Listening for Awoodet*

The histories of Indigenous peoples across Canada have been repeatedly told and studied from a settler-colonial perspective. This is in part because the historical narrative has been informed by the archival record created and maintained by European settlers.

Thus, the voices of Indigenous peoples have been omitted from the archival record for centuries. If we do appear, our presence is mediated by the accounts and observations of explorers, and settler-colonialists who have used us as objects of knowledge. There has been considerable movement in recent years to increase Indigenous representation in the historical record, and include Indigenous perspectives within archival institutions.

The Beothuk pose a particular challenge to these efforts, since their way of life is no longer present. However, traces of the Beothuk do remain in the archival record. In order to recover, support, and amplify their lost voices, it is necessary to consider the conditions in which these voices were recorded, saved, and circulated. 

A “Lost” Copy Resurfaces

As archivists, we perform a substantial amount of research to ensure items in our collections are presented to researchers with context. The provenance of archival material matters. Provenance, as the Society of American Archivists defines it, is the “information regarding the origins, custody, and ownership of an item or collection.” ¹ Tending to the provenance of an item allows us to follow the journey of a record from its creation to its arrival on our shelves. 

However, provenance is not always easy to determine. What happens when the provenance of a record is unknown? Or, when a supposedly “lost” document is donated alongside material with which it has no apparent relation? This is what happened when a “lost” Beothuk vocabulary was donated to the Archives & Special Collections (ASC) at Memorial University in 2001 amongst the papers of Michael Harrington. 

The document, as its title indicates –Vocabulary of Mary March’s Language presented to Mr. John Peyton by the Revd. John Leigh–is believed to be an original list of Beothuk vocabulary created by Reverend John Leigh as told to him by Demasduit, commonly identified as “Mary March,” in 1819. 

In March of 1819, the party of John Peyton Sr. and Jr. embarked on an expedition in the Bay of Exploits to recover stolen property they believed was taken and destroyed by the Beothuk. During the expedition, a Beothuk woman named Demasduit was captured and her husband, Nonosabasut, was murdered. She was then taken to Twillingate and put into the care of Rev. John Leigh, an Anglican missionary for the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel (SPG).² While in his care, Leigh composed two Beothuk vocabularies consisting of terms told to him by Demasduit. One was written with the intent of sending it to the SPG, hereafter known as the SPG Copy, and the other was written personally for John Peyton, now known as the Peyton Copy

A Tale of Two Copies

The SPG Copy is titled A Vocabulary of the Native Red Indians’ Language, Newfoundland, from Mary March, a female red Indian who was caught by Mr. John Peyton of the Exploits on the fifth March 1819, and presented to the Society for Propagating the Gospel in Foreign Parts by the Revd. John Leigh, Episcopal Missionary, Twillingate. However, it appears that it was never sent to the SPG. It arrived at the Newfoundland Archives, now The Rooms Provincial Archives, in 1957.³ It is assumed that Leigh held onto the SPG Copy while he performed his missionary duties. The Peyton Copy, meanwhile, was presented to John Peyton shortly after its completion. 

Prior to its disappearance, the Peyton Copy was duplicated and later published by Albert S. Gatschet in 1883.⁴ It is then believed to have been in the possession of Sir William Whiteway, who served as Prime Minister of Newfoundland from 1878-1885, 1889-1894, and 1895-1897. Whiteway permitted T.G.B. Lloyd to publish the vocabulary in the Journal of the Anthropological Institute in 1875.⁵ This is one of the last known whereabouts of the original Peyton Copy. 

Leigh was not the first to document the Beothuk language. Beginning in  the late 1700s, multiple researchers and explorers attempted to construct a “complete” list of Beothuk vocabulary to preserve their dying language. The first attempt is known as the Pulling Manuscript (c.1792) written by George C. Pulling. 

The second, called the Clinch Vocabulary (c.1785), was written by Rev. John Clinch, an Anglican missionary stationed in Trinity.⁶ These vocabularies are unique compared to those that would come later, as both Clinch and Pulling actually identify their informant by her real name rather than the English name assigned to her: “Oubee.” Within these documents, Oubee is actively inserted into the archival and historical record.

Oubee Was Here

Oubee was a child when she was taken from her family near Charles Brook in 1791 and placed into the care of Thomas Stone in Trinity. During this time, Pulling was tasked with preparing a report on Beothuk-English relations and the “State of the Trade to Newfoundland.” Concerned about the language barrier with the Beothuk, Pulling visited Oubee and recorded over 100 Beothuk terms. ⁷ A published version of this list is available at The Rooms Provincial Archives. As the Clinch Vocabulary is nearly identical to the Pulling Manuscript, it is assumed the two were written simultaneously, or that Clinch copied what was gathered by Pulling. 

