Table of Contents

Part 1 History: the sixteen century - first contact; the seventeenth century - colonization, trade, and encroachment; relations between the Beothuk and their native neighbours; competition for resources on the coast; hostilities over hunting and trapping; Lieutenant John Cartwright explores Beothuk country; intensified conflict between Beothuk and settlers; plans to conciliate the Beothuk; the capture of Beothuk to make peace; Lieutenant Buchan's efforts to make contact; Micmac and Montagnais versus Beothuk - the final phase; the captive Demasduit; 1822-1827 - The Boeothick Institution; Shanawdithit. Part 2 Ethnography: position of Beothuk in Newfoundland prehistory; distribution and size of the Beothuk population; aspects os social organization; food consumption and subsistence economies; tools and utensils, hunting and fishing techniques; appearance and clothing; Mamateeks and other structures; Birchbarch canoes and other means of transportation; Beothuk world view and belief-related practices; burial places and mortuary practices; fighting methods and peace tokens; the Beothuk language; concluding discussion.

Promotional Information

Winner of the Choice Outstanding Book Award

Reviews

"The essential and standard reference on the Beothuk." Tony Hall, Globe and Mail "A fascinating book ... It is an excellent example of the craft of the historian in bringing together information from diverse sources to construct a highly readable and plausible story." David Newhouse, Quill & Quire "A masterful and definitive epic written with both engaging empathy and rigorous scholarship." R.A. Bucko, Choice