Beothuk

Beothuk ("the people" or "true people") were the now-extinct inhabitants of Newfoundland. Word lists transcribed in the 18th or early 19th centuries indicate an Algonquian linguistic affiliation. At the time of European contact, the Beothuk occupied at least the south and northeast coasts of Newfoundland. They may have numbered no more than 500 to 1000; their population is difficult to estimate owing to a contraction in their territories in the early contact period and the absence of surviving documentation.

Keywords

Native Tribes

Archaeological evidence suggests that the Beothuk inhabited Newfoundland long before European colonization and that they may be descended from earlier people who occupied the Island for several thousand years. In prehistoric times, they seem to have been primarily a coastal people organized in small bands throughout the various bays to fish and hunt seals, other sea mammals and birds. They also may have visited interior locations to take caribou at river crossings, but the pattern of a winter-long interior occupation does not seem to have occurred until postcontact times.

In both the prehistoric and historic periods, the Beothuk dwelt in bark- or skin-covered tents in summer and in semisubterranean houses during the cold months. Bows and arrows, harpoons and spears were used in hunting, which often took place from seaworthy bark canoes with a high prow and stern and a sheer which rose markedly amidships. However, the most distinctive of Beothuk artifacts are carved bone, antler and ivory pendants intricately decorated with incised patterns. Many of these items were recovered from grave sites in caves or rock shelters in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Another notable feature of Beothuk culture was the people's lavish use of powdered hematite, or red ochre, with which they painted their canoes, other artifacts and even their bodies. Since these people were the first North American aborigines encountered by Europeans, it is possible that their custom of using red ochre was responsible for the sobriquet "Red Indians," which was later applied to all native peoples on this continent.

As a result of European encroachment, slaughter and diseases to which they had no natural resistance, the Beothuk's numbers diminished rapidly following contact. The last known surviving Beothuk, SHAWNADITHIT, died of tuberculosis in St John's in June 1829.

Beothuk Artifacts
The iron caribou spear (right) is of European manufacture. The others were fashioned by Beothuks (courtesy Newfoundland Museum).

Beothuk Winter and Summer Wigwam
The Mamateek (Beothuk winter wigwam and summer wigwam) and Smokehouse, drawn by Shawnadithit, 1820s. First published in James P. Howley, The Beothuks or Red Indians: The Aboriginal Inhabitants of Newfoundland, 1915.

Demasduwit (Mary March)
While trying to flee her captors, Demasduwit's husband and newborn baby were killed, and she eventually died of tuberculosis in 1820. She was one of the last surviving members of the now-extinct Beothuk tribe of Newfoundland (courtesy National Archives of Canada/C-87698).

Author JAMES A. TUCK

Links to Other Sites

Encyclopedia of Canada's Peoples
The website for the "Encyclopedia of Canada's Peoples." Click on the links for feature articles about Canada's many multicultural communities, access to their extensive digital archives collection, learning modules, and much more. From "Multicultural Canada."

Languages of Canada
A comprehensive online database of languages currently in use in Canada. Also provides details about extinct languages. Check out the "language maps" for more information. Based on "Ethnologue: Languages of the World, Fifteenth edition." From SIL International, a US website.

Boyd's Cove Beothuk Interpretation Centre
This Boyd's Cove Beothuk Interpretation Centre website examines the history of the Beothuk people. Produced by the Memorial University of Newfoundland.

Baccalieu: Crossroads For Cultures
This site is devoted to the colourful history of the Baccalieu Trail region of Newfoundland and Labrador. Focuses on the Beothuk people, early European settlements, and the pirates who plundered local communities. Check out the glossary, online timeline, historic documents, maps, learning activities and much more.

Who Will Remember Us?
This Parks Canada brochure highlights women whose accomplishments have been recognized by commemorative plaques in Atlantic Canada. It also illustrates some of the places and events associated with women.

Botwood
The official website for the Town of Botwood, a historic community in Exploits Valley. This site offers a guide to the many local tourist attractions and a review of major events in its long history, including the fate of the local Beothuk community, the early European settlements, the flying boat era, the wartime role of the Botwood airbase, and much more.

Canada’s First Nations
This extensive multimedia website profiles the history, culture, and language of Canada's First Nations peoples. Also examines the impact of European contact on First Nations communities. A joint project of the University of Calgary and Red Deer College.