Five friars who stayed in the chief's house in 1697 complained that the roof let in the rain, sun and dew. The Calusa artifacts discovered on Marco Island date from 300 AD to 1500 AD, prior to European contact in Florida. As noted in an early 1566 acecount, Pedro Menendez de Aviles, a Jesuit missionary in charge of an early and unsuccessful attempt to convert the tribe to Christianity, was welcomed by the principal leader of the Callus with a large meal consisting only of many kinds of boiled, roasted, and raw fish (Goggin and Sturtevant 1964). Although each tribe and region was different, the division of labor between men and women was generally similar across most of the Native American tribes. The Southeast is one of 10 culture areas that scholars use to study the Indigenous peoples of the United States and Canada. It is likely there are descendants of the Calusa living among the Native American people of Florida and in Cuba today., In terms of Mound Key, much more can be learned about the Spanish fort and mission, the relations between the Calusa and the Spaniards and the earlier, pre-contact occupations of the island, Marquardt said. Though not all have survived, carvings included a sea turtle, alligator, pelican, fish-hawk, owl, bear, crab, wolf, wildcat, mountain lion, and a deer, many of which were painted black, white, gray-blue, and brownish-red. The Calusa, who had no immunity against such illnesses, were wiped out in large numbers. The Calusa persisted for another century in isolation, but eventually succumbed to slave raids by Creek Indians from the north and exposure to diseases they brought. They are a tribe. Their territory ranged from Tampa Bay south to the Ten Thousand Islands and as far east as Lake Okeechobee. The men of the Calusa are recorded to have been powerfully built, and let their hair grow long. Artist's conception of town chief at the Calusa town of Tampa (present day Pineland) (Art by Merald Clark.) Diseases would ravage their population and force . [15], The Calusa wore little clothing. The National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C. Photo by Alina Zienowicz . Escampaba may be related to a place named Stapaba, which was identified in the area on an early 16th-century map. We could not anticipate the extraordinary preservation of organic materials down below the water table, Marquardt noted. The Chilling Mystery of the Octavius Ghost Ship, What is a Wendigo? Additionally, it has been pointed out that tribute was sent to this chief from other tribes in south Florida. The Calusa were a fascinating Native American people who populated the southwestern coast of Florida. By Paul Brinkmann. The Calusa were a Native American tribe that inhabited the southwest coast of Florida. The Calusa believed that the three souls were the pupil of a person's eye, his shadow, and his reflection. The chief lived in the main village at the mouth of the Miami River. The women were responsible for work around the house, like cooking and raising the children. Calusa political influence and control also extended over other tribes in southern Florida, including the Mayaimi around Lake Okeechobee, and the Tequesta and Jaega on the southeast coast of the peninsula. The chief also married women from subject towns and allied tribes. The story of the Calusa during the Spanish occupation of La Florida is a complicated one, said Thompson. Join CJ as he discusses: The origins of the Calusa Their physical description Their society, hierarchy, and religion The Calusa painted their bodies on a regular basis, but there was no report of tattooing among them. In 1954 a dugout canoe was found during excavation for a middle school in Marathon, Florida. Philadelphia, PA 19104 The first phase of work included the creation of a detailed topographic map of the island using LiDAR, which gave archaeologists information about its structures and geography. 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. Calusa means "fierce people," and they were described as a fierce, war-like people. 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. support our organization's work with endangered American Indian languages. Ivar the Boneless: Viking Warrior, Ruler and Raider, The Irish Story and Legend of C Chulainn, What is Shambhala? Uniquely, it was powered by fishing, not farming. The Calusa gathered a variety of wild berries, fruits, nuts, roots and other plant parts. This article is good but it does not provide any data related to the status of the Calusa people at the first arrival of Spaniards in 1513 leaded by Juan Ponce de Leon, its "discoverer". The chief's house was described as having two big windows, suggesting that it had walls. One example of a shell mound can be found at a site known as Mound Key at Estero Bay in Lee County. They were one of the first tribes in South Florida and they settled near Biscayne Bay in the present-day Miami area. The men wore their hair long. Darcie A. Macmahon and Dr. William H. Marquardt, an expert on the Calusa, have written a fascinating book that brings to life a group of people who disappeared from Florida in the 1700s. The pelican, wolf, and deer figureheads mentioned here (Figs. Native American names It has been speculatively identified as Calusa in origin. "Florida Indians of Past and Present", in Carson, Ruby Leach and, Goggin, John M., and William C. Sturtevant. The archaeology of the Calusa is important worldwide in that it illustrates the development of very pronounced hierarchy, inequality, monumentality and large-scale infrastructure by hunter-gatherer-fisher societies, said Chris Rodning of Tulane University, who was not involved with this research. 