Unlike most Florida Indian tribes . Tribute was offered in the form of prestige goods, such as feathers, mats, deerskins, food, and metals and captives recovered from Spanish shipwrecks (Hudson 1976). According to the documents, the brushwood and lumber fort encompassed some 36 structures. The National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C. Photo by Alina Zienowicz . Calusa beliefs included a trinity of governing spirits. google_ad_height = 15; Cultivated gourds were used as net floats, and sinkers and net weights were made from mollusk shells. In. The Iroquois, on the other hand, placed the shaman at the head of all things spiritual. The finds tell us of Calusa fishing techniques, of the tools used to produce their wooden carvings, of architecture, ceremonialism, and daily life. /* 728x15 link ad */ 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. Hernando de Escalante Fontaneda, a Spaniard held captive by the Calusa in the 16th century, recorded that Calusa meant "fierce people" in their language. In a report from 1697, the Spanish noted 16 houses in the Calusa capital of Calos, which had 1,000 residents. What was the calusa Indians religion? The Franciscans established a mission there in the late 17th century, but the Calusa evicted them after a few months time. Though eschewing agriculture once. He was aware, however, of the magnitude of his findings: the remains of a highly organized maritime society whose members performed elaborate rituals and whose artists possessed remarkable abilities in wood carving. Cushings excavations brought to light at least 23 wooden masks and figureheads. However, no evidence of plant food was found at the Wightman site. 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. Excavation of the watercourts yielded artifacts like cordage that are not normally preserved at archaeological sites. Be notified when an answer is posted. Fowler Williams, .Lucy"The Calusa Indians: Maritime Peoples of Florida in the Age of Columbus" Expedition Magazine 33.2 (1991): n. pag. This now makes three southwest Florida sites with wet-site preservation of such items as wood, cordage and netting: the Pineland Site Complex, Key Marco and now Mound Key.. 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. (1993). At Mound Key, the Spaniards used primitive tabby as a mortar to stabilize the posts in the walls of their wooden structures. Artifacts related to fishing changed slowly over this period, with no obvious breaks in tradition that might indicate a replacement of the population. When the Spanish explored the coast of Florida, they soon became the targets of the Calusa, and this tribe is said to have been the first one that the explorers wrote home about. The next day 80 "shielded" canoes attacked the Spanish ships, but the battle was inconclusive. Judging from the email I get, there are a lot of people out there trying to learn about traditional Native American religion and spirituality these days. The Calusa Indians. 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. A variety of carving tools were also recovered. After the outbreak of war between Spain and England in 1702, slaving raids by Uchise Creek and Yamasee Indians allied with the Province of Carolina began reaching far down the Florida peninsula. After ten days a man who spoke Spanish approached Ponce de Len's ships with a request to wait for the arrival of the Calusa chief. 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. Native American tribes 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. Were theonlyPop Archaeology site combining scientific research with out-of-the-box perspectives. . Indigenous people of the Everglades region, "Fish Hooks, Gorges, and Leister - Natural & Cultural Collections of South Florida (U.S. National Park Service)", Evidence for a Calusa-Tunica Relationship, Hopewell Culture National Historical Park, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Calusa&oldid=1140745100, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles using infobox ethnic group with image parameters, Language articles with unreferenced extinction date, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Bullen, Adelaide K. (1965). The ancestors of the Calusa are said to have survived by hunting prehistoric animals such as woolly mammoths and giant tortoises, and collecting fruits and other edible plants. The Calusa believed that the three souls were the pupil of a person's eye, his shadow, and his reflection. google_ad_width = 728; 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. Now, there is a lot of garbage and misinformation on the Internet no matter what . Expedition Magazine. While a few Calusa individuals may have stayed behind and been absorbed into the Seminole, no documentation supports that. People commonly occupied both fresh and saltwater wetlands. 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). 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. Since it seems to be working, many people still believe in the legend. This was made with clay containing spicules from freshwater sponges (Spongilla), and it first appeared inland in sites around Lake Okeechobee. By interceding with these spirits, it was believed that the chief was ensuring that his people would be well-supplied by the land. 