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Article
Birds, Burials and Sacred Cosmology of the Indigenous Beothuk of Newfoundland, Canada
Cambridge Archaeological Journal (2013)
  • Todd J Kristensen, University of Alberta
  • Donald H Holly, Jr., Eastern Illinois University
Abstract
The Indigenous Beothuk of Newfoundland disappeared as a cultural entity in the early nineteenth century. Prior to this, the Beothuk had few direct interactions with Europeans, and those that occurred were generally of a hostile nature. As a result, very little is known about Beothuk religious life. Drawing on available ethnohistoric records, an analysis of burial site locations and funerary objects, we offer an interpretation of Beothuk sacred cosmology that places birds at the centre of their belief system.
Disciplines
Publication Date
February, 2013
Publisher Statement
Final version available at http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=8833110&fileId=S0959774313000036
Citation Information
Todd J Kristensen and Donald H Holly. "Birds, Burials and Sacred Cosmology of the Indigenous Beothuk of Newfoundland, Canada" Cambridge Archaeological Journal Vol. 23 Iss. 1 (2013)
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/donald_holly/2/