A Last Struggle For Survival

Shaa-naan-dithit (1800-1829)

Shaa-naan-dithit was born about 1800 at what the English referred to as 'Indian Islands' or 'Red Indian Islands' in Newfoundland.  She has been called the last of the Boeothics, a proud and independent Nation of people who had resided in Newfoundland for thousands of years. There really is no other way to describe the fate of her people, than to say that they were hunted to extinction, since from the moment that the British decided to establish settlements in Newfoundland, they began to offer bounties for the heads of any Boeothic.

For a brief period in the early nineteenth century, there was an interest in learning more about their culture, so women of the Boeothic community were captured and taken as prisoners, in hopes that they could provide some answers and perhaps even negotiate a surrender.  Of course, there was still an interest in finding mineral wealth, so many British leaders in Euro-Canada looked to the Native men and women to lead them to valuable mines.  The story of Shaa-naan-dithit and her family, is sadly typical of what this once proud nation had been reduced to. Driven from their former homeland, they were forced to wander about, scavenging for their mere existence.  Their numbers had been so greatly reduced that they could no longer keep up the deer-fences; and now too dangerous to spend time on the shores; were unable to fish or gather eggs from the water-fowl.  The final blow came in 1819, when their leader was shot and killed and his wife abducted. Shaa-naan-dithit's family did not fair any better.  The summer before the slaughter of their leader, her brother, mother, sister, and a young child, were shot when attempting to canoe to an island, to collect eggs.  In the winter of 1823, her husband or mate, followed a deer for some days over snow covered ground, and lying down to rest, fell asleep and was frozen to death. That had been one of the most severe winters on record, and with his death, Shaa-naan-dithit and her mate's two sisters were left helpless and destitute, and with few options, ventured to the coast in search of food.  As to be expected, they were captured by a hunting party, but fortunately, at the time, more money was offered for live Boeothic women than their heads, so they were taken back to the English settlement as slaves and curiousities. Only Shaa-naan-dithit survived.

Four years later whe was taken to St. John's and placed in the home of John Peyton, Jr. , the murderer of Demasduit's husband, where she was expected to act as a servant.  Another member of the household, Mrs. Jure, often called her "too lazy to do anything", but her pride would not permit her to be reduced to slavery.  Finally, the high-spirited young woman was brought to the attention of William Cormack, who was then studying the aboriginal people of the area, and he agreed to take her in.  While in his custody she was taught some English, and when asked to sketch her life prior to her abduction, it was found that she was quite a gifted artist.

Mr. Cormack would spend several months with Shaa-naan-dithit, where he would ask her questions about her former life, and she would sketch with fair accuracy the likenesses of her family, their camps, villages, canoes; and rude sketches of their mode of hunting and snaring deer.  She also provided an account of their history, stating  "that from infancy all her nation were taught to cherish animosity and revenge against all other people; that this was enforced by narrating, during the winter evenings, the innumerable wrongs inflicted on the Boëothics by the white men and by the Mik-maks; that a tradition of old times told that the first white men that came over the great lake were from the good spirit, and that those who came next were sent by the bad spirit; and that if the Boëothics made peace and talked with the white men which belonged to the bad spirit, or with the Mik-maks, who also belonged to the bad spirit, that they would not, after they died, go to the happy island, nor hunt, nor fish, nor feast in the country of the good spirit, which was far away, where the sun went down behind the mountains." This hatred and distrust was not unfounded, and from what we know of their history, was quite frankly the only hope they had of survival.  The French gave the Mi'kmaq guns to hunt them with, while the English offered bounties for their heads.  The furriers in the region, loved to go "Red Fox Hunting" (their name for tracking the Boeothic) and often bragged about how many they had bagged. In 1829, Mr Cormack went back to England and by now Shaa-naan-dithit was suffering from consumption.  She was sent to Dr. Carson for treatment but died in his care on June 6, 1829.

The doctor performed a post-mortem examination on her and found that her skull had certain peculiarities. He sent it to the Royal College of Physicians in London for further study (Good grief!  She wasn't a monkey). In 1938 it was transferred to the Royal College of Surgeons and was destroyed by a bomb during World War II.  Shaa-naan-dithit's remains are buried on the South Side of St. Johns, where there is a monument standing today to commemorate her short life.  The last of the Boethics.

Her obituary appeared in The Royal Gazette on June 16, 1829.  DIED, —On Saturday night, the 6th mst. at the Hospital, SHANANDITHIT, the female Indian, one of the Aborigines of this Island. —She died of consumption, a disease which seems to have been remarkably prevalent among her tribe, and which has unfortunately been fatal to all who have fallen into the hands of the settlers.

There are a series of letter between Mr. W.E. Cormack and Dr. Inglis, the Bishop of Nova Scotia, concerning Shaa-naan-dithit; whom they had named 'Nancy'.  They can be read here.

An article written by John McGregor in 1836, gave this description of 'Nancy':  "a face that bore striking resemblance to that of Napoleon, her hair was jet black and had dark, vigilant, and piercing eyes, which were remarkably striking and beautiful. Her teeth were white, even, and perfectly sound. Her hands and feet, small and well formed. Her manners were easy and graceful and her temper generally calm." What a shame that she could not have left ancestors.

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