About 7,500 years ago a Maritime Archaic adolescent died and was buried with reverence and ceremony near the present-day community of L'Anse Amour. The body was wrapped in a shroud of bark or hide and placed face down in the grave with the head to the west. The construction of a large mound of rocks over the grave completed the burial. Was this a special individual, or did the elaborate burial hold some other significance? Some archaeologists believe that this ceremony was performed when unusual environment conditions threatened the survival of the Maritime Archaic people. Adverse sea-ice conditions, for example, may have meant that crucial harp seal herds were inaccessible. Perhaps this ancient ceremony was a plea for assistance to the spirits that controlled this vital aspect of life.

The burial at L'Anse Amour has now been designated a National Historic Site of Canada. You can learn more about the Maritime Archaic Burial Mound from the interpretation panels and the commemorative plate at the site. There is also an exhibit of reproduction artifacts from the site at the Labrador Straits Museum.

Address: P.O Box 8700, St. John's, NL, A1B 4J6
Contact Information: Gerry Osmond
(709) 729 0592 (Telephone)
(709) 729 7989 (Fax)
Wesbite: www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=14130