The Calusa battle Spain over conversion. 3). Their sophistication and fierceness enabled them to resist Spanish domination for some 200 years. Would you like to help support our organization's work with endangered American Indian languages? The priests wore carved masks, which were at other times hung on the walls inside a temple. 215.898.4000. Marquardt and Victor Thompson of the University of Georgia are co-directing research at Mound Key, which has a complex arrangement of shell midden mounds, canals, watercourts and other features. ARTIFACTS & OBJECTS Racoon tail Fish bladder ear decorations Body tattoos Wood spear with bone tip Shell bead necklace Shell pendant Shell bead bracelet Bald Eagle The Calusa were descended from people who had lived in the area for at least 1,000 years prior to European contact, and possibly for much longer than that. Hernando de Escalante Fontaneda, an early chronicler of the Calusa, described "sorcerers in the shape of the devil, with some horns on their heads," who ran through the town yelling like animals for four months at a time. The watercolors illustrate the blue, black, gray, and brownish-red pigments found on many of the wooden specimens. ( Public Domain ), Featured image: Calusa people fishing. Eventually, in the 18th century, slave raids by English from the north, aided by Creek Indians, destroyed what was left of the already declining Calusa population. Those excavations revealed rarely preserved objects of wood, such as masks, figureheads, bowls, and tools, which survived because of the wet environment. 10 They believed that humans had three souls, and that souls migrated to animals after death. Could we find unequivocal architectural evidence that Mound Key was the Calusa capital town, as had long been suggested? (1993). Rituals were believed to link the Calusa to their spirit world ( Art by Merald Clark. They fished and hunted for their food and would catch things like: mullet, catfish, eels, turtles, deer, conchs, clams, oysters, and crabs. A Spanish expedition to ransom some captives held by the Calusa in 1680 was forced to turn back; neighboring tribes refused to guide the Spanish, for fear of retaliation by the Calusa. This site is believed to have been the capital of the Calusa, as well as its military stronghold and ceremonial center. You could hire a shaman and pay for his services. Thegoal of Ancient Origins is to highlight recent archaeological discoveries, peer-reviewed academic research and evidence, as well as offering alternative viewpoints and explanations of science, archaeology, mythology, religion and history around the globe. (Cushing was an anthropologist with the Bureau of American Ethnology, and was well known for his pioneering work at Zuni Pueblo.) It was during this phase of research that the team located and documented the massive kings house, showing it was indeed every bit as impressive as Spanish accounts, which claimed it was large enough to accommodate some 2,000 people. The Calusas were one of the few North American Indian tribes who were ruled by a hereditary king. google_ad_width = 728; They left 1,700 behind. In 1711, the Spanish helped evacuate 270 Indians, including many Calusa, from the Florida Keys to Cuba (where almost 200 soon died). They had a reputation from being a fierce, war-like people, especially among European explorers and smaller tribes. Though questions about the Calusa and the use of some of these artifacts remain unanswered, early eyewitness accounts and ethnohistorical research, together with new archaeological developments in Florida, enhance our understanding of the cultural context within which these objects were made and used. Although his primary interest is in the ancient civilizations of the Near East, he is also interested in other geographical regions, as well as other time periods. Read More. Artist's conception of town chief at the Calusa town of Tampa (present day Pineland) (Art by Merald Clark.) (1964). google_ad_client = "pub-8872632675285158"; Although we cannot be sure what values the masks and animal figureheads held for the Calusa, they may have been markers of clan affiliation, and the animals represented most likely played important roles in Calusa mythology and religion. When Pedro Menndez de Avils visited in 1566, the Calusa served only fish and oysters to the Spanish. Archaeologists have long pondered how the Calusa could have grown to a population of some 20,000 and dominated such a vast region without relying on agriculture. Favored sites were likely occupied for multiple generations. Photograph by Amanda Roberts Thompson, courtesy Florida Museum of Natural History The Calusa also famously resisted colonization and conversion. The Calusa tribe lived along the Gulf Coat and inner waterways; their homes were built on stilts with roofs made from Palmetto leaves; these homes had no walls. The Calusa were a Native American tribe that lived hundreds of years ago on the island that is now Mound Key Archaeological State Park. In 1763, Spain ceded Florida to England and surviving Calusas were taken to Cuba. They formerly held the southwest coast from about Tampa Bay to Cape Sable and Cape Florida, together with all the outlying keys, and extending inland to Lake Okeechobee. Such hierarchy and inequality are generally characteristics of societies that practice agriculture, he observed. The chief organized warfare and possessed special and traditional religious knowledge. Ivar the Boneless was likely the son of legendary Viking king Ragnar Lothbrok, and raided alongside his father and brothers, eventually becoming ruler of York in England in the 9th century AD. When used for fishing or travel from one point to another, these canals must have provided protection from the wind (Blanchard 1989). They were a very innovative and prosperous tribe, and had a number of traditions that set them apart from other tribes in the area. The Iliad can provide new insights on the role of motherhood among the ancient Greek gods, and by extension, amongst ancient mortal Greek women