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NEWFOUNDLAND-A COAT OF MANY COLORS......PART 1


Culture was once described as “what sticks” in a nation or land. But it is more subtle than that.

Imagine if historical origins, heritage, government, economics, religion, food, music, art, entertainment, recreation, geology, climate, flora and fauna, language, traditions, and festivals were each a thread of yard of a different color. Then imagine these threads combined into a beautiful wool coat that could be wrapped around oneself on a cold winter evening. It is the final effect created by the interaction of each individual thread with each other that creates the culture of a region. Take out one thread and something is lost, take out too many and the description fails. Look at only one thread and the coat is gone.

During our two month stay in Newfoundland or the “Rock” as it is called by native born Newfoundlanders, and Labradorans, (while each is a distinct area, Newfoundland and Labrador are now considered as one province), Sara and I were touched by each of these threads. We felt the warmth and security of the coat called Newfoundland. As one tour book said, “Getting there is the easy part; it’s leaving that is so difficult.” What follows is an attempt through text and pictures to describe each of the threads as we experienced them.

Who the first human dwellers of Newfoundland were is hotly contested. Archeological artifacts from several locations indicate that aboriginal people had been roaming on the island over 9000 years. The first were probably the Dorset and Groswater Paleo-Eskimo by evidence unearthed at Port Au Choix on the northwestern shore. The Inru and Inuit native peoples, along with several others including the Beothuk, and the Thule, came to Labrador and Newfoundland in pursuit of the caribou and many of their descendents still live in the rural areas.

The first Europeans were the Vikings and their settlement at L’Anse aux Meadows is one of the most researched sites in North America. The Norse era from 90-1066 A.D began with the landing of Leif Ericson from Greenland. At the site there is a museum and replica of a Viking village including boathouse, church, pottery workshop and iron forge. The Vikings called their new land Vinland, not because of grapes, but because of the lush meadow grasses in the area. Iron ore allowed for the forging of many tools and weapons, a first in North America and many are on display at the museum. Sara and I opted out of the village with its many costumed interpreters due to cost and lateness of the day. The Vikings themselves stayed less than three generations and why they left remains a mystery.

Over the next 1000 years Newfoundland was the home for many different Europeans. English, French, Irish, Spanish, Portuguese and Basques all came and left their mark on the island. The attraction was the fruits of the sea and stories that you could pull buckets filled to the brim with cod spread across Europe. It was John Cabot who was given credit for discovery in 1497 and in 1583 Sir Humphry Gilbert officially claimed the island for the Crown to making Newfoundland Britain’s first overseas colony. That claim would be contested for the next 200 years. Stories of whales so thick you could walk on the water on their backs brought the Basques to Red Bay in Labrador, so named because the sea ran red with the blood of thousands of whales slaughtered there. This was a cruel and beautiful land for its early visitors and few were expecting to stay, but stay they did, and left behind stories of hardship, love, and perseverance. As Sara and I traveled “the Rock” there was not a cove, a cliff, a harbor or building without a story or legend behind it, and names of the places reflect the rich heritage brought to the island by its early settlers. But it was the British who prevailed for control of the island and at the Battle of Signal Hill, which marked the end of the Seven Year’s War in 1762, the British retook the city of St John’s from the French and have retained control of Newfoundland ever since.

Sara and I walked the steep cliffs of Signal Hill and marveled at the tremendous advantage the French had in control of the harbor. From the gun batteries overlooking the narrows, anything bigger than a row boat could have been blown out of the water. Talk about “shooting ducks in a barrel”. While on Signal Hill we toured the building where Marconi received the first wireless message from England. By the way, the message was the letter “S” in code and consisted of a few clicks in a burst of static.

We also watched a performance of the Signal Hill Tattoo, an internationally known award winning historical program. We were thrilled by the echo of cannons, mortars and musket fire and stirred by tunes of the Fife and Drum Band. His Majesty’s Royal Newfoundland Regiment of Foot and the 27th Company, 2nd Battalion-Royal Regiment of Artillery in their tall bear skin hats and colorful uniforms, fought a mock battle with the French. The name Tattoo comes from the military tradition of shutting off the beer keg taps or “tiptoe” at the end of the evening. Tiptoe became tattoo which led to taps and now you know the rest of the story. The performance was voted one of the 100 best in North American by an International Tour Company and is a must see. We marveled at the precision and color. And then it dawned on me. The British didn’t take back St John’s by sea but by land. And sure enough that is how it happened. They landed north of St John’s and surprised the French, taking back Newfoundland with less than 30 casualties on both sides. The French fleet was able to escape under a heavy fog, but the Island would forever be British.

