Five o’clock in the morning—June 27th, 1497.

That was the time recorded when the Venetian John Cabot and his son Sebastien first discovered the island.
With the sunrise came the vision of a small verdant land, picturesque but roughly hewn. It was a land rich in timber, its waters teeming with fish.
They called this Nordic-like land Terra Primum Visa - Newfoundland.
The Cabot expedition however, had discovered more than just a vacant land mass. It had found the home of the mysterious and elusive Red Indians—the Beothuks, aboriginal inhabitants of Newfoundland.
The deep sense of mystery surrounding these people, their origin, culture and beliefs, was destined for the most part to follow them to their graves in what may truly be regarded as one of the more tragic tales to unfold in North American history. The extinction of an entire race of human beings. Tragic all the more so that such an incident could come to pass, not in the days of barbarism, but rather in very recent history and in a Christian based society of the Western world.

How and why so little real effort was made to prevent this tragedy from occurring is difficult to grasp. That a government could never let its concern for the plight of these people go beyond an investigative committee or the issuing of infrequent Royal Proclamations forbidding the practice of cruelties to this race, was, in the final analysis, the greatest injustice to be dealt to that unfortunate tribe.
Over a period of four centuries, the English government’s sentiments of compassion were occasionally manifested on paper, but never went beyond black ink.

To be sure, there were those certain individuals, honorable, and with the highest regard for humanity, who cried out against the terrible injustices which were heaped upon the Red people of Newfoundland. Their loud cry for an end to the pitiful circumstances warned also of the inevitable end result should compassion and justice not prevail. These people were true heroes of the Beothuk cause – but too few and too late.

The last known Beothuk died in captivity in St. John’s Newfoundland on June 6th, 1829.Pathetically little was learned about this strange and unique people from the time of Cabot’s discovery to the present day. And yet, because of their wretched existence dealt by the hand of the settlers and explorers; because of the great debt that is owing them, we must view what little knowledge we have of them as precious, and seek to build on that knowledge. We must not continue to bury them in the past to avoid feelings of guilt and embarrassment.

The island was their home. Long before the coming of the ships – the island was their home. It heard their songs, their stories and their prayers. It drank of their tears – and their blood. It now holds within its breast their remains, and perhaps many secrets that in time will help us to unravel their mystery, to know them and to understand them better.
The island was their home – but their story is ours to tell , and tell again.

Information gleaned from 16th century historical documentation e.g. letters of Venetian Ambassador Pietro Pasqualigo & Kerr’s Travels, Vol. VI, shows that in the 1500’s the cruel disrespect shown by many settlers and explorers toward the native Newfoundland Indians was apparent even from their earliest meetings. These conditions were destined to continue and worsen for the Beothuks with the passage of time.
There are accounts of natives being taken by force aboard ships, then across the wide ocean to England, France and Spain, to be exhibited to Royalty and put on display for the commoners. Gaspar de Cortereal, the Spanish explorer, is said to have taken about sixty of them back to Lisbon, much to his majesty’s pleasure, as their strong well built bodies fitted them well for slavery. John Cabot is reported to have taken three of them back to Westminster Palace. Little wonder the Beothuk seemed reluctant to seek out contact with the white settlers. As early as the 16th century the southern part of the island seemed destitute of any inhabitants. The Europeans went there often which surely intimidated the Red Tribe, causing them to disappear into the interior. Further north however, where there were no Christian settlers and no visits by the Europeans, Beothuks could be found who still approached without fear, were of a gentle disposition and altogether harmless.

During an expedition in 1612, Governor John Guy succeeded in establishing friendly relations with the Beothuks, an event that may be regarded as a crucial meeting between the settlers and the natives. The meeting was described in John Guy’s Narrative of 1612.
On November 6th, down around Allhalloes two canoes appeared to their port side carrying eight of the Red men. One of them went on the shore making his way toward the Guy party with a wolf skin in his hand. He was shaking it and making a loud noise which Guy took to be the Red man’s way of asking for a meeting. Master Richard Whittington was landed, and with a flag of truce in his hand he proceeded towards the Beothuk. The Red man continued up the shore towards Whittington, making a loud speech and shaking his flag. As they drew nearer to each other the Red Indian threw his flag down upon the ground, as did likewise Master Whittington. Whereupon the Red man and one companion went dancing, leaping and singing to Whittington in a most joyful way, and they embraced and then traded gifts with each other. One Indian presented him with a headless arrow. Signs were made to invite more of the British to come ashore. John Guy himself, along with others, rowed in to join them, and then the remaining Indians went in as well. The last native to come to shore acted quite civilly and seemed to have some command over the rest. He also presented Guy’s men with a headless arrow. They danced, sang and feasted together until almost nightfall, when they most peacefully parted, but not without an agreement to meet again at an appointed time the following season for more trade and festivities.