themselves. [24][25], In 1566 Pedro Menndez de Avils, founder of St. Augustine, made contact with the Calusa. support our organization's work with endangered American Indian languages. Gainesville: University of Florida Press: Florida Museum of Natural History, 1991. Calusa society developed from that of archaic peoples of the Everglades region. Reagan restored the Tribes to federal recognition by signing Public Law 98-481. What formation processes resulted in the complex of mounds and other features there? For hundreds of years, the Calusa built a society that had its own government, a religion, and adaptation to the environment that is quite impressive. This lasted until about 1750, and included the historic Calusa people. Their territory was bounded in northwest Florida by the Aucilla and Ochlockonee rivers, and . The soul in the eye's pupil stayed with the body after death, and the Calusa would consult with that soul at the graveside. The missionaries recognized that having a Calusa man cut his hair upon converting to Christianity (and European style) would be a great sacrifice. The Calusa also used spears, hooks, and throat gorges to catch fish. Instead, they fished for food on the coast, bays, rivers, and waterways. "[6] In 1564, according to a Spanish source, the priest was the chief's father, and the military leader was his cousin. The pelican, wolf, and deer figureheads mentioned here (Figs. They collected materials for accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) dating and sediment samples for archaeobotanical and zooarchaeological analysis. AtAncient Origins, we believe that one of the most important fields of knowledge we can pursue as human beings is our beginnings. Since it seems to be working, many people still believe in the legend. Tabby was an Old World concrete consisting of lime from burned shells mixed with sand, ash, water and broken shells. Native American names These massive, rectangular structures built of shell and sediment enclose large areas on both sides of the mouth of Mound Keys great canal, a marine highway nearly 2,000 feet long and about 100 feet wide that bisects the island. Nets were woven with a standard mesh size; nets with different mesh sizes were used seasonally to catch the most abundant and useful fish available. Radiocarbon dating of organic materials associated with the watercourts indicates they were built between A.D. 1300 and 1400, toward the end of a second phase of construction on the kings house. Slaves occupy the lowest level in Calusa society. It was reputed in local legend to be the seat of the god Wotan and to be haunted. At some point of time in their history, this tribe discovered that there was a wealth of fish in the waters, and began to exploit this resource. The chief had many wives: one principal wife and others given to him by surrounding villages. Despite the social complexity and political might that the Calusa attained, they are said to have eventually went extinct around the end of the 18 th century. This is still a popular sport today. Tools for fishing were made of shell, wood, and plant materials and included hooks and spears, nets, net floats and sinkers, cord, and anchors (Fig. "The Calusa: A Stratified, Nonagricultural Society (With Notes on Sibling Marriage)." The Tribes' sovereignty was once again recognized and funding was restored for education, housing and health programs. The Calusa Tribe had a large population and were well-organized. Photo source: Moving to Tampa, Florida Center for Instructional Technology, College of Education, University of South Florida, 2002. For more than 200 years, South Florida's Indians resisted Spanish domination. While there is no evidence that the Calusa had institutionalized slavery, studies show they would use captives for work or even sacrifice. Ravaged by new infectious diseases introduced to the Americas by European contact and by the slaving raids, the surviving Calusa retreated south and east. The finds tell us of Calusa fishing techniques, of the tools used to produce their wooden carvings, of architecture, ceremonialism, and daily life. Expedition Magazine. A team has uncovered the foundations of a large dwelling and this is As Greek mythology goes, the universe was once a big soup of nothingness. THE CALUSA INDIANS OF SOUTHWEST FLORIDA. The Calusa resisted physical encroachment and spiritual conversion by the Spanish and their missionaries for almost 200 years. One of the causes of this was the raids conducted by rival tribes from Georgia and South Carolina. Fish bones and scales recovered from one of the watercourts indicate the Calusa were capturing schooling species such as mullet, pinfish and herring. The researchers used ground penetrating radar and LiDAR to locate and map the forts structures, which they then partially excavated. In the 1700's, infectious diseases, slaving raids and attacks by Creek and Yamasee Indians who were supplied with guns by the English, decimated the Calusa population. Before the arrival of Europeans in the Americas, Indigenous peoples who lived in the same region developed similar cultural traits based on their shared natural environment. By the early 19th century, Anglo-Americans in the area used the term Calusa for the people. To date no one has found a Calusa dugout canoe, but it is speculated that such vessels would have been constructed from cypress or pine, as used by other Florida tribes. The immensity of the kings house, as well as the huge shell mounds and the canals required large amounts of labor and mechanisms to mobilize and to organize that labor that he thinks are indicative of a lower class that worked at the behest of the Calusas elites. The National Geographic has reported that archaeologists have discovered an ancient Native American kings house in Florida. The Calusa built their entire way of life around the ocean and estuaries of the Gulf Coast, creating a vast empire by learning to manipulate their environment. The Spanish A research project has finally solved an archaeological mystery in America . The Calusa Indians, who live in southwest Florida, are weakened by epidemics. The men and boys of the tribe made nets from palm tree webbing to catch mullet, pinfish, pigfish, and catfish. Rituals were believed to link the Calusa to their spirit world (Art by Merald Clark.) And to what extent does the occupational and architectural history speak to broader issues of Calusa complexity? They also cored sediments on and off the island to help describe and date environmental changes during the sites occupation. Calusa Tribe. It seems clear that while the Spaniards wanted strategic control of the region, the Calusa territory provided them with little economic incentive for serious pursuit; they and other Europeans explored more promising regions to the north. The Calusa Indians did not farm like the other Indian tribes in Florida. 