While the prospect of being subjects of the British Crown may not have set well with all the people of Newfoundland, particularly the Irish, the next 175 years saw relative calm. It was a time of great immigration, particularly from southwest England and southeast Ireland. Due to the isolation of the island, families kept tightly intact as did the language and traditions. Loyalty to the mother country was evident during both world wars when thousands of the youth of Newfoundland fought and died for the sake of England. Newfoundland was an independent British colony with its own governor and government house. It had its own currency, stamps and flag. Anyone not native born was referred to as a “Mainlander” and the distain for any interference from the rest of Canada and the federal government in Ottawa became legendary. Every aspect of the Newfoundland life reflected this attitude. Particularly the music, with lyrics that include “Don’t come where we’re at, Stay where you do” or “Oh the sea, the sea, the beautiful sea, Long may she roam between people and me, And everyone should get down on one knee, and thank the Lord, we are surrounded by sea.” But not all Newfoundlanders saw the Mainland as evil.

Joseph Robert Smallwood, the first premier of Newfoundland, was convinced that the island’s future could only be realized by joining the Confederation and becoming a Canadian province. Armed with his fierce oratorical style and classic bow tie, and 22 years experience as the premier, he stormed the island in a series of debates that resulted in an island wide referendum in 1948. The vote was close with 51% in favor and 49% opposed. Many claimed that there was never a referendum in Newfoundland where so many votes came from the graveyards. Smallwood, who died in 1991, was considered a traitor by many and a hero by nearly the same number. While Sara and I were in Newfoundland, the local papers were still debating the decision made over 59 years earlier. Unbelievable. The lyrics of a popular folksong sum up the feelings of many Newfoundlander’s today.

Cheap tea and molasses they say they will give,
All taxes take off that the poor man may live;
Cheap nails and cheap lumber our coffins to make,
And homespun to mend our old clothes when they break.

If they take off the taxes how then will they meet,
The heavy expense of the country's up-keep?
Just give them the chance to get us in the scrape,
And they'll chain us as slaves with pen, ink, and red tape.

Would you barter the right that your fathers have won,
Your freedom transmitted from father to son?
For a few thousand dollars of Canadian gold,
Don't let it be said that your birthright was sold.

Now under control of the federal government in Ottawa, Newfoundland was in 1992 dealt a blow that would send the province reeling and to this day, many feel that the Island will never recover. To understand the significance of the Cod Fishing Moratorium of 1992 imagine this. Suppose the Federal Government in Washington DC told the farmers of Iowa and Kansas that they could no longer grow corn or wheat, the winemakers of California that they could no longer grow grapes, the citrus growers of Florida to stop growing oranges or the dairy farmers of Wisconsin that cows could no longer be milked, and you have some idea of the impact of the fishing moratorium.

Cod was king for hundreds of years in the Grand Banks off of Newfoundland, and suddenly the fishing industry was gone The irony is that the Newfoundland fishermen, for the most part, were not to blame for the total destruction of the fishery. Traditional fishing methods were with hooks and line in small boats in a procedure called “jigging”. Many cod fishermen were “long liners”. A long main line was wrapped around a small tub with secondary lines leading off. A hook was attached to each secondary line and baited. Then a buoy was set with the first tub line attached. The process was repeated by attaching the line to from the first tub to the second and so on. The line was left in the water for a time and then the process reversed with the fish being removed as the lines were brought in. But these methods had one thing in common, The fish had to be hungry. Then came cod traps, an ingenious invention of floats, nets and weights, increased the take by literally having the cod catch themselves. But it was the trawlers and mega trawlers that destroyed the fishing grounds off Newfoundland. Several mega trawlers capable of removing 200 tons of cod an hour brought their massive catches to a central factory ship for processing. Most of these factory boats were from foreign countries like Russia, Japan and China, and their nets took not only the cod but everything in their path. It is a little like lumbering with a bulldozer. You knock down everything in sight, scraping the earth bare and plucking out the few trees that are valuable, discarding the rest. This destruction was done in the ocean by the trawlers but the results are the same. You not only take most of the cod, but more importantly, you destroy the very environment they are so dependent on.

The Cod Fishing Moratorium was too little too late and most people believe the cod will never recover. The government in Ottawa extended the territorial fishing rights from 12 miles to 200, but with no standing Navy, Canada can do little to enforce the restriction. Many Newfoundlanders believe the illegal fishing goes on everyday.

