Date of Award

1-1-2023

Language

English

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

College/School/Department

Department of Anthropology

Content Description

1 online resource (xi, 248 pages) : illustrations (some color)

Dissertation/Thesis Chair

Christopher B. Wolff

Committee Members

Sean M. Rafferty, Marilyn A. Masson, Donald H. Holly

Keywords

Beothuk, Colonialism, Iron, Lithics, Technology, Beothuk Indians, Imperialism

Subject Categories

History of Art, Architecture, and Archaeology

Abstract

Indigenous technological production and use of tools is often influenced by several cultural factors including, functionality, environment, and cosmological and ideological beliefs. Projectile points are no exception, and they are often imbued with rich, symbolic meaning. While projectile points across North America have been extensively studied using various methods, there are some Indigenous groups and environments that are often excluded from academic, archaeological research, such as the Beothuk of Newfoundland. Since the Beothuk have seldom been the focus of archaeological research, their lithic and iron technology has not yet been analyzed thoroughly. I have conducted a systematic comparative analysis of changes in point technology to better understand how colonialism affected Beothuk technological traditions.The Beothuk have received less attention due to a lack of researchers working on the island, and that research is also hindered by preservation issues. Moreover, the Beothuk have gone culturally extinct, making it difficult to assess their history without collaboration from living descendant populations. Both limitations have led to an imbalance of archaeological research and knowledge, skewed toward those Indigenous groups whose voices are still prevalent on the landscape. As colonialism became more prevalent in Newfoundland throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, the Beothuk were confronted with many new developments, such as the introduction of European-made iron goods. The Beothuk incorporated some European materials into their cultural practices while rejecting others. The Beothuk made strategic decisions regarding technological production and use based on their understanding of various materials’ technological efficiency, environmental resource availability, and associated ideological and cosmological beliefs. The research conducted for this dissertation allowed for an in-depth analysis of the diachronic changes in Beothuk technological traditions. Since technology is more than just functional, I was also able to analyze how Beothuk belief systems and ideological practices may have been influenced by these changes as well.

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