Evidence of Viking Presence in Notre Dame Bay

[hpeer]

Cool, where abouts?

[organic snowman]

Grew up in Champneys, near Port Rexton, still have houses and land there. But spend most of my time in Corner Brook with my partner these days.

Are you from here? Or just one of the lucky ones who discovered how nice it is?

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by Tayana42

And yet schools keep teaching our children that Columbus discovered America in 1492. Ironic isn't it.


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Likely because the majority of Norsemen were raiders and adventurers.. not into planting a flag and colonising in the traditional sense.

[hpeer]

Originally Posted by organic snowman

Grew up in Champneys, near Port Rexton, still have houses and land there. But spend most of my time in Corner Brook with my partner these days.

Are you from here? Or just one of the lucky ones who discovered how nice it is?

Mom was from Plate Cove but I grew up in the states. We have a cabin up there and keep our small boat in Lewisporte. Snowbirds now.

[organic snowman]

Ahh, she was just across the peninsula about 16km away. Is your cabin in Plate Cove or Lewisporte?

Just reading a post about someone who had their truck stolen and taken to Mexico. Glad it worked out ok for them. It made me realize how different it is to live here tho.

[hpeer]

Organic,

The boat is in Lewisporte, the cabin in Plate Cove.

Funny, we just spent 3 in Bahamas. The out islands have a lot of similarity to Newfoundland outports. Shrinking communities, small shops, friendly, low crime, natures beauty. Also obvious differences.

We didn't plan it but this year we managed to cover the entire East coast from Aux au Meadows to San Salvadore, Vikings landing to Columbus landing. Kinda cool.

[bcguy]

Hmmmm, off topic but seems like the right people.. ...anyone interested in an exploratory expedition with me (detectorist old coins) aboard sailboat to remote area north of Bella Bella rich in 500 yr shipwreck history; 18th century sea otter trade; directly in path of land bridge migrations etc, etc... utter, unspoiled wilderness here. I will take 2 (contribute to costs). Meet up about end of May at Hartley Bay (embark Prince Rupert then ferry to Hartly Bay then aboard SV DarMi). (see my album for pics)

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Likely because the majority of Norsemen were raiders and adventurers.. not into planting a flag and colonising in the traditional sense.

Them Spanards weren't exactly into diplomatic relations

What I really want to know is what is the story behind Oak Island. Read about it 30 years ago in Readers digest and been wondering since.

Pete

[Beachcomberz]

Originally Posted by organic snowman

In Newfoundland myself

My dad grew up in Little Burnt Bay. Planning a sail to exploits from Toronto in the next few years once our youngest gets to be a little older.

[Steadman Uhlich]

Originally Posted by hpeer

Organic,

The boat is in Lewisporte, the cabin in Plate Cove.

Funny, we just spent 3 in Bahamas. The out islands have a lot of similarity to Newfoundland outports. Shrinking communities, small shops, friendly, low crime, natures beauty. Also obvious differences.

We didn't plan it but this year we managed to cover the entire East coast from Aux au Meadows to San Salvadore, Vikings landing to Columbus landing. Kinda cool.

Very cool!

[tomfl]

Originally Posted by Tayana42

And yet schools keep teaching our children that Columbus discovered America in 1492. Ironic isn't it.


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Not sure which schools you are talking about but back in the 1960s when I was in high school we were taught the Vikings reached the New World before Columbus. The thing was Columbus was the greatest navigator of his age. He carried a copy of Muller's ephemeris which he used for navigation, along with instruments also designed by Muller. Columbus also used the epehmeris to astound natives by predicting a lunar eclipse when ship wrecked on Jamaica. As an aside even today there is no agreement on just where Columbus first landed in the New World. While the name Columbus gave the island was "San Salvador" its location is still being debated. It was not till his 5th land fall that there is agreement since his description could be no place else but Cuba. Sad to say we only have a transcription of the log of Columbus's first voyage; the original was lost to history. But even this fragmented description of the voyage is much more than anything we have about the Vikings voyages. Part of the problem with oral histories is that they degrade and are often lost over time. But in Columbus's time they were much more recent and there is some evidence that Columbus had contact with the king of Denmark and was aware of the Viking oral history about reaching the New World.

What Columbus did was make the first lasting contact between Europe and the New World.

[MarkSF]

Originally Posted by rognvald

New evidence of Jasper fire starters used by the Vikings confirms earlier evidence that they explored the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland 143 miles south of L'Anse Aux Meadows in the area of Notre Dame Bay and undoubtedly made contact with the natives--an area heavily populated by the indigenous Beothuk people. Newfoundland is quickly becoming a world class historic site for the first documented New World contact with Europe. Follows is the excellent article. www.livescience.com/37189-new-viking-voyage-discovered...

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LiveScience

I presume by "made contact with", you mean "slaughtered"?

[tomfl]

Originally Posted by MarkSF

I presume by "made contact with", you mean "slaughtered"?

Not sure why you would say that. As a rule the first Europeans to land in the New World were treated like gods. Columbus gave the natives in the Bahamas small trinkets like bells (which seemed magical due to the sound they made) and other trade goods they had never seen. The first and third islands he made land fall at he was able to trade for much needed water and a few of the natives acted as guides for him.

It was only later that hostilities broke out, in part due to the Europeans trying to establish settlements and taking liberties with the women. The thing was as bad as the Europeans treated women (both European and native women) it was often better than the native females were treated by the native males. Something even common to day as first world men usually treat third world women better than third world men treat third world women.

[Island Time O25]

Originally Posted by MarkSF

I presume by "made contact with", you mean "slaughtered"?

The current scientific (albeit decidedly speculative) thinking is the opposite. That the Vikings were driven off the land and back to their boats after a few tough seasons in the Newfoundland. 1000 years ago, unlike 1500s, the European weapons technology was not as much advanced vs the indigenous populations as it would be in Columbus' time. And even then it took at least over 150-200 years to subdue all of the locals. And given the small numbers of Vikings in those first settlements it would not take much to drive them off back into their boats.

[Astrid]

Originally Posted by Island Time O25

The current scientific (albeit decidedly speculative) thinking is the opposite. That the Vikings were driven off the land and back to their boats after a few tough seasons in the Newfoundland. 1000 years ago, unlike 1500s, the European weapons technology was not as much advanced vs the indigenous populations as it would be in Columbus' time. And even then it took at least over 150-200 years to subdue all of the locals. And given the small numbers of Vikings in those first settlements it would not take much to drive them off back into their boats.

Quite so. The weaponry of the Norsemen was not that much more advanced than those of First Nation peoples they encountered, and the Norse were usually out numbered if relations went south. In any event, they were not there to raid and pillage, but more likely to find land or to set up logging, fishing, fur hunting, or trading establishments.