Some say the Newfoundland breed is said to be descended from a mix of the native Indian dogs of the Beothuk tribe living in Newfoundland many centuries ago, others say that the Newfoundland Dog is descended from the Pyrenean Mastiff and the Mastiff type dogs brought by the Vikings, who were believed to have been the earliest European visitors to the Eastern coast of the North American continent. However the Newfoundland came to be, he is well known historically as a working dog of the country of Newfoundland, having been used for centuries as a fisherman's helper, bringing in the nets full of fish from the sea and pulling the carts full of fish to the local villages.