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. Although many others survived the shipwreck, only Fontaneda was spared by the tribe in whose territory they landed. 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. 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. Their sophistication and fierceness enabled them to resist Spanish domination for some 200 years. Artifacts related to fishing changed slowly over this period, with no obvious breaks in tradition that might indicate a replacement of the population. It is clear the Calusa possessed an extraordinary understanding of and sensitivity to their natural environment. The watercolors illustrate the blue, black, gray, and brownish-red pigments found on many of the wooden specimens. The Shell People. 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 Calusa people's diet consisted mainly of fish and shellfish from the Gulf of Mexico and its many waterways. Lucy Fowler Williams is Keeper of Collections for the American Section. By around 5000 BC, people started living in villages near wetlands. Were theonlyPop Archaeology site combining scientific research with out-of-the-box perspectives. The drove back multiple conquistadors and had control of nearby tribes. Native American tattoos Undecorated pottery belonging to the early Glades culture appeared in the region around 500 BC. Calusa Religion Birdseye View of Calusa The sun deity appears to have been a universal creator. What was the calusa Indians religion? We seek to retell the story of our beginnings. [23], The Pnfilo de Narvez expedition of 1528 and the Hernando de Soto expedition of 1539 both landed in the vicinity of Tampa Bay, north of the Calusa domain. Prior surface surveys had revealed Spanish ceramics, beads and other artifacts, but the location of the fort hadnt been determined. The Tequesta (tuh-KES-tuh) were a small, peaceful, Native American tribe. 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 [7], The Calusa diet at settlements along the coast and estuaries consisted primarily of fish, in particular pinfish (Lagodon rhomboides), pigfish (redmouth grunt), (Orthopristis chrysoptera) and hardhead catfish (Ariopsis felis). Tabby was an Old World concrete consisting of lime from burned shells mixed with sand, ash, water and broken shells. The first recorded contact between the Calusa and Europeans was in 1513, when Juan Ponce de Len landed on the west coast of Florida in May, probably at the mouth of the Caloosahatchee River, after his earlier discovery of Florida in April. It's one of Florida's most popular destinations for its turquoise coast and laid-back vibe. The Calusa are said to have been a socially complex and politically powerful tribe, and most of southern Florida was controlled by them. "They had an established religion. The Calusas were one of the few North American Indian tribes who were ruled by a hereditary king. 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. Descriptions of the principal town of Calos, probably located on Mound Island in Estero Bay (roughly 50 kms north of Key Marco), were first recorded by Spanish missionaries in 1586. In 1711, the Spanish helped evacuate 270 Indians, including many Calusa, from the Florida Keys to Cuba (where almost 200 soon died). The Legend of the Calusa Many people believe that the Calusa made a trip to Cuba in their canoes and traded with the Mayans. Rituals were believed to link the Calusa to their spirit world ( Art by Merald Clark. 4-8). Cushings knowledge of American Indian culture, and specifically his experiences at Zuni Pueblo, helped him make rapid judgments about objects which in many cases were disintegrating before him. Instead, they fished for food on the coast, bays, rivers, and waterways. "Calusa". This site is believed to have been the capital of the Calusa, as well as its military stronghold and ceremonial center. [14], The Calusa lived in large, communal houses which were two stories high. The Calusa are said to have been a socially complex and politically powerful tribe, and most of southern Florida was controlled by them. The Calusa case also illustrates remarkably sophisticated engagements with, and long-term large-scale management of, coastal and estuarine environments.. He was also attacked by the Calusa. The heir of the chief wore gold in an ornament on his forehead and beads on his legs. They believed in three superior beings, one controlled the weather, the others ruled the welfare of the tribe and warfare. Calusa ceremonies included processions of priests and singing women. We do not fully understand the complexities of what happened to them. 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. Now, there is a lot of garbage and misinformation on the Internet no matter what . 