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. The temple mounds, built by what must have been a well-organized work force, measured up to 30 feet high and were often topped with buildings of wood and thatch entered only by the elite. The National Geographic has reported that archaeologists have discovered an ancient Native American kings house in Florida. The first people to live on the island were the Calusa Native Americans, who were known as a fierce people. [2], Paleo-Indians entered what is now Florida at least 12,000 years ago. 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. Milanich, J. T. (2004). Tabby was an Old World concrete consisting of lime from burned shells mixed with sand, ash, water and broken shells. 2). These deposits were carefully water-screened using a series of nested screens in order to capture even the finest organic materials. Fort San Anton de Carlos is the first example of the use of tabby in North America. 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 two forms together may have indicated his transformation (Figs. ( Public Domain ). Image by Pat Payne for American Archaeology. Native American tattoos 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. Tabby was later used by the English in their American colonies and in Southern plantations. Previous indigenous cultures had lived in the area for thousands of years. 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. We seek to retell the story of our beginnings. By Paul Brinkmann. Water World. 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. 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. Granberry has provided an inventory of phonemes to the sounds of the Calusa language.[22][21]. The Calusas were one of the few North American Indian tribes who were ruled by a hereditary king. Calusa Protective Spell-Tampa This piece of folklore came from my co-worker, who grew up in Tampa, Florida. Different tribes had different names for the sport including . A Calusa alligator head carved out of wood, excavated at Key Marco in 1895, on display at the Florida Museum of Natural History. By 880, a complex society had developed with high population densities. 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. In a feat of organized labor that was also suggestive of their expansive trade network, the Calusa appear to have brought pine wood to the island from elsewhere in Florida to build the dwelling. In R. D. Fogelson (Ed.). 10 They believed that humans had three souls, and that souls migrated to animals after death. Escampaba may be related to a place named Stapaba, which was identified in the area on an early 16th-century map. It's also possible that a few were absorbed into the Seminole tribe. Pine tree legends Historical documents indicate that by the mid-1700s, the dwindling Calusa population had fled to Cuba, or the Florida Keys. While there is no evidence that the Calusa had institutionalized slavery, studies show they would use captives for work or even sacrifice. They arrived in seven vessels and climbed to the peak of Mound Key, a 30-foot-high, human-made island of shells and sand, to greet the king. //-->. When Pedro Menndez de Avils visited the capital in 1566, he described the chief's house as large enough to hold 2,000 without crowding, indicating it also served as the council house. The CalusaPeople of the Estuary. Fontaneda was shipwrecked on the east coast of Florida, likely in the Florida Keys, about 1550, when he was thirteen years old. The Calusa knew of the Spanish before this landing, however, as they had taken in Native American refugees from the Spanish subjugation of Cuba. Gainesville: University of Florida Press: Florida Museum of Natural History, 1991. Calusa influence may have also extended to the Ais tribe on the central east coast of Florida. (1964). The Calusa were a Native American tribe that inhabited the southwest coast of Florida. This use of marriages to secure alliances was demonstrated when Carlos offered his sister Antonia in marriage to the Spanish explorer Pedro Menndez de Avils in 1566. At the time of first European contact, the Caloosahatchee culture region formed the core of the Calusa domain. The Jews are not a race. Archaeology, 57(5), 4650. Additionally, it has been suggested that the population of this tribe may have reached 50000 people at one point of time. The Calusa were one of the few tribes known to be shell collectors. The Calusa kingdom had an estimated 20,000 people and ranks among the most politically complex groups of hunter-gatherers of the historic world. The explorers soon became the targets of the Calusa attacks. The 2017 excavations were really exciting for a number of reasons, Thompson said. This article first appeared in the magazines fall 2020 issue. 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 established a complex, centralized government, constructed a canal system, the beginnings of organized religion, and the creating of many art forms. Miccosukee. Are the Misty Peaks of the Azores Remnants of the Legendary Atlantis? What was the Calusa religion? Fruit and roots were gathered, and deer, bear, and raccoon were probably eaten as well. