New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-10-24
RELICS OF AN EXTINCT RACE
wrrr-pRrsrRvrD REMAINS OF THE ABoRIGINf
......I .>.1. IaIsCnNEREN


OF NFWFoUNDLAND DISCOVERED
ST. Joux,s. IF, Oct. % (SpecaD. Relies OF the
vanished race of Red Indians, the aborignes OF New
foundland were recently dsentombed at f1liey IS
Island Notre Dame Bay. In day or two they VIII
be paccd on exhibition. The Bethuks, or beo'nS'
showed great respect the bodies OF their dead re
tiyes and friends There were four modes OF uiSpos
of them according to the rank and charac'ei VI VIZ
persons entombed In the case OF the most
or richest members of the tribe nut was o"
ten feet by eight nine and four feet high' Ill INC
centre oored with squared poles and the rooi
With hork and in every wav vel secured against the
weather and the intrusons of wild beasts lhe oonio
of the dead were wrapped in deer skins and iad OH
the floor of this hut Usually various articles oeohe
ing to the dead were placed alongside the bodies seh
os bows arrow heads worn images and culinary
utens;ls made of birch bark. The second mode Oh
senulture was as follows: The body was wrapped Ill
hrct bark and placed on scatold four feet ana ha
from the ground. The scaffold was formed Oh loui
posts about feet long fixed perpenohceiaiiy III
the ground to sustain kind OF cll6 hVe leee anu s
half in length by four in breadth with noor ihue vi
small souaTed beams laid close together on which the
body and property rested. The third mode was 10
double up the body wrap it in birch PARK anu % a
| squared posts laid on each other horzon'any an.
notched at the TO make them meet close. ~
was about four feet by three and nan iee' ee
| deep and well lined with birch bark to ex-
olude the weather The body was always
laid on the right side The fourth and most common
mode of burial was to wrap the body in birch bark and
cover it over with heap of stones on the surface 1
the ground in some retired spot Sometimes the body
thus wrapped up put foot OF two under the sur
| face and the spot covered with stones. ,..., ~ :;
| OF the two skeletons now to be exhibited one Is
nearly perfect Only the bones of the neck are want
ing hs the skeleton of aperson some nine or zen zen
wears of age doubled up and lying on the side. Inc
| body had been wrapped in birch bark ana covereu
with stones after the fourth of the methods descrloee
When the bark wrappmgs are removed the lortn ~ ~
seen perfectly and the skull is in an excellent state OF
preservation Of the other skeleton only the skull ana
two or three bones of the leg are Forthcoming the the
other bones having been destroyed by wd ailiaiS' M
Along with this skull and oones are founu very
estng stone relics arrows small canoes made oi prcn
| bark and small vessels of the same material 4,
ONLY these and few more fragments remain OF w
Red Indians of Newfoundland. once powerful rae, s
which numbered many thousands and long before the
arrival of the pale faces hunted the deer spcared the
salmon captured the cod and trapped the beaver ahu
fox for countless generations. 1t was herce' war
like tribe and refused to come TO terms with the Wm'V
race by which il treated with savage crueiy.
is singular that few OF the graves OF these indlah
have been discovered. There are few OF their lehc
in the St Johns Museun-one skull ana hlihoel U
stone implements.