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. One of Cushings crew members, Wells M. Sawyer, was an artist and photographer; he painted lifelikewatercolors and took field photos of many of the specimens as they came from the mud. (Cushing was an anthropologist with the Bureau of American Ethnology, and was well known for his pioneering work at Zuni Pueblo.) While a few Calusa individuals may have stayed behind and been absorbed into the Seminole, no documentation supports that. The Horsemen of Oyo were legendary warriors who served the Oyo Empire of West Africa. The lifestyle of the Calusa was leisurely, and they enjoyed numerous celebrations and feasts, many of which were connected to religious ceremonies at which lavish meals were prepared. They collected materials for accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) dating and sediment samples for archaeobotanical and zooarchaeological analysis. Previous indigenous cultures had lived in the area for thousands of years. Miccosukee. Native Americans of the California Coast: The Chumash By Damian Bacich The Chumash are a widespread group of California native people who lived along the southern California coast and the Santa Barbara Channel Islands. While estimates vary, their population probably numbered between 4,000 and 10,000. Figuring out how to shore up the walls of wooden buildings using a very early kind of tabby architecture is impressive and represents creative thinking and ingenuity in an unfamiliar and challenging setting, said Marquardt. Photo source: Moving to Tampa, Florida Center for Instructional Technology, College of Education, University of South Florida, 2002. Mudlarker Finds Bronze Age Shoe on a UK Riverbank Dated 2,800 Years Old! 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. Calusa society developed from that of archaic peoples of the Everglades region. Carlos was succeeded by his cousin (and brother-in-law) Felipe, who was in turn succeeded by another cousin of Carlos, Pedro. They were a fierce, independent tribe that lived in southwest Florida as early as 2,000 years ago. [1], Early Spanish and French sources referred to the tribe, its chief town, and its chief as Calos, Calus, Caalus, and Carlos. Man in Peru Caught Out Drinking With an 800-year-old Mummy! Different tribes had different names for the sport including . Southeastern Archaeology, 33(1), 124. This tribe of Indians controlled most of Southwest Florida and created an elaborate network of canals, homes, and government. A new study says Florida's Calusa tribe built fish enclosures to amass surplus food, allowing its society to flourish and build structures such as the king's manor on Mound Key . The chief had many wives: one principal wife and others given to him by surrounding villages. The men wore deerskin breechcloths. Archaeological and historical documentation reveal that Calusa society was highly structured, with individuals living in fixed settlements surrounding a large central town. While there is no evidence that the Calusa had institutionalized slavery, studies show they would use captives for work or even sacrifice. They had three specific deities that they believed their cacique interpreted for. The Calusa leader, Calus (called Carlos II by the Spaniards), agrees to accept a Jesuit missionary among his people, but the Calusa refuse to . People began creating fired pottery in Florida by 2000 BC.[3]. 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. Rituals were believed to link the Calusa to their spirit world (Art by Merald Clark.) 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. The Calusa kingdom was eventually devastated by European diseases as well as slave raids by enemy tribes. MacMahon, Darcie A. and William H. Marquardt. Rituals were believed to link the Calusa to their spirit world (Art by Merald Clark.) Image by Pat Payne for American Archaeology. They had a reputation from being a fierce, war-like people, especially among European explorers and smaller tribes. The leaders included the paramount chief, or "king"; a military leader (capitn general in Spanish); and a chief priest. The Calusa men were tall and well built with long hair. Penn Museum 2023 Report Web Accessibility Issues and Get Help / Contact / Copyright / Disclaimer / Privacy /, Report Web Accessibility Issues and Get Help. Cushings excavations took place along the coast. The Calusa kingdom had an estimated 20,000 people and ranks among the most politically complex groups of hunter-gatherers of the historic world. 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.. This class was supported by commoners, who provided them with food and other material goods. Calusa society developed from that of archaic peoples of the Everglades region. [9] There is also evidence that as early as 2,000 years ago, the Calusa cultivated a gourd of the species Cucurbita pepo and the bottle gourd, which were used for net floats and dippers. (1964). At the top of the hierarchy was the chief, who had control over the life and death of his subjects, and was believed to have the ability to communicate with the spirits. What did the Calusa tribe believe in? He had a council which may have included one or more head priests and one or two high-ranking individuals involved in political and religious decision-making. But Widmer argues that the evidence for maize cultivation by the Calusa depends on the proposition that the Narvez and de Soto expeditions landed in Charlotte Harbor rather than Tampa Bay, which is now generally discounted. They were supported by the labor of the majority of the Calusa. Excavation of the watercourts yielded artifacts like cordage that are not normally preserved at archaeological sites. The Calusa had an established religion and practiced human sacrifice, and many temples were found built upon mounds. 2). By the early 19th century, Anglo-Americans in the area used the term Calusa for the people. 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