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About Newfoundland and Labrador
The Beothuck, Natives of Newfoundland
The first people to inhabit Newfoundland and Labrador, the Maritime Archaic Indians, were in Newfoundland about five thousand years ago but for some reason disappeared about 1,800 years later. These people may have been driven out of Newfoundland by ancestors of the Dorset Eskimo who, between 1AD and 850AD, were next to inhabit our area. They were followed later by a people called Recent Indians, the ancestors of the Beothuck (also spelled Beothuk) Indians who were the native inhabitants of Newfoundland when Europeans arrived
In the year 1000 A.D. when the Norsemen visited Newfoundland they came into contact with native people who were probably Eskimos based on the descriptions that the Norsemen provided. Since historians tell us that Eskimo and Indian peoples were bitter enemies it is concluded that the Beothuck Indians were not resident in Newfoundland at that time. They must have come to Newfoundland from the mainland sometime later but before 1497 as John Cabot claims to have seen them when he discovered the island in that year.
The origin of the Beothuck has not been firmly established. They displayed some of the characteristics of mainland Indians in construction of their homes and birch bark canoes. However, their language did not resemble that of any of the mainland Indian peoples. The Beothuck were never large in numbers: archaeological data indicates a population somewhere between 500 and 1600. They covered their bodies with red ochre so they became known as Red Indians or Red Men. They were said to be of average build and wore clothing made of animal skins, especially caribou and beaver
These Red Indians led a nomadic life, migrating to the coast in the spring to hunt seals and catch salmon. Their birch bark canoes proved to be very sea worthy; allowing them to visit islands as far as 60 kms from the coast to harvest eggs and hunt sea birds. In the fall the Beothucks returned to more sheltered sites in the interior of Newfoundland to hunt caribou and spend the winter. The caribou was a major contributor to the survival of the tribe, providing both food and clothing. To capture the caribou the Beothucks erected a V shaped fence of felled trees that directed the migrating animals into their volleys of spears and arrows.
Some European visitors to Newfoundland attempted to befriend the natives and trade with them. In 1612 John Guy, the founder of the first colony in Newfoundland, met with Beotucks in Trinity Bay. He had hoped to trade with the red Indians for their valuable furs. However, many white men afraid of them and retaliated brutally when the Red Men stole minor items from them. Friction between the two developed into outright animosity.
The native bows and arrows were no match for the guns of the white man and the Micmac Indians who came to the island from the mainland of Atlantic Canada. The Beothuck became limited in their coastal hunting and gathering by the white men who moved into the coves along the coast while the Micmac encroached on their inland winter domain. To make matters worse the Beothucks were vulnerable to white man diseases, especially tuberculosis. The resulting famine, disease, and persecution decimated the Beothuck population. A female Beothuck called Shanawdithit was captured in 1823 and taken to St. John’s where she was treated kindly and encouraged to provide information about her people. From her it was determined that there were only thirteen Beothuck left when she was captured. Unfortunately she became ill with tuberculosis which, despite medical treatment, caused her death in 1829. She was probably the last of her race.
Much has been written about the Beothuck some of which is available on this website. All Gone Widdun and River Thieves, while works of fiction, provide a great deal of insight into the Beothuck and their habitat. From an historical point of view A History of Newfoundland, Two Outports, and The Beothuk Way would provide great reading and references.
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