5,8,4) traveled this year, in an unprecedented loan of the Key Marco material, to the National Gallery of Art where they were exhibited as part of the Columbian Quincentenary exhibition, Circa 1492: Art in the Age of Exploration. These figureheads will be on display in Philadelphia through 1992 in the Main Entrance of The University Museum. The shell mounds are an example of these remains. Indeed, given the results of recent research, they are now considered one of the most politically complex groups of non-agriculturalists in the ancient world. Chumash Tribe Facts: The Chumash Name Penn Museum 2023 Report Web Accessibility Issues and Get Help / Contact / Copyright / Disclaimer / Privacy /, Report Web Accessibility Issues and Get Help. Credit: Florida Museum of Natural History ). Many people lived in large villages with purpose-built earthwork mounds, such as those at Horr's Island. These Indians were so unfriendly that this was one of the first tribes that Spanish explorers wrote home about in 1513. Return to American Indians for Children The canals were maintained until the mid-1700s, when the tribe disappeared from . From the time of European contact until their ultimate demise from conflict and illness around 1770, the Calusa successfully resisted, albeit with considerable bloodshed, intermittent efforts by Spanish missionaries to convert them to Christianity. And while some people may seem content with the story as it stands, our view is that there existcountless mysteries, scientific anomalies and surprising artifacts thathave yet to be discovered and explained. It appears that the answer is their watercourts, which were discovered back in the 1890s. Calusa beliefs included a trinity of governing spirits. The Calusa Native Americans. American Archaeology cover, featuring Florida Museum illustration by Merald Clark. Openings in the berms likely allowed the Calusa to drive fish into the enclosures for short-term storage, and then they closed those openings with nets and wooden gates. It has been proposed that as fishing was a less time-consuming means of obtaining food than hunting and gathering, the Calusa were able to devote more time to other pursuits, such as the establishment of a system of government. The next day 80 "shielded" canoes attacked the Spanish ships, but the battle was inconclusive. Little is known about Calusa religion. New Evidence Shows Humans Were Using Bows and Arrows in 52,000 BC. It has also been stated that the Spanish were brought into a large temple, where they saw carved and painted wooden masks covering its walls. Because the Timucua didn't use money, though, a shaman would be given such items as baskets or turkeys. Penn Museum, 1991 Web. Unlike most Florida Indian tribes . The fishing nets they used to catch food were made from palm tree fibers. Hernando de Escalante Fontaneda, a Spaniard held captive by the Calusa in the 16th century, recorded that Calusa meant "fierce people" in their language. They were a fierce, independent tribe that lived in southwest Florida as early as 2,000 years ago. Prior surface surveys had revealed Spanish ceramics, beads and other artifacts, but the location of the fort hadnt been determined. [8], Some authors have argued that the Calusa cultivated maize and Zamia integrifolia (coontie) for food. Little is known about Calusa religion. Historically located in northwest Florida, the Apalachee were allied with the Spanish, but maintained their autonomy through political and social traditions. The women were responsible for work around the house, like cooking and raising the children. The Calusa, who had no immunity against such illnesses, were wiped out in large numbers. The Calusa made bone and shell gauges that they used in net weaving. The archaeologists recovered seeds, wood, palm-fiber cordage that likely came from Calusa fishing nets and even fish scales from the waterlogged levels. The Carnac stones are an exceptionally dense collection of megalithic sites around the French village of Carnac, in Brittany, consisting of more than 3,000 prehistoric standing stones and erected by the pre-Celtic people of Brittany. Widmer cites George Murdock's estimate that only some 20 percent of the Calusa diet consisted of wild plants that they gathered. Their language was never recorded. The Calusa Indians, a poorly understood group of bygone Native Americans D Donna Jean Calusa Indians European Explorers University Of South Florida Gulf Coast Florida Spirit World Mexica South Florida People & Environments: The Calusa Domain: Calusa beliefs included a trinity of governing spirits. The Calusa people based most of their diet on seafood. Rogel also stated that the chief's name was Caalus, and that the Spanish had changed it to Carlos. 2). The drove back multiple conquistadors and had control of nearby tribes. Engineering the courts required an intimate understanding of daily and seasonal tides, hydrology and the biology of various fish species, said Thompson. The Calusa are said to have been a socially complex and politically powerful tribe, and most of southern Florida was controlled by them. Previous indigenous cultures had lived in the area for thousands of years. 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