Coat of Arms Act Amendments

2. The Coat of Arms depicts two Indigenous people of the Beothuk nation as supporters of the shield (or escocheon). The description refers to “The Escocheon supported by two Savages of the Clyme pper armed and apparaled according to their Guise when they goe to Warre”.

Savage(s) is widely recognized as a racist and derogatory term, originating from its use by white Europeans to demean the Indigenous peoples of North America during colonization. Colonizing language is further demonstrated by the additional description of armament and war, which suggests an unsubstantiated aggressive nature of the Beothuk that may have been used to justify European hostility.

Proposed amended language: “The Escocheon supported by two Beothuk.”