Were the Beothuk’s just being stubborn?
The first time I read this article I was almost angry that the Beothuk’s were being so stubborn. All I could think was why in the world would you go to that extreme to avoid the Canadians; we aren’t that bad.
My thoughts have completely changed since then. I applaud the Beothuk for doing what they did because they should have never been put in the position to run away on land that was their own. They were not being stubborn, they were trying to save their culture and avoid the missionaries and other groups who were going to condemn them for how they lived their life. Beothuk’s would have been considered deviant because their beliefs and norms were not that of the majority. This is ironic though because at this time there are multitudes of ethnicities and backgrounds in Canada so not everyone had the same values and beliefs– so why were we interrogating the Indigenous culture? Were we afraid they could actually have power and take over? Did Britain fear a Canada ruled by the Indigenous people? Was this not how it should have been… it is their land?
After reading other reading logs I gained a lot of knowledge on Indigenous culture and my thoughts towards this group changed; I became more sympathetic towards them through other findings.
