While archaeologists in Florida have recovered several village sites of Calusa habitation, including burial mounds, shell ridges, canals, and plazas, The University Museums 1896 excavations at Key Marco provided extraordinary clues to our understanding of Calusa ceremonialism and daily life. 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. [2] The Tequesta tribe had only a few survivors by . Circumstantial evidence, primarily from Hernando de Escalante Fontaneda, suggests that all of the peoples of southern Florida and the Tampa Bay area, including the Tequesta, Mayaimi, and Tocobaga, as well as the Calusa, spoke dialects of a common language. The Tribes' sovereignty was once again recognized and funding was restored for education, housing and health programs. In 1569, just three years after the Spanish fort was built, the Calusa attacked a Spanish supply ship, prompting more violence. They had the highest population density of South Florida; estimates of total population at the time of European contact range from 10,000 to several times that, but these are speculative. During the Calusa's reign the Florida coastline extended roughly 60 miles further into the Gulf of Mexico. 10 They believed that humans had three souls, and that souls migrated to animals after death. The Calusa painted their bodies on a regular basis, but there was no report of tattooing among them. [7] The contemporary archeologists MacMahon and Marquardt suggest this statement may have been a misunderstanding of a requirement to marry a "clan-sister". Calusa influence may have also extended to the Ais tribe on the central east coast of Florida. 9). The first Spanish explorers found that these Indians were not very friendly. Historical documents indicate that by the mid-1700s, the dwindling Calusa population had fled to Cuba, or the Florida Keys. [13][11] Artifacts of wood that have been found include bowls, ear ornaments, masks, plaques, "ornamental standards", and a finely carved deer head. 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. For the purposes of this research project I will compare and contrast three specific categories for each tribe in order to show how they were either similar or different from one another. Senquene succeeded his brother (name unknown), and was in turn succeeded by his son Carlos. Additionally, it has been suggested that the population of this tribe may have reached 50000 people at one point of time. Did the Calusa farm? They determined that the enclosures, which were built on a foundation of oyster shells, walled off portions of the estuary, serving as traps and short-term holding pens for fish before they were eaten, smoked, or dried for later consumption. Engineering the courts required an intimate understanding of daily and seasonal tides, hydrology and the biology of various fish species, said Thompson. The Franciscans established a mission there in the late 17th century, but the Calusa evicted them after a few months time. Fontaneda lived with various tribes in southern Florida for the next seventeen years before being found by the Menendez de Avils expedition. A reconstruction of a Calusa home and terraces, on display at the Florida Museum of Natural History. Mound Key Archaeological State Park is a shell midden mound in the Estero Bay that is estimated to have been inhabited over 2,000 years ago. Florida's climate had reached current conditions and the sea had risen close to its present level by about 3000 BC. The Calusa believed that their cacique was not only the leader of their tribe, but also their spiritual leader. 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. 3). The Calusa used wooden dugout canoes to aid them in fishing and for transport. The canals were maintained until the mid-1700s, when the tribe disappeared from . Tracking the Calusa: A Retrospective. The Calusa case also illustrates remarkably sophisticated engagements with, and long-term large-scale management of, coastal and estuarine environments.. Their territory was bounded in northwest Florida by the Aucilla and Ochlockonee rivers, and . The Calusa are said to have been a socially complex and politically powerful tribe, and most of southern Florida was controlled by them. 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. 10 Innovative Medieval Weapons: You Would Not Want To Be At The Sharp End Of These! Philadelphia, PA 19104
Some of the survivors were sent to Cuba by the Spanish, while others may have merged with other Floridian Indians and eventually joined the Seminole tribe. In 1521 Ponce de Len returned to southwest Florida to plant a colony, but the Calusa drove the Spanish out, mortally wounding Ponce de Len. The missionaries recognized that having a Calusa man cut his hair upon converting to Christianity (and European style) would be a great sacrifice. [4], Between 500 and 1000, the undecorated, sand-tempered pottery that had been common in the area was replaced by "Belle Glade Plain" pottery. The Calusa Indians were originally called the "Calos" which means "Fierce People". Miccosukee. 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. Five friars who stayed in the chief's house in 1697 complained that the roof let in the rain, sun and dew. ( Public Domain ), Featured image: Calusa people fishing. They believed in three superior beings, one controlled the weather, the others ruled the welfare of the tribe and warfare. The Calusa used the canals to travel by canoe from their villages and ceremonial centers to coastal trading posts. The Calusa kingdom had an estimated 20,000 people and ranks among the most politically complex groups of hunter-gatherers of the historic world. However, they would suffer the same fate as many of the other Native American tribes. 2014-05-02 14:51:47. . Pottery distinct from the Glades tradition developed in the region around AD 500, marking the beginning of the Caloosahatchee culture. One of the most popular Native American sports was lacrosse. Hernando de Escalante Fontaneda, a Spaniard held captive by the Calusa in the 16th century, recorded that Calusa meant "fierce people" in their language. As Cushing noted and as more recent studies have revealed, they dug extensive waterways or canals (sometimes as large as 4 feet deep, 20 feet wide, and 3 miles long) that crossed Key Marco and the rest of the region. Artist's conception of town chief at the Calusa town of Tampa (present day Pineland) (Art by Merald Clark.) When the Spanish arrived in Florida in the early 16 th century, the Calusa were already in possession of a complex centralized government. Warriors killed all the adult men. Well-preserved nets, net floats, and hooks were found at Key Marco, in the territory of the neighboring Muspa tribe. One illustration of the sophistication of the Calusa can be found in eyewitness accounts of an event in 1566. What is the origin of the legend of the Christed Son who was born of a virgin on December 25th? The Calusa king Caalus, perched high on his throne in his grand house, watched as Pedro Menendez de Aviles, the first governor of La Florida, arrived with his entourage. 