Who were the native people in Newfoundland before the arrival of the Europeans?

The Beothuk were the indigenous people of Newfoundland when the first Europeans first arrived there.

They fished the coastal waters of the island for salmon and cod. They hunted cariboo, birds and seals for meat and furs. The Beothuk were a small population, estimated to be between 500 - 2,000 in all. These hunter/gathers are generally believed to have been peaceful.

They were totally unprepared for the arrival of the Europeans. The new arrivals believed the Beothuk to be their inferiors and did not hesitate to overrun their fishing grounds. To avoid the aggressive Europeans, the Beothuk moved further and further inland and away from their traditional fishing grounds and seal hunting. This left them most dependant on the cariboo. Eventually, they over-hunted the cariboo and ended up starving to death.

One of the last of the Beothuk is believed to have been a woman named Shanadithit who was found in the winter of 1828-1829 and taken into care by explorer William Cormack, founder of the Beothuk Institute in 1827. She died on June 6, 1829 as a result of tuberculosis.