Boyd's Cove Beothuk Artifacts

A few years ago I was commissioned to make a reproduction of this pendant for the Province.  The original artifact was found at Beothuk site at Boyd's Cove, which was excavated in the 1980s by Dr. Ralph Pastore.

There are many artifacts from the site on display at the Beothuk Interpretation Centre in Boyd's cove, but this piece was amongst the thousands of artifacts housed in the Archaeology Collection in the Basement of The Rooms.

There are trays and trays of neatly packed and labelled boxes from Boyd's Cove and hundreds of other sites in the vaults.

They're available to researchers and are always being selected for display in new and changing exhibits.

This is a hammerstone - notice the damage done of the right end.

This is an iron pyrite nodule that would have been used by the Beothuk for fire starting.  I was looking for this picture a couple months ago when I was writing about Why Pyrite Makes a Spark when you strike it.   Better late than never.

The collection is primarily made up of stone tools and flakes, like this little box of assort lithics.

These tiny stemmed and corner-notched points are typical of the stone arrowheads made and used by the Beothuk.

Another bone pendant with ochre staining.

More little arrowheads.  Some are so tiny that they may have been used on children's arrows.

Photo Credits: Tim Rast