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The Beothuk ~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Europeans who came to this region were mostly interested in fishing. In the early years of the fishing industry, there were few Europeans, and they usually left for the winter. They had little opportunity to trade with the Beothuk. But the Beothuk were interested in obtaining European meatals, so they visited deserted fishing stations to pick up items, such as fish hooks and nails, left behind the fishers. The two societies stayed seprate.
Beothuk Culture ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Beothuk material culture consists of the physical things left behind by these people including their tools, weapons and features--the non-movable artifacts of a culture, such as the remains of houses, pits, fireplaces, and the like.
Hunting Tools and Techniques; Food Preparation and Storage ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Beothuk traditionally used bow and arrows for hunting mammals and birds and in skirmishes with their foes. In the early 1600s they had wooden shields to protect them from enemy missiles. Bows were about 1.5 m long and were made from pieces of mountain ash, spruce or pine. They were strung with plaited or twisted deerskin. Arrows about 90 cm long were fletched with two strips of feathers and fitted with stone and later with iron points. They were carried in birchbark quivers. The Beothuk were very skilled in the use of these weapons. It was said that they would arrange five or six arrows between the fingers and then shoot them off, one after the other, with great rapidity and unerring aim.
Personal Appearance and Items of Clothing ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Several 16th-century records claim that the Beothuk were “tall” or ”of large stature,” but this seems not to have been the case. Reliable eyewitnesses said they were of “an ordinary middle size,” “broad-breasted” and with a “bold and upright posture.” Unusually tall persons would have been the exception. Several eyewitnesses claimed that the Beothuk were of a lighter colour than other native people; others said they looked very much like the Mi'kmaq.The Beothuk were said to have worn their hair “somewhat long” and straight; some of them had a strand of hair at the back of the head plaited and decorated with feathers; others seem to have worn it hanging down or had all of the hair plaited. The Beothuk were generally beardless, although Demasduit's husband, Chief Nonosabasut, was said to have had a bushy beard.
Beothuk tools
Beothuk clothing
Beothuk gameing peices
