NL: After 200 years, the stolen skulls are back on Lake Beothuk

CBC News learned that the Newfoundland and Labrador governments have allocated $ 250,000 to a new cultural center on Lake Beothuk, near the communities of Buchans and Millertown, in the heart of the province.

The center will serve as a burial site for the remains of the two people, and could be a public place to honor Beothuk’s heritage, according to Provincial Aboriginal Affairs Minister Lisa Dempster.

” They will be placed safely. They will not be exposed. However, we can do a lot about it [et] which is still in the preliminary stage. “

There are a few things we can do to tell the stories of these people, and that’s what we really want to do here.said Ms. Dempster.

Stolen territory, stolen relics

The story is sad. The Beothuk were the indigenous people of what would become Newfoundland. They suffered in the years after the colonization of Europe. They were forced to leave their traditional territory to live in increasingly reduced spaces, as the colonists spread to the island. Many died of foreign diseases and violent conflicts.

In the 1800s, as their population dwindled, the Beothuk found themselves confined within the island around Lake Beothuk, formerly known as Red Indian Lake. There a search party led by a prominent settler, John Peyton Sr., met at a Beothuk party in March 1819. The settler party of white men was only allowed to scavenge stolen fishing equipment, but things quickly became violent.

While most Beothuk residents were scattered after seeing the settlers, a woman named Demasduit did not escape the deep snow. She stepped forward with her newborn to ask for their mercy. Instead, Peyton’s staff caught him. His wife Nonosabasut, then tried to negotiate with the settlers, but was shot. Their baby died a few days after Demasduit was captured.

He spent the spring in Saint John, but it was decided in the summer to return him to his people at Lake Beothuk. After several unsuccessful attempts, Demasduit fell ill with tuberculosis while traveling inland in January 1820, and he died in what is now called Botwood.

Injustice did not stop there. A few years later, Scottish explorer William Cormack visited the tomb and took the skulls of Demasduit and Nonosabasut, sending them to the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh, where they remained for 200 years.

The skulls were returned in 2020, after a long struggle led by Mi’kmaw Chief Mi’sel Joe of Miawpukek. Since then, they have been stored in The Rooms, a museum and site for provincial archives in Saint John.

” This is not a place where one wants to keep the remains of loved ones. “

Internal documents shed light on the government’s intentions

Although there was public debate as to what their final resting place should be, Ms Dempster said the decision to return them to Beothuk Lake had the unanimous consent of all five Indigenous groups in the province.

” What is now Lake Beothuk, this place, makes sense. This is their home. That’s where they come from. “

The exact location has not yet been determined, but Dempster said it is a new facility, not an enhancement to the existing National Historic Site at Indian Point, along the shores of Beothuk Lake, in the small community of Millertown.

Ms Dempster said details had not yet been worked out, but a memo obtained through freedom of information requests mentioned some suggestions.

Most of the text has been redacted, but the note states that the facility must be air-conditioned and secure, and if the facility places debris, they will not be displayed to the general public, as it will be contrary to reconciliation.

The report states that a possible format could be similar to the Beothuk Interpretive Center in Boyd’s Cove, likened to a mamateekor wigwam, of Beothuk.

Try to avoid past mistakes

Many details remain to be ironed out, and Dempster said his government will work with Indigenous groups and towns around Lake Beothuk before finalizing plans.

Meanwhile, the government and five indigenous groups have agreed for the latter to stay at The Rooms. They also made another deal: any time a group wanted to see the remains, they had to ask permission from all the other groups.

According to Ms. Dempster, one of the indigenous groups has been organizing the visit over the past few months, and left with a desire to expedite the process.

” We understand the sense of urgency in returning the remains to central Newfoundland, to their homeland, as their current location is only temporary. But we have to do it right. “

He admitted the government had erred in the way to return the remnants, including rushing into a change that would end the term. Red Indian of the lake to replace it with the meaning of the name Mi’kmaw peaceful lake. This change was met with ridicule by locals, who said they were not consulted.

I fixed things. When we announced the name change to the lake, we might have been a little carried away. You need to know how to live and learnhe continued.

” People relate to places and names. I appreciate that. I understand. “

Although $ 250,000 is set aside, the county will ask the federal government to inject more money. The minister declined to give a cost estimate, saying it was too early in the process.

Based on text by Ryan Cooke, CBC