Beothuk Peoples of Newfoundland

Brittny, Kayla and Zara

Introduction

The Beothuk people lived in Newfoundland around the time when

the Europeans first came to Canada, between the 15th and 16th

centuries. At the time when the European people came, it was

estimated that there were between 1,000

to 2,000 Beothuks at the time. Over the

years the Beothuk’s number became less

and less from the lack resources, and

diseases that the Europeans brought to

their land, which they had no cure for.

The last recorded Beothuk was a women named Shanawdithit,

she died in the year 1829, ending the line of Beothuk people.

Kayla, Brittny, and Zara

Habitat

Beothuk peoples were the inhabitants of Newfoundland

They lived in independent, self-sufficient groups, made up of extended family, usually 30 – 55 members

Beothuk people mainly Lived in Notre Dame and Bonavista Bay areas.

Until the Europeans came, they had summer costal villages

There were a lot of marine animals in the Arctic ocean that the Beothuk’s would rely on for food

Not a lot of mammals for them to eat.

Close to were the Beothuk people had settlements:

By: Kayla

Habitat (continued)

Had a wide range of natural Resources

Newfoundland's harsh climate and poor soil made it hard to grow fruits and vegetables

Had a lot of edible roots, plants and fruits

Very cold through out the year

Lots of forest They sometimes lived

near the Exploits riverWhat there living conditions looked like.

Homes

homes :

They lived near coastal areas in small buildings called mamateeks , which looked like a wigwam . They were single-family dwellings and had hollowed out sleeping areas which was very special to the Beothuk . The Maritime Archaic might be who the Beothuk descended from . They spoke thieir own language which no one understood .

By: Zara

What a Beothuk’s home would look like:

Subsistence

The Beothuk people used the natural resources the land had to offer, such as-fish-edible plants-animals-animal furs, etc.

They would keep track of the animals migration patterns, so they would know what time of the year to hunt them

• They would use every part of the animals they hunted (they wouldn’t waste)

• They learned how to preserve foods, for when food was scarce

• Made a government to keep order, and keep peace

Dailey lives of Beothuk people:

By: Kayla

Clothing and Looks

Long straight hair Lighter skin color then other native

people some had a strand of hair with at

the back of their head decorated with feathers

-generally beardless clothing made from animal skins men and women wore a coat or

cloak made from several caribou skins

thrown over the shoulders, wrapped around the body and held in place by a belt

•some garments had a collar made from marten, otter or beaver skins

•women's coats had a hood to carry her baby in

•Some men wore special head covers

What a Beothuk women would look like:

By: Brittny

Tools and Weapons

They used stone to create sharp tools

Tools used mainly for fishing

Nails used to make things like arrowheads, lance points, and hide scrapers

Lost fish hooks, broken pieces of knives, saws, and files were turned into awls and other objects

•in early 1600's they had wooden shields to protect them from enemy missiles.

•for hunting seals they used a a special sealing harpoon, called a duth.

•it was like a bow and arrow but it had a string line attached to it, and had a 3.7m shaft.

Some tools and weapons they used:

By: Brittny

Social Organization and Kinship

The Beothuk people were organized in different bands

Bands had 35 – 55 people and usually 7 – 10 families

The leader of a band would usually be a highly skilled hunter, who was known for their wisdom

Leader could be either a man or a woman

Painting of what a typical Beothuk man would look like:

By: Kayla

Leadership and Government

When Europeans arrived, the Beothuk religion quickly ended, therefore there isn’t much information on the Beothuk’s culture

In 1810 the governor of Newfoundland wanted to make an attempt to have friendly contact with the Beothuk people

•Captain David Buchan was sent to make friendly relations with the Beothuk people

•The friendly terms ended quickly when the Beothuk people killed two English men and took off

By: Brittny

Leadership and Government (continued)

The Beothuk people had to earn their respect from their people, rather then inherit it

The leaders of their bands were highly skilled hunters who were known for their wisdom

The Leader could be either a man or a women

Men and women had equal rights

What the leaders could look like:

Religious or Spiritual Customs

religious & spiritual customs :

The Beothuk believed many spirits of their ancestors and nature. They also prayed to the spirits, so they spread red ochre over their skin. They worshipped the sun and the moon. It was believed that animals and plants were alive as well and had a spirit and should be treated with respect. They honoured animal spirits.

By: Zara

Cultural Artifacts

cultural artifacts :

They were hunter-gathers . They lived off lots of different kinds of foods , so they used lots of weapons to kill animals . They used toggling harpoons , bow & arrow , and spears . Red ochre was very important to them . The colour red was for tribal identity .

By: Zara

Beothuk necklace:

Beothuk bone carvings:

THE END!!! (=

Thank you for watching our presentation!

Resources

http://answers.yourdictionary.com/answers/history/where-did-beothuk-reside.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beothuk_people

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6c/Shanawdithit_portrait.jpg

http://www.heritage.nf.ca/aboriginal/beo_hunting.html

http://www.heritage.nf.ca/aboriginal/beothuk.html

http://www.heritage.nf.ca/aboriginal/beo_clothing.html

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.heritage.nf.ca%2Faboriginal%2Fbeo_culture.html&h

506911Ybhej4Lvs9HLsUgJo4Dcw

http://www.heritage.nf.ca/aboriginal/beo_hunting.html

http://www.crossroadsforcultures.ca/beothuks/index.php?narId=44&language=en

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http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/story/2009/08/14/beothuk-dna-814.html

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bigorrin.org%2F&h=8e5f0

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: http://www.mun.ca/rels/native/beothuk/beo_religion.html

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fpartner.galileo.org%2Fschools%2Fcody%2Fhum10%2Fri

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