A letter from Administrator R.A. Tucker to the Newfoundland Government, dated June 29th, 1825.

You are doubtless aware that three of the aborigines of this island were brought to St. John’s about two years ago, and two of them died very shortly after their return to the Bay of Exploits. The third, a woman of about 18 or 19 years of age is still alive, and from the person under whose charge she has since continued I understand that she has a sufficient knowledge of the English language to communicate that information respecting her tribe which we so long have been desirous to obtain. She states that the whole number of her tribe did not exceed 15 persons in the winter of 1823, and they were obliged, by the want of food, to separate into three or four parties. Of these 15, two were shot by some of our settlers, one was drowned and three fell into our hands, so that only nine at the utmost remain to be accounted for, and Mr. Peyton tells me that from the circumstance of his not being able to discover the most distant trace of any of them for the last two winters, he is convinced that they must all have perished .
If such be the fact, this woman is the sole survivor of her race, and of course whatever curiosity there may be felt regarding it can be gratified by her alone.

A good description of that last known Beothuk, the captive Shanaditti, or Nancy April, comes to us through information provided by a man named John Gill, whose mother was a servant of John Peyton and worked beside Nancy April.

Nancy was very pert at times, and openly defied Mrs. Peyton when the old woman was cross with the servants. Nance would laugh in her face and say, “ Well done Missus, I like to hear you jaw, that right” or “ jawing again Missus ?”
They had named her Nancy April for the month in which she was captured. They did not then know her Indian name. Her elder sister was named Easter Eve, that being the day of her capture, whilst the old woman was named Betty Decker, because the party who captured her were engaged in decking out a vessel at the time.
In personal appearance Nance was very similar to the Micmacs, being about the same color and broad featured. Her hair was jet black and her figure tall and stout. She was a good worker and performed the usual household duties such as washing, scrubbing and the like, with satisfaction.
At times she fell into a melancholy mood and would go off into the woods, as she would say, to have a talk with her mother and sister. She generally came back singing and laughing, or talking aloud to herself. She would also frequently indulge in the same practice at night, and when asked what was the matter, she would reply, “ Nancy talking to her mother and sister.” When told not to be foolish, that they were dead and she could not talk to them, she would say, “ Ahh yes, they here…me see them and talk to them.”
She was very gentle and not at all of a vicious disposition, and was adept at drawing or copying anything. Once, Captain David Buchan took her on board his man-of-war, gave her drawing paper and materials, then showed her a portrait of his mother which she commenced to copy very accurately. She made very neat combs out of deer horns and carved them all over elaborately. She could take a piece of birch bark, fold it, and with her teeth bite out various designs representing leaves and flowers and such. Her teeth were very white and even.
She was strictly modest and would allow no freedom on the part of the opposite sex. Once, when an individual attempted some familiarity he was so rudely repulsed that he never afterward dared to repeat the offense. She would not tolerate him near her. He was a ‘ Mudty man’, meaning bad man. She seemed well aware of the difference between right and wrong, and if a person cursed or swore he was doing wrong. ‘Mudty man’ she would say.
When she fell into one of her melancholy moods and ran off into the woods, she would turn around and say, “ all gone widdun. ( meaning asleep ) Nancy go widdun too, no more come Nance, run away, no more come. ”

OBITUARY

DIED – at St. John’s Newfoundland on the 6th of June last, in the 29th year of her age, Shanaditti, supposed to be the last of the Red Indians or Beothuks. This interesting female lived six years a captive amongst the English, and when taken notice of, latterly exhibited extraordinary mental talents. She was niece to Mary March’s husband, who was accidentally killed in 1819 at Red Indian Lake in the interior, while endeavoring to rescue his wife from the party of English who took her, the view being to open a friendly intercourse with the tribe.

William E. Cormack perhaps represented the last fading hope of the Beothuk people. It was he who formed the Society called the Beothuk Institution, for the purpose of opening a communication with, and promoting the civilization of the Red Indians of Newfoundland.
In 1822, Cormack, through his intense desire to communicate with the Red Tribe and to alleviate their hapless condition, undertook a dangerous journey on foot across the interior of the island, accompanied by only one Micmac Indian. He failed to find a trace of them. In 1828, he once again, with a party of three Indians, set off into the interior in quest of the Beothuk remnant. The absence of any recent evidence of their existence was more disheartening than ever. The fight had been waged, the battle had been lost.
Through his endeavors much precious information has come to us regarding the Red Indians weapons, wigwams, canoes, language, dress, burial practices, remedies for disease, etc., but unfortunately the tribe itself seemed to have completely vanished.

The Hero (click to listen)

Cormack wrote in 1829:
“ We have traces enough left only to cause our sorrow that so peculiar a people should have disappeared from the earth like a shadow. The only considerable search has at length, but alas too late, been made to prove that they are irrevocably lost to the world.”

Star Over Trinity (click to listen)