Qalipu man pushing for sweeping changes to landmarks honouring Beothuk killers in N.L.

A Qalipu man is renewing calls to have the name of a mountain in central Newfoundland changed, arguing it's named after a settler infamous for the death of Beothuk — and says name changes in the province shouldn't stop there.

Keith Cormier, a member of Qalipu First Nation, says it's not clear how Mount Peyton — originally known by the English as Blue Mountain Tolt — became a nod to John Peyton, a "known killer" born in 1749.

"Why would we have the name of anything of someone who was so prolific in the supposed extermination of a race of people?" Cormier said.

"We got to get this changed. We got to get this done now."

Peyton was part of the group of men who murdered Nonosabusut and kidnapped his wife Demasduit, one of the last known Beothuk, in 1818, in retribution for alleged theft. 

Cormier says the recent unveiling of a memorial statue at Beothuk Lake to Demasduit and her family prompted his latest crusade to have Peyton's name struck from the nearby Newfoundland landmark.

"Something came over me. I just started to weep," he said. "All that could come out of my mouth was, 'I'm sorry.'"

Assembly of First Nations leadership is on board with his proposal, Cormier says.

"How can we possibly move forward in the spirit of truth and reconciliation if we don't help the government understand that these are some of the steps they have to take?" he said.

"We can't change the history, but we can change the narrative going forward."

The push follows several major official name changes in recent years. The government of Newfoundland and Labrador renamed the former Red Indian Lake to Beothuk Lake in 2021, altered the description of the provincial coat of arms because it alluded to Beothuk figures using a racial slur and has renamed Discovery Day to June Holiday.

Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture Minister Gerry Byrne said Monday that the provincial government is "actively considering" changing the name of Mount Peyton, but couldn't give a solid timeline for when that might happen.

Byrne said a resident had already formally applied to the Newfoundland and Labrador Geographical Names Board last year to change the name of Mount Peyton to Blue Mountain.

That request, according to Byrne, was forwarded to Indigenous Affairs. The next step, he says, is a consultation process.

"This is a serious, serious issue," Byrne said, adding the geographical names board now includes an Indigenous names working group to tackle requests as they arise.

Cormier says he hopes the province will decide to tackle name changes en masse, rather than only renaming one thing at a time.

"Look to the leadership in Nova Scotia," he said. "They have gone full bore renaming places … it can be done."

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