Indigenous leaders will be on hand this afternoon as a new bronze statue and artwork commemorating the culture and history of the Beothuk people is unveiled at Confederation Building.
The Beothuk were native to the island of Newfoundland. According to research, the Beothuk were nomadic, following caribou and traveling to the coast on a seasonal basis to fish salmon and harvest seal.
They made extensive use of red ochre – used as a paint to cover their skin and clothing, and other personal and spiritual items.
They avoided contact with European settlers, and when migratory fishermen started settling the coast of Newfoundland, the Beothuck retreated into the interior, leaving them more vulnerable to food shortages and starvation. Add to that conflict, and the devastation wrought by illnesses introduced to the island by Europeans, and their already-limited numbers diminished even further.
The Beothuck were declared extinct as a people with the passing of Shanawdithit in 1829, although some family histories indicate a few individuals survived and intermarried into local populations.
Today’s event will take place at Confederation Building at 3:00. VOCM News will be there.