Our History, Our Stories: Personal Narratives and Urban Aboriginal History in Newfoundland & Labrador

spectives of the pre-dominant and original inhabitants of Traditionally, Aboriginal people have used stories to the urban/off-reserve community in Newfoundland and pass down beliefs, traditions and history to future gen- Labrador: the Innu, the Mi’kmaq, the Southern Inuit and erations. [...] 02 Our History, Our Stories: Personal Narratives and Urban Aboriginal History in Newfoundland & Labrador 03 tHe inuit Of lAbrAdOr The laBrador InuIT are descendants of the prehistoric In 1997, the Inuit were successful in their land claims Thule people who historically occupied the northeastern with the federal government and were provided with coast of Labrador. [...] The Inuit became increasingly dependent on the trade economy of the region though many maintained aspects of their traditional lifestyle.[ 6 ] In the 1920’s, the trade economy began to fail which brought further turmoil to the social and economic systems of the Inuit. [...] Throughout In 1970, the communities of Sheshatshiu and Natuash- the 19th century, the Innu made visits to the coast to trade ish formed Innu Nation (formerly the Naskapi-Montagnais with Basques, missionaries and later the British. [...] Evidence also suggests that that Beothuk, like many Indigenous groups in Atlantic Canada, moved around to hunt and fish according to the seasons.[ 16 ] The arrival of the Europeans and more specifically, the encroachment of white-settlement and more permanent fishing stations along the coast of Newfoundland were detrimental to the survival of the Beothuk.