In 1793, the Stone family moved to England, taking Oubee with them. Little is known about her life and death following her arrival in England.

Prior to Clinch’s death in November 1819, Leigh was transferred from Twillingate to Harbour Grace. During his trip aboard the HMS Grasshopper, the ship docked in Trinity where Leigh and Clinch would meet and discuss their interactions with the Beothuk. ⁸ Comparing all three copies, we can see that Leigh added terms from Clinch’s vocabulary to the SPG Copy, which is significant because it means Demasduit and Oubee both contributed to the SPG Copy.

Copies of Copies

There have been numerous subsequent copies made of these vocabularies. For example, Sir Hercules Robinson copied the SPG Copy in 1820 while in Harbour Grace. This copy was then sent to the British Museum Library where Gatschet, who previously had only known about the Peyton Copy, had access to it. J. P. Howley, who would later publish the book The Beothucks or Red Indians in 1915, analyzed the Peyton Copy. Henry H. Stabb, M.D, a physician who in 1847 succeeded in establishing the first psychiatric hospital in Newfoundland, is accredited with  writing an introduction to a reproduction of the Peyton Copy that was held at the Library of the National Museums of Canada now the Library and Archives of the National Gallery of Canada. ⁹ The list continues. 

The final Beothuk vocabulary that was gathered from a Beothuk informant, was written by William Epps Cormack (c.1829). In 1823, Shanawdithit, along with her mother and sister, were taken captive and brought to St. John’s where they were given goods and then sent to the Exploits. This event was known as an “errand of peace,” an initiative established by Governor Gambier in 1803 to improve settler-Beothuk relations. However, as the Beothuk had already left the Exploits due to the number of English settlers that had made claim to the area, Shanawdithit and her family were forced to travel west to find the remnants of their tribe. Unsuccessful in their expedition, and following the death of her sister, Shanawdithit and her mother were taken in by the Peytons. Her mother died shortly after their arrival. Shanawdithit remained with John Peyton until 1828 when she was then brought to St. John’s at the request of Cormack and the “Beothuck Institute”. ¹⁰

Cormack attempted to extract as much information as possible from Shanawdithit about the Beothuk. By that time, their numbers were critically low. As a result, Cormack gathered many words from Shanawdithit and added them to the Leigh vocabulary. It is unclear if he made additions to the SPG Copy or the Peyton Copy.

While the whereabouts of Cormack’s original vocabulary is unknown, two hand-written copies were made by J.P. Howely and held with Gatschet’s papers at the Bureau of American Ethnology. It is believed that Gatschet received one of these copies from Howley himself. The other Howley gave to Sir William Dawson, a Canadian scholar and Professor of Natural History at McGill University, who then sent it to Rev. S.T. Rand of Nova Scotia, who then gave it to Gatschet. This copy of Cormack’s vocabulary is known as the “Montreal Copy.”¹¹ As a result of its various owners, the Montreal Copy became so out of order that it is apparently incomprehensible.

The Significance of Context

The vocabularies of Oubee, Demasduit, and Shanawdithit are extremely valuable sources of information for researchers who are attempting to gain an understanding of the Beothuk language. However, it is necessary to acknowledge that these Beothuk words were transcribed and interpreted by English settlers with little experience in other languages. Oubee was also believed to be much younger than both Demasduit and Shanawdithit at the time of her capture; this may have impacted her pronunciation and the extent of her own vocabulary. It is worth noting too, that these Beothuk informants were also captives. While we cannot know the nature of their relationships with their captors, or the extent to which it may have influenced the information they provided, it should be taken into consideration. 

As is evidenced by the Montreal Copy, understanding the provenance of a record can determine its intellectual validity. It can also shed light on its physical condition, which can suggest something about how–and how often–it was used. The original SPG Copy for example, is in poor condition with multiple pages and letters missing–likely due to its amount of use. The Peyton Copy, meanwhile, remains in good condition with no missing pages and the binding still partially intact. This leads us to believe that prior to arriving at the ASC, the Peyton Copy did not change ownership many times nor was it used as a popular reference source. It is possible that it was unknowingly kept in private hands for many years and then acquired by Harrington. It is not known how long Harrington had it in his possession prior to 2001.

