lthough the Beothuk of Newfoundland were one of the earliest aboriginal groups encountered by Europeans, there was little interaction between the two groups during the three centuries or more that they lived in close proximity.

Some exchange did take place, however. The Beothuk recognized the value of metal for certain types of implements, and collected discarded metal from non-Native fishing camps and villages, reworking it into traditional fishing and hunting tools. The eighteenth-century Beothuk provide a telling example of a material culture in transition. Interaction between the Beothuk and European traders and fisherman remained largely hostile until the last known Beothuk died in 1829.