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At the time of European contact in the 16th and 17th centuries, the historic Calusa were the people of the Caloosahatchee culture. Fish stored in the watercourts likely fed the workers who built the massive palace. The men wore their hair long. This change may have resulted from the people's migration from the interior to the coastal region, or may reflect trade and cultural influences. 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. Map of Calusa territory in Florida. Copy. The Calusa were a Native American tribe that lived hundreds of years ago on the island that is now Mound Key Archaeological State Park. It is recorded that in that year, the Calusa chief formed an alliance with the Spanish governor, Menndez de Avils. Undecorated pottery belonging to the early Glades culture appeared in the region around 500 BC. Conversion would have destroyed the source of their authority and legitimacy. It is why we were ashamed of Bernie Madoff. In 1517 Francisco Hernndez de Crdoba landed in southwest Florida on his return voyage from discovering the Yucatn. Radiocarbon dating of carbonized wood, a deer bone and a shell verified the forts mid-16th-century date. The Calusas as Shell Indians The Calusas are considered to be the first "shell collectors." Shells were discarded into huge heaps. Was this German silver mine really defended by two Roman forts and a line of "spike defenses? It was during this time that the team located the Spanish fort Fort San Antn de Carlos, named for the Catholic patron saint of lost things that historic documents said was built near Caalus house in 1566. Artifacts related to fishing changed slowly over this period, with no obvious breaks in tradition that might indicate a replacement of the population. Little is known about Calusa religion. Additionally, it has been pointed out that tribute was sent to this chief from other tribes in south Florida. THE CALUSA INDIANS OF SOUTHWEST FLORIDA. One ritual was witnessed in which a large procession of masked men came down from a mound accompanied by hundreds of singing women (Goggin and Sturtevant 1964). 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. On that trip, Juan and his mates are said to have been attacked by the Calusa Indians, a large and fearsome group of natives who made their living from the sea. The pelican, wolf, and deer figureheads mentioned here (Figs. Illustrated here, the deer, pelican, wolf, alligator, and sea turtle reveal extraordinary realism, delicacy, and gracefulness of formartistic qualities characteristic of Mississippian Period and earlier ceramic, stone, and wood sculpture excavated in the area and at sites further north (Figs. Diseases would ravage their population and force . The Spanish left less description on what the Calusa women wore. Because the Timucua didn't use money, though, a shaman would be given such items as baskets or turkeys. By about 500 BC, the Archaic culture, which had been fairly uniform across Florida, began to devolve into more distinct regional cultures. The Spanish A research project has finally solved an archaeological mystery in America . In addition, elaborate rituals with synchronized singing and processions of masked priests were also carried out on that occasion. 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. One illustration of the sophistication of the Calusa can be found in eyewitness accounts of an event in 1566. [10][11][12], Mollusk shells and wood were used to make hammering and pounding tools. They also cored sediments on and off the island to help describe and date environmental changes during the sites occupation. "[6] In 1564, according to a Spanish source, the priest was the chief's father, and the military leader was his cousin. The Calusa are said to have been the descendants of Palaeo-Indians who inhabited Southwest Florida about 12000 years ago. However, no evidence of plant food was found at the Wightman site. [4], Between 500 and 1000, the undecorated, sand-tempered pottery that had been common in the area was replaced by "Belle Glade Plain" pottery. 2014-05-02 14:51:47. 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. 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. The chief's house was described as having two big windows, suggesting that it had walls. The Calusa may have been the only ancient people in North America who established a kingdom without practicing agriculture. Each human had three souls, present in his shadow, his reflection in water and in the pupil of his eye. Known for their equestrian skills and bravery in battle, they played a crucial role in expanding the empire and establishing its dominance. [Online]Available at: http://www.funandsun.com/1tocf/inf/nativepeoples/calusa.html, www.sanibelhistory.org, 2016. The Calusa also believed that three supernatural beings ruled the universe. Uniquely, it was powered by fishing, not farming. 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. Most spectacular are 9 carved and painted animal heads, some of which were probably worn as masks or headdresses on ceremonial occasions; others probably functioned as architectural elements. The men of the Calusa are recorded to have been powerfully built, and let their hair grow long. This article first appeared in the magazines fall 2020 issue. The Calusa made bone and shell gauges that they used in net weaving. When combined with historical and archaeological documentation, Cushings finds from Key Marco teach us about the Calusa Indians around the time of contact. And to what extent does the occupational and architectural history speak to broader issues of Calusa complexity? Tabby was later used by the English in their American colonies and in Southern plantations. [15], The Calusa wore little clothing. Favored sites were likely occupied for multiple generations. Now, there is a lot of garbage and misinformation on the Internet no matter what . The Calusa are said to have been a socially complex and politically powerful tribe, and most of southern Florida was controlled by them. 8, 9). One is left only to imagine how lifelike these wooden figureheads must have appeared when used on ceremonial occasions. The Calusa believed that their cacique was not only the leader of their tribe, but also their spiritual leader. 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.
