The Taking of Demasduit

This map depicts the creator's aunt, Demasduit (one of the last remaining Beothuk people), being captured by the British during an expedition at  Beothuk Lake at the top, and a previous expedition by  David Buchan at the bottom. The map differs from European maps at the time because it focuses less on mathematical scale and more on travel time scale and notable landmarks. Europeans found these maps too simplistic and hard to read, but the maps simply served different purposes than European maps and therefore took different forms. The Taking of Demasduit is not intended to show everything in the area around Beothuk lake but is instead focuses on the story that the creator wanted to tell. The Canadian Encyclopedia notes that “Though not to scale, the topographical detail in Shawnadithit's maps was accurate.”