Europeans sailed west across the Atlantic Ocean seeking a passage to Asia and access to new resources.
The collapse of the Byzantine Empire in 1453 drastically reduced the flow of luxury goods from Asia to Europe. Europeans sought new trade routes to India and the Far East.
At about the same time, the depletion of Europe’s offshore fish stocks drew Europeans seeking new resources far out into the Atlantic. New concepts of geography, improved navigational aids and ocean-going ships made these voyages possible. Europe was on the move.
In the 1500s, Basque whalers used rowboats called chalupas to pursue and kill their prey. Then, they towed the whales to shore stations where their blubber was rendered into oil. Loaded into barrels, the oil was carried back to Europe at the end of the whaling season. Archaeologists have conducted extensive excavations on the shore and under the waters of Red Bay harbour in southern Labrador. They have uncovered evidence of whaling techniques and the difficult lives of whalers.
Map showing whaling activities (detail)Pierre Desceliers, 1546
Library and Archives Canada, NMC 40461
Basques at Red BayCanadian Geographic
Model of the San Juan de PasajesGalleons like the San Juan, which sank in Red Bay in the mid-1500s, were dependable ocean-going ships that allowed Europeans to sail to all parts of the world.
Model by Fred Werthman, 1990s
CMH, 2002.8.1
Reconstruction of a Basque whaling station in Labrador around 1580Francis Back, 1990s
CMH, S99-11197
Basque artifacts from Red Bay, Labrador, about 475 to 450 years ago
Basque artifacts1- Barrel stave, wood, Parks Canada, 24M18N34-32
2- Roof tiles, ceramic, The Rooms, EkBc-1:9559 a-c, 25548 a-d
3- Harpoon head and ferrule, iron, The Rooms, EkBc-1: 10724g, 4995
Jar, earthenwareParks Canada, 24M200N6-2
Tuque, woolParks Canada, 24M198Q2-1
Shoe, leatherParks Canada, 24M903F4-1
Trade and Kidnapping
Direct contact between First Peoples and Europeans in the early 1500s appears to have been limited to coastal regions. These encounters could be dangerous for First Peoples. There is documented evidence of Indigenous captives being brought to Europe by force and paraded through city streets. Archaeological findings also reveal that First Peoples trade networks carried European goods over long distances inland.
“Before the white man was first seen in this island, the Indian head-chief . . . spoke to his people, saying, ‘Look out! Something is coming across the waters . . . Its body is white and its eyes are blue.’” – Star Young, Wyandotte, 1911
“Seven men were taken from [Newfoundland] to Rouen . . . They were the colour of soot, with big lips and tattooed faces . . . They have no religion, and their boats are made from the bark of a tree. . . They walk around naked or dressed in animal skins.” – Henri Estienne, 1512
Inuit brought to EuropeAugsburg Poster, 1567
Zentralbibliothek Zurich, Switzerland, INVNR: 000003366
Possible axe blade fragment, ironMantle site, Ontario, 500 to 450 years ago
CMH, AlGt-334:M5
Needle case, boneRoebuck site, Ontario, 500 to 450 years ago
CMH VIII-F:10192
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Photo at top of page:
Map showing whaling activities (detail)
Pierre Desceliers, 1546
Library and Archives Canada, NMC 40461