An introduction to Newfoundland and Labrador: its history, its Nations and treaties, and Indigenous community life today, with sources.
Indigenous history of Newfoundland and Labrador
Three Indigenous peoples live here. The Innu, represented by Innu Nation since 1976, have reserves at Sheshatshiu and Natuashish; their land claim covers roughly 70 per cent of Labrador and reached an agreement-in-principle in 2011. The Labrador Inuit Land Claims Agreement, finalized in 2005, created the self-governing Nunatsiavut region, with Nain as its administrative capital, Hopedale as its legislative capital and Makkovik, Rigolet and Postville completing its five communities. On the island, Miawpukek First Nation at Conne River gained reserve status in 1987, and Qalipu First Nation, recognized as a band in 2011, is one of the largest in Canada though it has no reserve land. The Canadian Encyclopedia dates the Maritime Archaic to about 8000 to 3200 BCE, followed by Palaeo-Eskimo peoples. They were the ancestors of the Beothuk on the island and the Innu in Labrador. At contact the Beothuk numbered perhaps 500 to 1,500 people. Shawnadithit, who recorded her people’s history, died in 1829. Mi’kmaq and Innu oral traditions challenge the idea that the Beothuk simply vanished.
Treaty and territory
Newfoundland and Labrador is home to the Inuit of Nunatsiavut, the Innu and the Mi’kmaq. The Labrador Inuit Land Claims Agreement created the Inuit self-governing region of Nunatsiavut in 2005.
Nearby: St. John’s · Happy Valley-Goose Bay · Sheshatshiu · Natuashish · Nain · Miawpukek First Nation
Regions of Newfoundland and Labrador
The province spans three physiographic regions. Labrador lies on the Canadian Shield, while the island belongs to the Appalachian region and the Eastern St. Lawrence Lowlands. On the island, the Long Range Mountains run along the west coast. The northeast coast is broken into bays, islands and headlands facing the Atlantic. The Great Northern Peninsula reaches north, and the Avalon Peninsula anchors the east. Port au Choix, on the Great Northern Peninsula, holds sites of Maritime Archaic and later Indigenous cultures. The Beothuk once lived along at least the south and northeast coasts. Mi'kmaq families, who first came from Nova Scotia and nearby areas through trade, built a community at Conne River. Labrador has its own distinct zones. Its northern coast is mountainous and deeply fjorded, with subarctic plants. Parks Canada runs Torngat Mountains National Park from an office in Nain. The southern coast is rugged and barren at the shore, with forest behind it, and the interior is a forested plateau. The Canadian Encyclopedia counts two Innu communities in Labrador today. The NunatuKavut Community Council represents Inuit across south and central Labrador. Farther north, the Nunatsiavut Government serves the Inuit of northern Labrador's five communities.
Indigenous Newfoundland and Labrador today
Indigenous organizations work across the province, from the capital to the Labrador coast. In St. John's, First Light works from Quidi Vidi Road with a motto of Guided by Culture, Grounded in Community. It offers Indigenous patient navigation, wellness counselling, transitional housing, justice supports and early learning. Its calendar has included National Indigenous Peoples Day, Orange Shirt Day, the Spirit Song Festival, Gathering of Voices and a Language and Culture Camp. It also runs a Centre for Performance and Creativity. In south and central Labrador, the NunatuKavut Community Council represents Inuit who describe the region as their homeland. It is advancing a comprehensive land claim with Canada through a Recognition of Indigenous Rights and Self-Determination process. The council is an affiliate of the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples and holds special consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council. Todd Russell serves as its president. Beothuk history also remains part of public life. In 2019, the remains of two Beothuk individuals were brought home from Scotland. The Canadian Encyclopedia notes that the return was seen as a possible step toward reconciliation. In the far north, Torngat Mountains National Park describes itself as an Inuit homeland where Inuit welcome visitors.
Communities in Newfoundland and Labrador
