Priceless artifacts found near untouched Beothuk site in central Newfoundland

When Don Pelley discovered the raised sides of a former Beothuk dwelling in 2016, everyone involved in the expedition knew he'd stumbled upon something special.

The circular pit was perfectly intact, where the Beothuk had erected walls about 200 years earlier. There was no sign of interference from the amateur archaeologists who swept the Beothuk Lake region years ago with metal detectors, digging up all manner of artifacts and leaving little in the ground.

It was the rarest find in that region for decades.

"At the time that it was discovered it was the only known Beothuk house pit in that region … that had not been impacted by erosion or unauthorized digging," said provincial archaeologist Jamie Brake. 

Beothuk Lake was the last refuge for Newfoundland's Indigenous group. They struggled with European diseases, violent encounters, and losing crucial migration routes to colonization. Shanawdithit, widely recognized as the last Beothuk, died in 1829. 

Residents around Beothuk Lake have raised concerns that the last remaining archaeological sites could be lost due to water levels on the lake, which doubles as a hydroelectric reservoir.

After the site was discovered, Brake said, archaelogists were concerned about erosion and teams have taken action to learn all they can from the house pit before it gets swallowed by the lake.

The area was mapped by drones, and the land was surveyed in and around the house pit. Crews removed trees that were deemed to be at risk of falling over and damaging the site.

Archaeologists have spent parts of three summers excavating the most vulnerable parts — removing important artifacts before they're lost to erosion.

Among the items found were a pair of deer spears — metal rods taken from European settlements and sharpened at the tip to kill caribou. Brake said they're perhaps the best preserved spears uncovered by archaeologists. 

Another item found was a pointed piece of iron, which is an exact match to a drawing done by Shawnadithit depicting the end blade for a harpoon that would have been used for sealing.

Shawnadithit was one of the last Beothuk people, captured by English furriers in 1823. She died of tuberculosis in 1829.

Brake said more excavations are planned for the area, to learn as much as they can before the site is lost to erosion.

The items found help archaeologists date the site to the late 1700s or early 1800s, Brake said, which falls toward the end of the Beothuk period.