The Excavation of W.H.

Storylines

In 1987, the remains of a sailor were discovered on the coast of Labrador. A skeleton, wrapped in a shroud, buried with an overcoat, a loose key, and a knife with the initials “W.H.” He is believed to have been buried in the 1800s. There are many questions about the man now known as W.H. Who was he? Where was he from? And what brought him to the coast of Labrador 200 years ago? Because W.H.’s remains may be more than a surprising archaeological find. They may point to an untold chapter in Newfoundland and Labrador’s Black history. On this week's Storylines, documentary producer Alisa Siegel weaves together the voices of scientists, historians, and an artist who are trying to unravel the mystery of W.H. To uncover what they can and — in the case of Bushra Junaid, author of “The Possible Lives of W.H., Sailor” — imagine what she can’t.