60,000 people out of a total population of 500,000 lost their jobs with one stroke of the pen, and most Newfoundlanders are still embittered. Some cod fishing is again being allowed on a very limited basis, along with haddock, halibut, pollock, turbot and capelin. Crab, lobster and shrimp fisheries also exist, but with strict limits and quotas. To fully appreciate the state of the fisheries, one must understand what is needed to be a commercial fisherman in Newfoundland. First, you need a license, a piece of paper that says what you can fish, where and how much you can take. These licenses are often for sale on the Internet and can run as high as $500,000, dependent on location and types of catch allowed. This gives you the right to fish. Then you need a boat, a crew, equipment and fuel. By the time you get all that, it would take three lifetimes just to pay off your debt. Any wonder the young people of Newfoundland are moving off island in search of work. Evidence of the Moratorium abounds in villages throughout Newfoundland in rusting hulls, vacant canneries and abandoned fishing wharfs, shouting out to all that will listen, “I told you so, and you wanted to be Canadian!!! Finally, consider that one half of all the light crude oil produced in Canada comes from wells off the coast of Newfoundland and little wonder that the term “Mainlander” is not a term of endearment.

Another thread in the coat that is Newfoundland is its religion. Nearly every village, regardless of size or location has a church. Most are Anglican because when Newfoundland became a British possession, Queen Elizabeth declared all public worship to be according to the rites of the Church of England. The Irish would love that, huh. Finding a Catholic church, particularly in the rural areas, is truly a task. The churches in rural Newfoundland are mostly Anglican; all seem to be white with high steeples and rarely a sign indicating the schedule of services. While in St John’s we visited both the Anglican Cathedral and the Catholic Basilica. Both were namesakes of St John the Baptist but that is where the similarities end. The Catholic Basilica displays an Irish heritage of utilitarianism with gray stone, twin square towers and an altar situated in the front. Tiers of pew on the sides of the altar seem to display the changes required by Vatican II with a certain degree of reluctancy. The Cathedral had all the trappings of an English house of worship with altar somewhat separated from the worshipers by a section of tiered balconies for the choir and organ pipes on both sides. The lectern was perched high above the pews at the end of a long spiral staircase. The whole of Newfoundland is dominated by the Church of England, and we enjoyed visiting both houses of worship on the same day.

One of the most colorful threads in the coat that is Newfoundland is its food. The original cuisine is based on a tradition of self sufficiency. Keep in mind that before the construction of the final leg of the Trans Canadian Highway across the island, the people of Newfoundland were dependent on rough roads, many still are, and supply boats to bring basic food stuffs. A ferry ride of 6 hours from the Mainland is still involved to reach the highway. Most houses had a root cellar and the preservation of the fruits of the land and the sea were a major part of everyday life.

There were caribou, moose and seal to be hunted, the meat salted or canned, fish, usually cod, to be caught and dried. Vegetable gardens were planted with potatoes, cabbage, turnips, carrots and other fast growing root crops. Newfoundland is a land of berries which have for centuries been a mainstay of the diet. There are partridgeberries, blueberries, raspberries, gooseberries and probably the most famous, bakeapples. Bakeapples are the hardest to pick and a gallon tub can bring as much as $80 at market. These berries were picked during the summer and fall, and would tide people over with much needed vitamins, helping to prevent disease. The berries were used for baking in muffins or cakes, and for the many jams, jellies, spreads or for immediate use in pies, tarts, grunts and crisps. The are sold at roadside stands throughout the providence. We tied the bakeapple jam and it was delicious. Bakeapples are a bit like a raspberry but with a richer and more elegant after taste

With these basic ingredients the people created recipes you never heard of with names you will never forget. Try Flipper Pie, Colcannon or Bubbles and Squeak, Pea Soup and Doughboys, Salt Fish and Brewis, Bottled Moose, Lassie Bread, Toutons, and Cod Tongues and Cheeks. Of course, no meal would be complete without a dish of Trifles, Figgy Duff or Blueberry Grunt. But probably the most famous of all dishes on the Island is Jigg’s Dinner which is a tradition at any Newfoundland “Scoff”. And now for the translations.

