I have been told that up untill Newfoundland joined Canada in 1949 , it was still legal to buy a premit to hunt Beothuk , in theory at lest . The law goes back to a time when fur trapers had trouble keeping their steel traps . The Beothuk never trusted the Europeans { not after the Vikings } and the best source of iron or steel were traps . Of course , the law meant little in 1949 as the last known Beothuk , a lady called Shanawdithit, died of tuberculosis in 1829 .
They were a proud People . The Only natives of the eastern seaboard never to have allied with neither the French or English . Nor did they side with the Iroquois or the Algonquian . ( the Mi'kmaq were noted enemies ) . Changes are , they were the " Skraelings " of Viking lengend . They also most likely give us the term " Red Man " because of their custom of covering everything in red dye ; cloths , tools , even their bodies and hair .
Sorry , kinda got carried away . But I feel that some one should remember them , and tell their tale .