The Beothuk people of Newfoundland were not the very first inhabitants of the island. Thousands of years before their arrival there existed an ancient race, named the Maritime Archaic Indians who lived on the shores of Newfoundland. Red Ochre Indians, Marshall, 4. Burial plots and polished stone tools are occasionally discovered near Beothuk remains. Some people speculate that, because of the proximity of the artifacts to the former lands of the Beothuk, the Maritime Archaic Indians and the Beothuk may have been related. It is not certain when the Beothuk arrived on the island. In fact little is actually known...
fishermen arrived and began "using" the dryfisheries already in place of teh Beothuk. Innitially relations had been friendly but as "using" turned into "stealing" the Beothuk bacame increasinglyenraged adn occationally mounted raids on European fishing camps. The fishermen accused the raiding parties of theft and because there was little missionary interest in the Beothuk, there was also little "law and order" in teh areas where Beothuk and European fishermen shared land. Desperatly, teh Beothuk fought back, and more fights ensued over fisheries equipment, but any "atttempt at disobedience on the part of the Beothuk resulted in strict punishment."Grabowski, Oct.4