The Island of Newfoundland lies off the east coast of Canada, and is part of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. When Europeans first visited the island in the late 1400's they found it inhabited by a tribe of natives, that became known as the Beothucks , today not one of them remains. The story of this lost tribe, almost from the time it came in contact with the white man, is one of unrelieved sadness; it has been described as “a dark page in the history of colonization in North America“. The first attempt to make friends with the natives was made by John Guy, founder of the first colony in Newfoundland in 1612. At this time an excellent beginning was made, and the two groups exchanged gifts and parted as friends, with Guy signaling that he would return the following year. Guy congratulated himself on the success of his expedition, but unfortunately this tranquil beginning was not to last.
The following year the Beothucks expecting Guy to return, were on the lookout when another ship appeared. They flocked to the shore in great numbers, prepared to give their friends a grand reception. The captain of this ship knew nothing of Guy's meeting with the natives the year before, and seeing the large assembled group, thought that they were preparing to attack him. He fired a shot among them from a cannon, and they fled into the woods. The Beothucks of course, had no idea that this was not Guy and must have been very confused and angry at his supposed betrayal. Due to this ill-fated confrontation they never trusted the white man again.
As more English settlers arrived, such encounters were frequent. There was wholesale slaughter of the natives, with the excuse that they were stealing the settlers provisions. The Beothucks with their bows and arrows were no match for the fishermen with firearms, and they were shot like animals wherever they appeared. Even more problems lay ahead when the Micmac Indians came to Newfoundland from Nova Scotia. Armed with guns, obtained from French settlers, they set out to obliterate the Beothucks.
The persecution of the Beothucks became so severe, cruel, and heartless that by the middle of the eighteenth century, the more compassionate members of the community were that something be done to address the situation. Governors of the colony ordered the fishermen to try to make friends with the natives and promised to punish anyone who killed them. The action proved to be too little too late for this quickly diminishing people, and although attempts were made to befriend them, it met with no real success. The last known member of the tribe was a young woman whose name was Shanawdithit. She had been found along with her mother and sister in a starving and exhausted condition. They were taken to St. John's, the capital city, and treated with great kindness. Despite this, the mother and sister soon died, Shanawdithit however lived for several months. In the spring of 1829, she became ill with tuberculosis, and died on the sixth of June of that year.
