Fleur de Lys, NewfoundlandOur land home is in the mid-Atlantic of the United States, the most populous part of the country. It’s easy to feel far removed from nature, from history, and from the people that originally inhabited the area. There’s something about Newfoundland though that makes it all seem . . . closer to the bone, more accessible.
Lanse Aux Meadows showed us a window into the Vikings. Fleur De Lys (flower of lilies) showed us the ancient peoples, Dorsets. This is a bustling little town and we’d inadvertently hit it during the Dorset Festival weekend.
The Dorset people inhabited the area between 1100 and 1600 years ago. What drew them to this area were the soapstone cliffs just outside of the present town. Bowls shapes were roughed out in place, chiseled off and then hollowed out and finished. Today the cliffs bear the bowl shaped indentations made by these ancient peoples. It was easy to stand there and picture scaffolding set up along the cliff face, the sound of children as they ran around and talking amongst the adults. The Dorsets traded these items, making this one of the first commercial mining operations in the world.
There are some bowls roughed out but not chiseled off the wall. What interrupted their work? What caused them to abandon this place?
The modern local people didn’t think anything of those strange shapes in the cliffs. Children played and explored there. It was just part of what had always been there. In the early 19990’s archeologist “discovered” the site and began excavating. If you visit there’s a wonderful museum that interprets the Dorset history and early European activities in the area.
Hiking trails lead from in back of the museum past the soapstone cliffs and out to the headland. Reminder – soapstone is slippery! Gorgeous views with whale watching and guillemots with their striking colors – bright orange feet and white wing patches.
Outdoor concert started at 10:30pm! Great music and dancing. Chatted with some local folks and then tumbled into bed. These long daylight hours can be exhausting . . .
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