Apr 05 2009
Pre-Civilization of the Iles-de-la-Madeleine
Civilized history of the Iles-de-la-Madeleine is considered to have started with the coming of the French and English explorers from the ‘Old World’. Anytime before that, it is considered ‘Pre-history’.
Not regarding the millions of years of geographical evolution, historians have considered the possibility of the Viking, Lief Erikkson (Eric the Red) exploring the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. It is now known that the Vikings had a settlement at L’Anse aux Meadows, in northern Newfoundland, around the year 1000AD. It is thought that Thorvald Erikkson, Leif’s brother, traveled down the Strait of Belle Isles to the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, where he had been shot and killed by a native arrow. Later another brother, Thorstein followed the same route to try and find the body of his brother. He failed to do so, but….
Some butternut shells from trees that were not available in the area, were found when the settlement was excavated, which led the scientists to believe that the Vikings probably sailed south as far as Nova Scotia, returning with among other things, the nut shells that did not decay with time. Who can confirm that the Vikings never tried to explore the Magdalen Islands wealth?
There is no proof that the Vikings arrived on the shores of the Archipelago. But the North American natives, the Inuits, Eskimoes, Beohuks (NFLD), Sourisquois and the Mi’kmacs certainly did know of the Islands. They called them the MEWQUIT or MENQUIT and their presence on the Archipelago were confirmed by recent archeological studies. Entry Island, Amherst and Grand Entry all had tools, fragments and artifacts proclaiming their presence.
The Gulf of Saint Lawrence was a reservoir consisting of incomparable food and the means of transportation doesn’t pose an real problems since the MicMac, among others, made their own crafts. The question is, why would they risk such a dangerous voyage for richness that could be found everywhere along the shores of East America.
Perhaps the answer lies with the sea cow (Walrus). Theses animals could only be found on the islands, even in the days long before the coming of civilization.
For the next five hundred years, the entire coast of eastern Canada had been visited by various explorers and sailors coming to exploit the great wealth they found. But documented data is scarce. John Cabot had claimed the New world (Canada) for the King of England. In 1507, a world map, compiled in Rome, shows the eastern coast of Canada, including Hudson Bay. It is almost certain that these explorers came through the center of the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
The Basques, the Normand and the Breton fishermen from France had most certainly known of the islands and the existence of the fishing grounds, the coves and the natural harbours which are numerous. It is unknown how long they were here before the explorers came. But, since when does a fisherman reveal where he made his fortune. 
