The province is contributing $115,000 to the Town of Botwood and the Botwood Mural Arts Society for a commemorative project to honour Demasduit, one of the last known Beothuck.

Demasduit died on board the Grasshopper in Botwood on January 8, 1820 while on her way back to her people in central Newfoundland following a period of time she spent living in Twillingate and St. John’s.

She was removed from Beothuck Lake after her husband Nonosabasut was killed in a confrontation with a party of English settlers. Demasduit was separated from her newborn baby who died a short time later.

The province says a slightly larger-than-life bronze statue of Demasduit, Nonosabasut, and their newborn child will be installed in the area of Blueberry Hill in Botwood, overlooking the waterways on which the Beothuk travelled from their winter homes to their summer fishing grounds.

The statue will be surrounded by a healing garden for people to reflect on the journey toward Truth and Reconciliation.

The province’s funding is in addition to $356,000 the town received through Canadian Heritage’s Legacy Fund. Other funding partners include the Town of Botwood, the Miawpukek First Nation, the Botwood Heritage Society, Botwood Mural Arts Society and the United Church of Canada.