Flipper Pie is made by soaking seal flippers in baking soda to turn the fat white for easy removal, then cutting the meat in chunks and baking them in a pie crust; reportedly tastes like roast beef, well fishy roast beef. (Didn’t try it)

Colcannon is a traditional dish of the Irish and West Scots. It is a combination of mashed potatoes, butter, salt, and often contains kale, leeks, onions, chives or garlic. (Tried it and liked it)

Pea Soup and Doughboys is a home made soup from home grown dried peas. Dollops of dough are dropped into the boiling soup and served as a dumpling. Folklore says the hotter the soup, the better the Doughboys (Tried it and loved it)

Salt fish and Brewis was a traditional Sunday morning breakfast before the collapse of the cod fishery. Brewis(Brew) is hard bread or ship’s biscuit, made with flour and water and no salt. It keeps for months and must be soaked in hot liquids to be eaten easily. Is is boiled with salt cod and covered with scrunchins which are cubes of fat-back pork, fried goldened brown and tossed over the brewis, fat and all. No calories there. (Didn’t try it)

Bottled Moose has variations such as Bottled Rabbit, Bottled Seal or Bottled Caribou. Take chunks of raw meat of any of the above, place in a jar, add a bit of salt and fill with water, seal and boil under water for 4 hours. It’s Newfoundland’s version of SPAM and has been a stable for hundreds of years. (Didn’t try it but saw it for sale in a few remote food stores)

Lassie Bread is a heavy bread made with an abundance of molasses to keep it from spoiling. It is often placed on both sides of a thick slab of home made bologna, a staple of the Island to this day. When not served with bologna, Lassie Bread is often dunked in soup. (Didn’t try it)
Toulans are a type of fry bread usually made during the morning of bread making day by dropping large dollops of fresh bread dough in a boiling pot of pork fat. Cooked to a golden brown they are a staple and no calories there huh! (Didn’t try it)

Cod cheeks and tongues are usually fried. The cheeks are the sculps or jowls on the side of the cod’s head. They are the “tenderloin of the cod” and delicious. (tried them and loved them) Cod tongues are another matter. They are the actual tongue of the cod and are an acquired taste. Somewhat chewy, there isn’t much meat, more like a little sack of fish attached to a tough but edible piece of cartilage. Served to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth on a 1998 visit to Newfoundland, no one knows if she liked them. (We didn’t, tried them)

Traditional desserts include Trifles, Figgy Duff or a Grunt. Trifles is a layered dessert made with solidified custard, fruit, sponge cake, jelly and whipped cream. No calories there. The fruit and cake are usually on the bottom with the custard and cream on top. A shot of Port sweet Sherry is poured over the serving to make a delightful dessert. (Tried it, liked it)

Figgy Duff is a steamed bread pudding that is actually made by placing flour,
bread crumbs, molasses, raisins, baking soda and a variety of spices such as ginger, allspice, cinnamon and salt in a cloth bag and boiling it hot water until it reaches a hard to describe consistency. (Tried it, ah, sort of liked it) The Molasses Coady topping made of molasses, water, butter and vinegar helped,but not enough.

And now for the famous Jigg’s Dinner. The origin of the name is a source of controversy. Some claim Jigg’s comes from a popular comic strip Jigg’s and Maggie, about a hen pecked husband and wife in constant battle but most probably the name comes from the fact that the meal is traditionally served at a served at kitchen parties or dances where everyone took to the floor to do a jig or two. Into a large pot of water, cabbage, potatoes, carrots, turnips, and salt or corned beef are boiled together with each ingredient added at a prescribed time in the cooking process. A cloth bag of split yellow peas are hung over the side to add flavor and create a side dish. Sometimes onions are also used. When the pot is deemed done, the peas are removed and mashed, seasoned and covered with butter. Jigg’s dinners are so popular due to the availability of all the ingredients close by and its low cost. Left overs were often ground into a hash like meal and served over and over. (Tried it, loved it) Don’t leave the “Rock” without trying a Jigg’s dinner.

Since the completion of the Trans Canada Highway from the East to West coast in July of 1963 and improvements to some secondary roads, (most are still gravel) the few cities over 2,000 in population have relatively modern grocery stores. Prices are high as most foodstuffs must still be brought to the Island by either ship or air. With modernization of the distribution system, however, the enviable fast food chains have begun to appear. How the people of Newfoundland seem to have embraced them. Tim Horton’s have become the combined Dunken Donuts, McDonalds, Pizza Hut of the Island. They are sprouting up everywhere and the parking lots are always full. We tried the restaurants on several occasions and found the food, greasy, gooey and way over prices.

With the abundance of fresh sea food including lobster, cod, halibut, salmon, trout, and haddock, Sara and I cooked most of our meals at home in the RV. A bit of olive oil and a squirt of lemon and dill can turn any one of these delicacies of the sea in to delight to the palate with little effort. And quite frankly, we find some of the Newfoundland fare a bit heavy and often bland. Maybe it is an English tradition, but most pastries seem to taste as though some critical ingredient is missing and is meant to be covered with a huge gob of jelly and a spot of tea. We still think scones are terrible and we have tried them many times. Bon apetit!!!

To be continued………………………..Part II Language, Flora and Fauna, Geography, Natural Attractions, Music, Festival and Traditions.