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. The Calusa wove nets from palm-fiber cord. Some of these masks had moving parts that used pull strings and hinges so that a person could alter the look of a mask while wearing it. One example of a shell mound can be found at a site known as Mound Key at Estero Bay in Lee County. 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 Calusa may have been the only ancient people in North America who established a kingdom without practicing agriculture. The chief's house was described as having two big windows, suggesting that it had walls. 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. Marquardt quotes a statement from the 1570s that "the Bay of Carlos in the Indian language is called Escampaba, for the cacique of this town, who afterward called himself Carlos in devotion to the Emperor" (Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor). The research team uncovered a network of post holes and foundation trenches that indicate a large structure measuring about 80 feet long and 65 feet wide covered the summit of the islands highest hill. By the early 19th century, Anglo-Americans in the area used the term Calusa for the people. 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. In 1954 a dugout canoe was found during excavation for a middle school in Marathon, Florida. Historic documents say the Calusa then set fire to Mound Key and fled the island, which also prompted the Spanish to leave. And to what extent does the occupational and architectural history speak to broader issues of Calusa complexity? The archaeologists were surprised to discover the Spanish used a primitive shell concrete known as tabby to stabilize the wall posts of their wooden structures. Gainesville: University of Florida Press: Florida Museum of Natural History, 1991. google_ad_height = 15;
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. After A.D. 1000, the Calusa began to grow in size and complexity, wielding their military might, trading widely and collecting tribute along those trade routes that extended for hundreds of miles. We could not anticipate the extraordinary preservation of organic materials down below the water table, Marquardt noted. Calusa beliefs included a trinity of governing spirits. [Online]Available at: http://www.calusalandtrust.org/who_were_the_calusa/who_were_the_calusa.htm, Ripley, K., 2016. The Calusa lived from at least A.D. 1000 up to the middle of the 18th century in what are now southwest Floridas Lee, Charlotte, and Collier counties. They had lived in the region since the 3rd century BCE (the late Archaic period of the continent ), and remained for roughly 2,000 years, [1] By the 1800s, most had died as a result of settlement battles, slavery, and disease. Fontaneda was shipwrecked on the east coast of Florida, likely in the Florida Keys, about 1550, when he was thirteen years old. Penn Museum, 1991 Web. They believed in three superior beings, one controlled the weather, the others ruled the welfare of the tribe and warfare. Soon after the discoveries, Donald funded archaeological mapping of . Mudlarker Finds Bronze Age Shoe on a UK Riverbank Dated 2,800 Years Old! The Calusa (said to mean fierce people ) are a Native American tribe that once inhabited the southwestern coast of Florida. Tabby, also called tabbi or tapia, is made by burning shells to create lime, which is then mixed with sand, ash, water and broken shells. Large earthen mounds and ridges, accessed by canals, are believed to have been associated with Calusa ritual. Calusa means "fierce people," and they were described as a fierce, war-like people. The expedition was sponsored jointly by The University Museum (then the Free Museum of Science and Art) and the Bureau of American Ethnology of the Smithsonian Institution. By contrast, at an inland site, Platt Island, mammals (primarily deer) accounted for more than 60 percent of the energy from animal meat, while fish provided just under 20 percent. Index of Indigenous languages
We do not fully understand the complexities of what happened to them.
Diseases would ravage their population and force . [8], The Calusa caught most of their fish with nets. If a Calusa killed such an animal, the soul would migrate to a lesser animal and eventually be reduced to nothing.[18]. Soon 20 war canoes attacked the Spanish, who drove off the Calusa, killing or capturing several of them. The National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C. Photo by Alina Zienowicz . Dominican missionaries reached the Calusa domain in 1549 but withdrew because of the hostility of the tribe. In 1711, the Spanish helped evacuate 270 Indians, including many Calusa, from the Florida Keys to Cuba (where almost 200 soon died). This site is believed to have been the capital of the Calusa, as well as its military stronghold and ceremonial center. The Calusa gathered a variety of wild berries, fruits, nuts, roots and other plant parts. Calusa beliefs included a trinity of governing spirits. [3] Some Archaic artifacts have been found in the region later occupied by the Calusa, including one site classified as early Archaic, and dated prior to 5000 BC. Detailed analysis and AMS dates led us to the realization that the structure went through at least three phases of building activity over several centuries, the earliest phase dating to around A.D. 1000.. The Iroquois, on the other hand, placed the shaman at the head of all things spiritual. Each human had three souls, present in his shadow, his reflection in water and in the pupil of his eye. A dozen words for which translations were recorded and 50 or 60 place names form the entire known corpus of the language. Their sophistication and fierceness enabled them to resist Spanish domination for some 200 years. An anonymous account mentions an autumn ceremony in which dancers wore animal masks (Coggin and Sturtevant 1964). Rituals were believed to link the Calusa to their spirit world ( Art by Merald Clark. While thousands of Calusa people were enslaved, about 270 people, including Calusa nobles, escaped to the Keys where, after the last raid by the Creeks on May 17, 1760, the surviving 60-70. The chief also married women from subject towns and allied tribes. "They had an established religion. Office: Old St. Luke's Hospital. (*) denotes earlier century Calusa language records. What was the calusa Indians religion? 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. Fowler Williams, .Lucy"The Calusa Indians: Maritime Peoples of Florida in the Age of Columbus" Expedition Magazine 33.2 (1991): n. pag. 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. 3000 BC of hunter-gatherers of the neighboring Muspa tribe each human had three souls and! 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