Sean Walker
September 27th, 2016
Dr. Tracy Pennylight
HIST 1120
Reading Log #3
“The Beothuk on the Eve of their Extinction” and “The Collapse of the Beothuk World”
A lot of previous and in fact most writings about the Beothuk people of Newfoundland have stated that they had no agency in the fall of their people, that it the fault of the Europeans that encroached on their land, took their game and fisheries. While that is not true, it does hold some truth to it. The Europeans did take their land, game, and fisheries but the Beothuk also had a sizeable roll in their extinction.
Holly has stated that the main reason that the Beothuk and European colonists found it impossible to co-exist is that their economic goals were impossibly incompatible. The Beothuk wanted to continue living like they always had, mainly exploiting the local marine hunting grounds, and fisheries along with minor hunting of caribou. On the other side of the coin are the Europeans who wanted to exploit the fisheries for monetary gain back in their home countries, and also for personal sustenance as well. There is a myriad of other things that Holly points out both sides do, the least of which is the Beothuk killing several fisherman and destroying fisheries and the Europeans forcing the Beothuk to move into the island’s sparse interior.
Pastore has stated in his writings that there is a few main reason that the Beothuk and European settlers had all of the problems that they did have. One of the largest problems that he pointed out is the absence of a mission, whether it would have been a Jesuit mission or otherwise doesn’t matter. The presence of Jesuit Missionaries has played a large role in the development of Native and European relations. whether that Influence would of manifested in the form of charity, medical aid, schooling for Native children, or just trying to convert a couple of natives to Christianity doesn’t matter, what matters is that it didn’t happen. Another factor that Pastore contributes to the cause of bad relations between the Beothuk people and the settlers is that there were no governors or other types of government officials appointed by the parent government. What this means is that there was no one appointed to the position that usually handles the buying of the Native lands.
What this all means is that there are just that much more for the future generations of Archeology and historians to discover about the as of yet, quite little known Aboriginal nation of the Beothuk.[i]
[i] Bibliography
Holly, Donald H. “The Beothuk on the Eve of Their Extinction.” Arctic Anthropology, 2000., 79, JSTOR Journals, EBSCOhost (accessed September 27, 2016).
Pastore, R. (1989). Collapse of the Beothuk World. Acadiensis, 52-71.