FULL CIRCLE: First Contact
Vikings and Skraelings in Newfoundland and Labrador
A Travelling Exhibit of the Newfoundland Museum

First Contact

In the early summer of the year 1000, Leif Ericson and his crew sailed from Greenland to explore unknown lands. What the Vikings encountered was a vast wilderness, already inhabited by Aboriginal people they called Skraelings.

The FULL CIRCLE: First Contact exhibit recounts the story of Viking and Aboriginal contact at L�Anse aux Meadows. Stunning artifacts made of iron, stone, ivory and wood, finely crafted by Viking and Aboriginal people over one thousand years ago, have been brought from Nordic and Canadian museums to be displayed together for the first time. The exhibit profiles L�Anse aux Meadows, Newfoundland, as the only authenticated Viking settlement in the New World, one which is recognized as both a Canadian National Historic Site and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

One Hundred Thousand Years of Goodbyes

One hundred thousands years ago, our ancestors walked out of their African homeland to explore and settle the rest of the world. The paths they chose were to lead them to all corners of the earth. While some tribes turned left into Europe, others turned right into Asia. It was not long before the descendants of those who turned left ran into the uncrossable barrier of the Atlantic Ocean.

The descendants of those who turned right found a larger world at their feet. The path led them across Asia and to the narrow Bering Strait - the gateway to North America. When these people set foot on the Island of Newfoundland 5,000 years ago, they could not have known that they stood on the other side of the Atlantic barrier.

The Tour

The exhibit will be at the St. John�s Arts and Culture Centre from Friday, June 2 to Sunday, August 6, 2000, and at the Corner Brook Museum and Archives from Friday, August 25 to Monday, October 9, 2000.

FULL CIRCLE is supported by the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, the Government of Canada, the Canada Millennium Partnership Program and the Nordic Council of Ministers.

FULL CIRCLE is presented under the patronage of UNESCO.

Facts and Features

• The exhibit is custom built allowing for a flexible arrangement in a single or series of exhibit halls. It is approximately 2,500 square feet (232 meters).

•  The exhibit consists of five modules.

  Module 1 - Out of Africa
  Module 2 - Crossing the Gap
  Module 3 - First Contact
  Module 4 - Second Contact
  Module 5 - Full Circle

• A total of 250 artifacts will be displayed.

• Visitors will receive a personalized audio unit and head set to guide them through the exhibit. The audio presentation will be delivered by the distinctive voice of Gwynne Dyer. The audio presentation is self-directed, allowing visitors to stop the audio unit at any time to study artifacts and read exhibit text. Visitors will have the option to listen to a French or English version of the Full Circle story.

• The exhibit will take approximately 35 minutes to tour, without interruptions.

• The exhibit will utilize all stage space in the St. John�s Arts and Culture Centre. Additional areas such as the upper concourse, the Pinafore and other rooms will be used for demonstrations, performances and workshops as part of daily public programming for children, families and adults.

• The exhibit will tour North America from November 2000 - October 2003.

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday 10:00-6:00
Thursday, Friday 10:00-9:00
Saturday 10:00-6:00, Sunday 12:00-6:00

Admission (includes HST)

Adults: $5.00 Students and Seniors: $4.00 Children aged six and under: free
Group rates available.
Tickets can be purchased at the St. John�s Arts and Culture Centre Box Office or by calling
1-800-663-9449 or 729-3900.

www.gov.nl.ca/fullcircle

Media contact: Tara Laing, Communications, Tel: (709) 729-3813, Fax: (709) 579-2067

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