This schematic shows the settlement history of Newfoundland encompassing occupations by at least three distinct cultural groups: MA, Dorset Palaeoeskimo, and Beothuk.
(Produced by Deirdre Elliott with QGIS 2.18.44, and data from Stephen Hull and Natural Earth.)
A recent analysis of ancient DNA provides evidence in support of a theory that Newfoundland was populated several times by distinct cultural groups, specifically the Maritime Archaic and Beothuk. Researchers performed genetic analysis of 74 ancient remains, including ones from North America’s oldest burial mound. Their findings showed that the two Indigenous groups didn’t share a common ancestor in the recent past. Study authors write that these results suggest that the population history Newfoundland involves multiple independent arrivals by Indigenous peoples.
Authors:
Ana T. Duggan, Alison J.T. Harris, Stephanie Marciniak, Ingeborg Marshall, Melanie Kuch, Andrew Kitchen, Gabriel Renaud, John Southon, Ben Fuller, Janet Young, Stuart Fiedel, G. Brian Golding, Vaughan Grimes, Hendrik Poinar
Corresponding author:
Ana T. Duggan, McMaster Ancient DNA Centre, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Email: duggana@mcmaster.ca
Original paper published in Current Biology on October 12, 2017.
