Natives’ reactions to the European presence along the North Shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence

Summary

Over the past decades, archaeological works done on the North Shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence proved that the bountiful nature of this body of water grealty benefit to the local Natives. They settled early in spring along the shore and, among other things, captured an impressive amount of seals which allowed them to live for several weeks or even a few months at the same place. Because of that, some of these groups were among the first in the Northeast to witness the arrival of the Europeans. The consequences of this contact appears to have varied depending on the location and on the intensity of this encounter. Near the Atlantic, in the Blanc-Sablon area, the contact is early (first half of the 16th century), intense and appeared to have rapidly change how the Natives used this land. In comparison, at the other end of the Gulf, in Baie-Comeau, contact is relatively late (17th century) and slight ; therefore change in the settlement pattern follow a slower pace.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2014   •
• Revisiting Facts and Ideas of Contact in the St. Lawrence Basin during the 16th Century

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): SYM-36,01