The article “The Collapse of the Beothuk World” by Ralph Pastore focuses on the lack on contact that existed between the Beothuk people and the European settlers. Pastore references many books in this article which contributes to the main argument of how the Beothuk people became extinct due to their lack of resources. After the Beothuk people were forced inland, research showed that they did not posses enough animal skin to provide new clothes for their children. The Beothuk people were hunters and gatherers that began living along the coast of Newfoundland. The size of their population can only be made in informed guesses due to the lack of contact made. Their resources were cut in half because they refused to take part in any form of trade with Europeans who came and inhibited the coastline. As their resources decreased from being forced inland and as their gene pool became smaller, the Beothuk people became extinct in 1829.
In this article the Beothuk people are portrayed as passive people who fled the coming of European settlers which eventually led to their extinction. In contrast, the article “The Beothuk on the Eve of Extinction” by Donald Holly gives specific examples of how the Beothuk people retaliated against European communities. Holly also gives much more description of the lives of the Beothuk people. They were “one of the first native american groups to have come in contact with europeans in the post-columbus era”. The resources that they primarily relied on were birds, bird eggs, and seals as well as caribou. The Beothuk people were very different then most native groups because they avoided contact with the European settlers whereas others groups welcomed it. Instead of taking part in trade with Europeans they destroyed their weapons, ruined their laundry and hunted them down. With much use of secondary sources, Holly came to the conclusion that the Beothuk people did not want to become dependant upon Europeans. Holly described the Beothuk people to have actively responded to the the arrival of Europeans but also claims that their relationship was amicable at one point. He highlights how the European economy flourished at the expense of the Beothuk people. Holly also covered what they lost in this process such as certain myths and narratives. All in all, both articles state that the ultimate cause of the extinction of the Beothuk people was their loss of resources due to the Europeans claiming their land. It seems quite extreme for the Beothuk people to go extinct simply because they did not want to depend upon Europeans. Especially considering the majority of First Nations people were engaging in trade with the settlers. You would think that perhaps there was more going on within the community of the Beothuk First Nations, but due to the lack of evidence we may never find out if perhaps something more.