The Beothuk (a word meaning “the people” or “true people” in the Beothuk language) were an Indigenous people who inhabited what is now called Newfoundland. They were coastal people who mainly lived off fish, seals, and other sea mammals and birds. They traditionally lived in settlements along the southern and northeastern coasts of Newfoundland. Their language is part of the Algonquian language family, and a dictionary of Beothuk vocabulary was created in the 1800s.

The Beothuk were likely the first Indigenous peoples to be in contact with Europeans, possibly as early as when the Norse settled in the area between 800 and 1000 CE. 500 years later, new European settlers arrived from England and France, and the Beothuk were immediately wary of them. As more Europeans flocked to the coasts of Newfoundland and encroached on traditional territory., the Beothuk moved inland. Interestingly, the Beothuk never participated in the trade of goods with Europeans but did repurpose metal objects left behind by settlers into tools for hunting.

As permanent settlements along the coast were established by the English and French, the Beothuk were blocked from fishing in their traditional waters and forced to live off of insufficient land and waterways for their needs. The deterioration of their living situation, combined with the introduction of European diseases, particularly tuberculosis, resulted in a rapid decrease in population. Many history books claim that the Beothuk were wiped out, with Shawnadithit, who died in 1829, being recorded as the last surviving Beothuk. However, the Mi’kmaq, who traded with the Beothuk, have always asserted that some Beothuk fled and intermarried with other Indigenous nations on the mainland.

Very little is known about the Beothuk’s musical traditions, but there are written accounts that reference traditional singing and dancing. One interesting musical artifact is a wax cylinder recording from 1910 of a Beothuk song sung by Santu Toney, a woman who self-identified as Beothuk despite speaking Mi’kmaq and living in Massachusetts. Toney claimed she learned the song from her father before fleeing Newfoundland. While we can never be sure whether the music was traditional or influenced by European traditions, the recording provides our only acoustic glimpse into the musical traditions of the Beothuk people.

Suggested Sources:

• Hewson, John and Beverly Diamond. “Santu’s Song.” Newfoundland and Labrador Studies 22, no. 1. (2007). https://journals.lib.unb.ca/index.php/nflds/article/view/10104/10365.
• https://www.heritage.nf.ca/articles/society/music.php
• Tovey, Santu. “Santu’s Song.” Recorded 1910. Recorded by Frank Speck, wax cylinder. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvwmEguJp8Y
• Tuck, James A.. “Beothuk.” The Canadian Encyclopedia. Historica Canada. Article published February 06, 2006; Last Edited July 22, 2022. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/beothuk.
• Webb, Jeff A. “Music.” Heritage Newfoundland and Labrador. Article published in 2000; Last Edited in 2009. https://www.heritage.nf.ca/articles/society/music.php.