Many smaller tribes were constantly watching for these marauding warriors. (904) 665-0064. By bringing together top experts and authors, this archaeology website explores lost civilizations, examines sacred writings, tours ancient places, investigates ancient discoveries and questions mysterious happenings. Franciscan friar Fray Lopez, director of the unsuccessful 1697 mission attempt, described the Calusa temples as very tall and wide, with a mound in the middle and a structure on the mound enclosed with reed mats and containing benches around the walls. But our work over the past 35 years has shown the Calusa developed a politically complex society with sophisticated architecture, religion, a military, specialists, long-distance trade and social ranking all without being farmers.. The Calusa were one of the few tribes known to be shell collectors. Carlos was succeeded by his cousin (and brother-in-law) Felipe, who was in turn succeeded by another cousin of Carlos, Pedro. ( Public Domain ). A diorama of a Calusa chief in the Florida Museum of Natural History. 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. Office: Old St. Luke's Hospital. 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. In 1954 a dugout canoe was found during excavation for a middle school in Marathon, Florida. Marquardt notes that the Calusa turned down the offer of agricultural tools from the Spanish, saying that they had no need for them. The Calusa tribe once numbered around 50,000 people, and Tampa was one of their largest towns. The fact that the Calusa were fishers, not farmers, created tension between them and the Spaniards, who arrived in Florida when the Calusa kingdom was at its zenith, Thompson said. Because of their reliance on shellfish, they accumulated large shell middens during this period. The priests wore carved masks, which were at other times hung on the walls inside a temple. Cushings excavations brought to light at least 23 wooden masks and figureheads. "Well, every indigenous group around the country has its own unique history and and accomplishments, but I guess what has interested archaeologists and anthropologists generally is that the Calusa managed to become very complex, politically complex," said Marquardt. Hence, the Calusa are sometimes called the Shell People / Indians. 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. Excavation of the watercourts yielded artifacts like cordage that are not normally preserved at archaeological sites. Join CJ as he discusses: The origins of the Calusa Their physical description Their society, hierarchy, and religion Calusa society developed from that of archaic peoples of the Everglades region. The Calusa gathered a variety of wild berries, fruits, nuts, roots and other plant parts. Gainesville: University of Florida Press: Florida Museum of Natural History, 1991. For a long time, societies that relied on fishing, hunting and gathering were assumed to be less advanced, said Marquardt. Menndez left a garrison of soldiers and a Jesuit mission, San Antn de Carlos, at the Calusa capital. Were theonlyPop Archaeology site combining scientific research with out-of-the-box perspectives. The fort is the only Spanish structure built atop a shell mound in Florida. Ivar the Boneless: Viking Warrior, Ruler and Raider, The Irish Story and Legend of C Chulainn, What is Shambhala? The Untersberg is a great mountain straddling the Austro-German border opposite Salzburg. 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. Tabby was an Old World concrete consisting of lime from burned shells mixed with sand, ash, water and broken shells. The chief is said to have entertained the governor in a building so large that it could hold 2000 people in it. How was the Calusa Indian nation organized? 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