sunday school.”2 Siebörger notes that the pictures work wonders to inspire the imagination of the Indians. After arriving at their new station of Quamwatla, the Siebörgers expressed their gratitude for the pictures: “These pictures drew the people to our Mission House here at Quamwatla from a week before Christmas until this week [in April], so much, that the house was never empty. Most of the visitors, about sixty, have left.”3 Based on the rest of the letter, we can assume that by “visitors” Siebörger means the Twahka Sumu.4 In the present letter, Siebörger explains how Bible illustrations help the Indians process not only the teachings of Christianity but biblical symbolism such as a crown of thorns. While this story seeks favors from its readers, the importance of illustrations to the Moravian work should not be underestimated. The Siebörgers lived at Quamwatla from 1890 to 1892, and this letter corresponds with the very moment when the 230 | Pictures Tell the Story Twahka homeland was literally being invaded by gold prospectors from both the west and the east (see no. 17). Because the Moravians were the new power brokers on the Mosquito Coast, the Indians increasingly sought them out for protection. While illustrations likely facilitated conversion among the Miskito, who gazed at them with equal enthusiasm , they apparently had an even great effect on the interior Mayangna, who were less worldly and had much less exposure to foreigners, their books, and their pictures. All the evidence indicates that biblical illustrations played a critical role in helping the Mayangna and Miskito embrace Christianity. Dear Brother Rice: Your very kind letter of February 26 came duly to hand end of last month, together with the moravian in which somewhat to my consternation, I found my letter in print. Certainly it had not been written with a view to publication, but if somebody has found anything in it which may awaken or strengthen interest in Mission-work, it is not for me to grumble. And furthermore, if by the [editorial] remarks of the good moravian, someone may be induced to send to some one of our missionary Brethren on this coast, or even to myself, some of those pictures for which they have no more use, certainly every one of our Brethren, so favored, would be only too thankful. Most certainly, dear Brother, the pictures would be of very great help to them. By far the most of our Indians cannot read or write, as yet, and thus are thrown entirely upon their memory which, fortunately, is very good indeed. But it is with them just as it is with children; by the help of these illustrations they not only retain better the lesson taught, but the truth assumes certain shape in their mind, takes itself, so to say, flesh and bones, and sticks therefore the closer. I had an instance of this only the other day, when an Indian was looking, with me at the illustration of the Parable of the Talents (Lesson from Luke 19) [see fig. i.8]. As it is not an illustration of our Lord’s Pictures Tell the Story | 231 life, I thought it would not interest him very much, and he would be satisfied with the few remarks I made. But I was quite struck with how he listened and took in the lesson that our life and health and other gifts and blessings, are talents for the use of which we must one day give an account. Then he brought others to...