Abstract

At present very little is known about Beothuk plant use. The best potential source of new information is through palaeoethnobotanical research. Since 1990, MUN students have been examining plant remains recovered from Beothuk components at Deer Lake Beach (BhDi-6), Boyd's Cove (DiAp-3) and Ferryland (CgAf-2). In the summer of 1995, hearth features in Beothuk housepits at the Beaches site (DeAk-4-1), Trinity Bay, were systematically sampled for palaeoethnobotanical study. This paper focuses on the objectives and results of the Beaches Project, updates our current knowledge of Beothuk plant use and relates the known distribution of Beothuk archaeological sites to recognized ecological regions on the island of Newfoundland.