Costumed interpreter stiching at L’Anse aux Meadows

A costumed interpreter sits by the fire while mending clothing.

The archaeologists found a spindle whorl and a broken needle made of bone. Both of these tools would have been handy for making and repairing sail cloth, as well as the clothes that made life in cold northern climates bearable and since this was generally women’s work in Norse society at that time, it lends credibility to references in the sagas about women traveling to Vinland. In fact, one saga describes a woman, Gudrid, giving birth - the first European baby born in North America!