Grade FiveGrade Five
Native Groups of Newfoundland and Labrador
We, the grade five students of Pt. Leamington Academy, have done a research paper on the native people of Newfoundland. This paper is about the Beothuk Indians of Newfoundland. Here are some of the information that one student found.
Beothuk Indians
The Beothuk were one of the first native groups to settle in Newfoundland. They did not survive their contact with the Europeans, and today there are no Beothuk left. The Beothuk were migratory people, moving from place to place, as the seasons change. Their main source of food was the caribou. They lived in Central Newfoundland, and fished at the Expolits river. The most famous Beothuk was Shawnandithit, who was the last of her race.
Food and Hunting
Food
Some of the food that the Beothuk ate were: Seals, whales, birds eggs, and the most important source of food , the caribou. The caribou gave them meat to eat, shins to cover their tents, and antlers to make tools. They built special fences to help hunt the caribou. These fences were made from partly sawed trees that were pushed over, in a row. They were about 3 meters in height and 45km in length. These fences were used to lure the caribou into the water, where they were more easily killed. These fences were called caribou fences. Another type of food they made from caribou was called a feast meal. They would ground up the caribou bones in boiling water (the bones were considered nutrious), and stir. Then they would squish it. When this was done they would add spices, and they would eat it.
Hunting
Some of their ways of hunting were: Getting in their canoes, and going on fishing trips. Usually around fifty Beothuk would go on these fishing trips. Tahing their spears, and toggling harpoons, they would go hunting for seal. They would use bows and arrows to hunt for birds. They would tie feathers onto their arrows to make the shot more accurate.
Culture
There are many different kinds of Beothuk Culture. Their Burial Practices, their use of Red Ochre, and their Beliefs.
Burial Practice
Beothuk had many different ways of burial. One way was that they would wrap the body with birch rind and place it on a scaffold about 4 meters high, with its possessions. Another way was to wrap the body in caribou skin, lay it on the ground and cover it with rocks. If the ground was soft , they would bury it first. The Beothuk believed in life after death, so they buried their people with their possessions.
Red Ochre
Red orche was a mixture of powder and oil. They used red ochre to paint their tools and weapons and everything else that they owned, even themselves. This is why their skin was red and they were called "Red Indians." This mixture protected them from the cold in winter and the insects in summer. Beliefs
The Beothuk believed that death was a form of sleeping. They believed that the red orche had life-giving powers. They believed that all things natural had their own spirits, especially animals. They believed that these animal spirits would protect them from harm. Because of these beliefs, they only hunted what they really needed, and took good care of the land. They also believed that a "Great Spirit" controlled people and nature.
Clothing and Personal Items
Clothing The Beothuk wore clothing made from animal skins, mainly caribou. In winter, all of the Beothuk wore leggings, moccasins and mittens made from caribou skins. The men would wear ponchos made out of skins, tied together with sinew (thin strips of caribou skin). Animal fur was sewn around the neck that served as a hood to protect them from harsh weather. The women wore the same clothing as the men in winter, except their hoods were bigger because it was used to carry their babies. In summer the men wore loin cloth. Personal Items
Women had many different types of jewelry. They had ivory pendants, carved bone necklaces and pieces of caribou skin, in different sizes and shapes,hung on a rope and tied around their neck. They had many different pots made out of clay and birch bark. All of this was covered in red ochre. The men had many different tools. They had bows and arrows, harpoons, spears and other tools made out of iron, rock and animal teeth. They also had canoes which were about 7 meters long. All of this were also covered in red ochre.
Transportation
The Beothuk used canoes to cross lakes and rivers and they walked across land whenever they could in the summer. In winter, the Beothuk walked across the frozen lakes and rivers. In places where the snow was deep,they wore snowshoes to keep from sinking in the snow.
Homes
The Beothuk called their homes mamateeks. In winter these mamateeks were cone-shaped frame made of poles, covered with birch bark and a layer of dried moss for insulation , held in place by a second frame of poles. This layer was also covered with birch bark. A raised fireplace was in the center of the mamateek with long, narrow hollows around it, to form sleeping places. The smoke from the fire escaped through a hole in thr roof. These mamateeks had permanent foundations and housed from twelve to thirty people. The summer mamateeks had no foundation walls, were smaller and only temporary because they moved two or three times during the summer.
Conclusion
The Beothuk did not survive their contact with the white people. Some died of starvation because they were kept from their fishing grounds. Others died of diseases that the white man brought, the most common one, Tuberculosis. The majority were killed by the Europeans. At one time there were over one thousand Beothuk in Newfoundland, now there aren't any left. The sad truth is that most of them were killed by the Europeans, by US
This paper was done by Mandy Rowsell. She found her information at these sites.
www.infonet.St.Johns.green.com
Newfoundland & Labrador Encyclopedia by Joseph R. Smallwood and various authors.
Grade 5 Social Studies book: The Atlantic Edge by Frank Gramm
To learn more about the Beothuk, check out these web sites.....
Newfoundland and Labrador Heritage Site
Native religions of Newfoundland and Labrador
Here are some pictures we took, from books and the internet, of the Boethuk way of life:
This is Demasduit, who was captured by John Peyton Sr. in March of
1819. Her husband was Chief Ninosabasut, who was killed while trying to rescue her.She was
named Mary March by her captors. In the fall of 1819, while taking her back to her people
,she died of tuberculosis. The Mary March Museum in Grand-Falls Windsor, Newfoundland was
named after her.
This is Shanawdithit. She was brought to St. John's
in June of 1823, along with her sister and mother who later died. Shanawdithit
remained with the Peytons for five years and accepted by most as a member of the family.
She died on June 6th 1829. The last of the Beothuk .
Summer home of the Beothuk, Winter home of the Beothuk, called summer mamateek. called winter mamateek.
Birch bark canoe. Some of the tools used by the Beothuk.
Bowl made from birch bark. Caribou fence.
Iron tools used by the Beothuk. Tools made from bones.
A child's moccasin.