L’ANSE AUX MEADOWS

        A North American  Viking Settlement 

At the tip of the Great Northern Peninsula of the island of Newfoundland lies L’Anse aux Meadows, site of the first European settlement in North America nearly 1000 years ago. It  is a significant archeological find. Excavated remains of an 11th century Viking settlement consisting of timber-framed turf buildings (houses, workshops, etc.) that are identical of the same time period with those found in Norse Greenland and Iceland.

Viewing the outlines of Norse encampments at the UNESCO site stimulates the imagination while replicas of Norse sod buildings provide the stage for costumed interpreters to help one imagine what life in the harsh environment was like centuries ago.

            Our young Parks Canada guide told us, “Dr. Ingstad, a Norwegian, spent half his lifetime finding and working on this site, which he discovered in 1960. Unexpectedly a local fisherman told him about this place when the doctor asked if there were any strange or unusual earth formations around.”

            Walking on damp grass through the site, when asked our guide responded, “Only about 12-15 inches of wall was found. The weather had destroyed the upper parts of the wall. To preserve what is left the walls are covered with dirt which now is covered with grass.”

            The sail was the most important part of the Viking ship because it was made of wool and it took the wool of 90 sheep and many men working three years to make one.

            A building measuring 70 X 55 feet contained 5-6 rooms and fireplaces. Upper and lower walls were found. Lumps of slag iron found in several houses and large flat-surfaced stones near the river indicate the existence of a smithy. A large pit of charred wood, needed for smithy operations, was found in another pit. A tiny stone wheel carved from soapstone served as a fly-wheel on a spinning spindle  indicating that women were included in the settlement. The importance of L’Anse-aux-Meadows lies in the fact that it is the only place where actual evidence has been found that withstands scientific scrutiny that Vikings actually settled in North America. This permanent settlement took place 500 years before Columbus’s voyages.

            When we moved on to the sod buildings I was amazed at how comfortable they were inside. In the main building a “Viking” was playing a stringed instrument in front of a fire. The house was very warm and cozy---a great contrast to the drizzly cold outside.

Considerably different from later preserved settlements such as Williamsburg, it was a most interesting visit but the day was long with a lot of time spent on a bus. I’m not sure  there is a viable alternative though.

NEWFOUNDLAND ODDITIES

Some Intersting Things I Learned
        Cloudberry also called bake apple is a popular berry to make jam and syrup. The berry is similar to a raspberry except the apricot-orange bumps are much larger and fewer in number. Cloudberries are found other places, but I first ran on to them in Newfoundland. The partridge berry tastes a lot like a cranberry.
       The trans-Canada highway starts in St John’s, Newfoundland with marker zero and extends 4660 miles across the country to Victoria, British Columbia.
        Ten mile pond is only seven miles long,----but ten miles from a long ago trapper’s home.
        A mug up is the expression for when friends and family get together to drink, talk, tell stories and sing. Screech is rum. Wedgies are fried potato chunks.
       Scuff means to dance, scoff means to eat so one can partake of a scuff
       In Newfoundland the word fish refers to cod, if any other fish is talked about it is identified by name.
      If you are not a Newfoundlander, you are from away. Tickle refers to a small stream of water. A deck on a house is called a bridge. In rural areas front doors frequently do not have any steps because the house is considered not finished and the taxes are lower. It is referred to as the mother-in-law door.
       Shed is a store and a store is a shop. That’s as confusing as a bar and gate in York, England.
       The Newfoundland pony was imported from Ireland and England. They weigh about 700 pounds and have strong forequarters.

        The Newfoundlander dog has a thick curly black coat and big webbed feet. The breed was brought to Newfoundland from England over 200 years ago. They are known for their loyalty and their many heroic rescues. We did not see many of them.
         Newfoundland has some funny place names. Many were influenced by the French and Portuguese and often have been anglicized. There are Heart’s Desire (1612), Heart’s Content (1700s) and Heart’s Delight (1800s), all close together. Originally the heart was hart, but was changed to the more common spelling. Then there is Joe Batt’s Arm, Jerry’s Nose and Herring Neck as well as Brigus and Cupids.