Not What, but Whom

We may never know the complete provenance of the Peyton Copy, but its value as a historical record of the Beothuk language is evident.  Just as important is the fact that within it are traces of actual Beothuk voices.

Their bloodlines live on, but the Beothuk way of life, their language, and their culture have disappeared. The Beothuk are no longer able to advocate for their own representation, and their voices have been silenced by the European settlers who wrote their history. Their voices remain  in these vocabularies which act as a medium with which those voices can still be heard. The names of the informants: Oubee, Demasduit, and Shanawdithit, are active voices in the archival and historical record. 

The re-surfacing of this valuable archival record gives researchers the opportunity to interact with a first-hand account of Beothuk experience through traces of their  language, reminding us that Beothuk voices are still speaking, it’s just a matter of listening.  

Notes

*“Singing – awoodet,” ASC-COLL-512 Vocabulary of [Demasduit’s] Language Presented to Mr. John Peyton by the Reverend John Leigh. Archives & Special Collections, QEII Library, Memorial University.

 ¹ Society of American Archivists, Dictionary of Archives Terminology: Provenance (2005-2023).

²Story, G. M. “Demasduwit.” Dictionary of Canadian Biography (1987-2023 University of Toronto/Université Laval).

³ MG 257 John Leigh Fonds, The Rooms Provincial Archives.

⁴Hewson, John. “Beothuk Vocabularies: A Comparative Study.” Technical Papers of the Newfoundland Museum, 2 (1978) 36.

 ⁵Ibid. 37.

⁶Ibid. 4.

⁷Marshall, Ingeborg. “Beothuk Language.” Heritage: Newfoundland & Labrador (1999).

⁸Hewson, John. “Leigh, John.” Dictionary of Canadian Biography (1987-2023 University of Toronto/Université Laval).

⁹ Hewson, John. “Beothuk Vocabularies: A Comparative Study.” Technical Papers of the Newfoundland Museum, 2 (1978) 37.

¹⁰Pastore, Ralph T. Story, G. M. “Shawnadithit.” Dictionary of Canadian Biography (1987-2023 University of Toronto/Université Laval).

¹¹Hewson, John. “Beothuk Vocabularies: A Comparative Study.” Technical Papers of the Newfoundland Museum, 2 (1978) 101.

References

ASC-COLL-512 Vocabulary of [Demasduit’s] Language Presented to Mr. John Peyton by the Reverend John Leigh. Archives & Special Collections, QEII Library, Memorial University.

MG 257 John Leigh Fonds, The Rooms Provincial Archives. Retrieved from http://gencat1.eloquent-systems.com/webcat/request/Action?ClientSession=4f18b109:1868c545ab9:-7e3e&UniqueID=6000_3355_2&TemplateProcessID=6000_3355&PromptID=&ParamID=&TemplateProcessID=6000_1051_1051&PromptID=&ParamID=&CMD_(DetailRequest)[0]=&ProcessID=6000_3363(0)&KeyValues=KEY_46143

Hewson, John. “Beothuk Vocabularies: A Comparative Study.” Technical Papers of the Newfoundland Museum, 2 (1978).

Hewson, John. “Leigh, John.” Dictionary of Canadian Biography (1987-2023 University of Toronto/Université Laval). Retrieved from http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/leigh_john_6E.html

Jones, Ferderick. “Clinch, John.” Dictionary of Canadian Biography (1987-2023 University of Toronto/Université Laval). Retrieved from http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/clinch_john_5E.html 

Marshall, Ingeborg. “Beothuk Language.” Heritage: Newfoundland & Labrador (1999). Retrieved from https://www.heritage.nf.ca/articles/indigenous/beothuk-language.php

Pastore, Ralph T. Story, G. M. “Shawnadithit.” Dictionary of Canadian Biography (1987-2023 University of Toronto/Université Laval). Retrieved from http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/shawnadithit_6E.html

Society of American Archivists, Dictionary of Archives Terminology: Provenance (2005-2023). Retrieved from https://dictionary.archivists.org/entry/provenance.html#:~:text=Provenance1%20is%20a%20fundamental,separate%20to%20preserve%20their%20context.

Story, G. M. “Demasduwit.” Dictionary of Canadian Biography (1987-2023 University of Toronto/Université Laval). Retrieved from http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/demasduwit_5E.html 

Story, G. M. “Howley, James Patrick.” Dictionary of Canadian Biography (1987-2023 University of Toronto/Université Laval). Retrieved from http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/howley_james_patrick_14E.html