Beothuk history unearthed along Exploits River

Archeologists have unearthed Beothuk arrowheads and fire pits containing bones, after working over the summer along the banks of the Exploits River. 

Laurie McLean, an archeologist with the Burnside Heritage Foundation, said the focus was on two islands along the river that contained material from Beothuk and pre-Beothuk times.

Unusually low water levels on one of the islands exposed remnants of Beothuk ancestors, McLean said.

"We knew there were three hearths — three fireplaces — in this terrace on the island and our work has identified probably five more features in addition to the three that we knew about," he said.

Arrowheads found

A house pit, dating back to the mid-1600s to 1700s may have been found, McLean said, but there is still work to be done to confirm the find. 

"[We] found very few artifacts but a lot of bone in the fireplaces," he said.

"The bone we found, it was all small pieces."

Archeologists are hoping to get the bones examined and a species list created to get a sense of what the Beothuk people ate.

In addition to the hearths, several stone arrowheads were also discovered.

"[I've] been at it a long time but you also know the value of this stuff ... the research value, so it's always cool to find something."

Any items found will be cataloged and processed at the Burnside archeology lab, where it will be measured and washed.

McLean said a report will be delivered to the province before the items are stored.