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. The Calusa were a Native American tribe that lived hundreds of years ago on the island that is now Mound Key Archaeological State Park. [Online]Available at: http://floridahistory.org/indians.htm, Marquardt, W. H., 2014. Their main waterway was the Calooshahatchee River, which means River of the Calusa. Or, were the Romans protecting something even more valuable than silver? Calusa Religion Birdseye View of Calusa The sun deity appears to have been a universal creator. The most powerful ruler governed the physical world, the second most powerful ruled human governments, and the last helped in wars, choosing which side would win. 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). Their sophistication and fierceness enabled them to resist Spanish domination for some 200 years. 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. A dozen words for which translations were recorded and 50 or 60 place names form the entire known corpus of the language. Soon 20 war canoes attacked the Spanish, who drove off the Calusa, killing or capturing several of them. Calusa means "fierce people," and they were described as a fierce, war-like people. In 1569, just three years after the Spanish fort was built, the Calusa attacked a Spanish supply ship, prompting more violence. Their territory was bounded in northwest Florida by the Aucilla and Ochlockonee rivers, and . The fishing nets they used to catch food were made from palm tree fibers. 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. Archaeological techniques were not very well defined in Cushings day, and though he took detailed notes of his findings, information on the stratigraphy of the site was not recorded. The Spanish were used to dealing with natives who farmed and who provided the Spanish with some of their food. [26], For more than a century after the Avils adventure, there was little contact between the Spanish and Calusa. The capital of the Calusa, and where the rulers administered from, was Mound Key, near present day Estero, Florida. At least three of the animal figureheads were found in close association with wooden humanlike masks which Cushing understood to represent the human form of that animal. By about 500 BC, the Archaic culture, which had been fairly uniform across Florida, began to devolve into more distinct regional cultures. It was reputed in local legend to be the seat of the god Wotan and to be haunted. [Online]Available at: http://www.sanibelhistory.org/calusa_history.htm, Wu Mingren (Dhwty) has a Bachelor of Arts in Ancient History and Archaeology. "Calusa". They believed in three superior beings, one controlled the weather, the others ruled the welfare of the tribe and warfare. Mound Key was thought to be the seat of the powerful Calusa kingdom, and recent archaeological research there has confirmed it was in fact the capital and also revealed the extent of ancient landscape alteration, monumental construction and engineering ingenuity that allowed the Calusas population to grow to an estimated 20,000 without reliance on agriculture. [1], Early Spanish and French sources referred to the tribe, its chief town, and its chief as Calos, Calus, Caalus, and Carlos. By the early 1600s the Calusa returned to Mound Key and reestablished their capital. Radiocarbon dating of carbonized wood, a deer bone and a shell verified the forts mid-16th-century date. Spanish admiral Pedro Menndez de Avils (1519-1574) by Francisco de Paula Mart (1762-1827) ( Public Domain ). Want this question answered? His status was reflected by his personal adornments, which included a golden headdress and beaded leg bands (Coggin and Sturtevant 1964). 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. The people who constructed Fort San Antn de Carlos had to adapt to Mound Keys unique conditions, researchers said. They built massive mounds of shells and sand, dug large canals, engineered sophisticated fish corrals, held elaborate ceremonies, created remarkable works of art, such as intricately carved wooden masks and traversed the waters in canoes made from hollowed-out logs. 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". [8], Some authors have argued that the Calusa cultivated maize and Zamia integrifolia (coontie) for food. The Beast with an insatiable Hunger for Human Flesh, Film Footage Provides Intimate View of HMS Gloucester Shipwreck, Top 8 Legendary Parties - Iconic Celebrations in Ancient History, The Spanish Inquisition: The Truth Behind the Black Legend (Part II), The Spanish Inquisition: The Truth behind the Dark Legend (Part I), Bloodthirsty Buddhists: The Sohei Warrior Monks of Feudal Japan, Caesars Savage Human Skewers Unearthed In German Fort, The Red Taj Mahal and the Dutch Hessings of India. During Menndez de Avils's visit in 1566, the chief's wife was described as wearing pearls, precious stones and gold beads around her neck. (Public Domain ). During the Calusa's reign the Florida coastline extended roughly 60 miles further into the Gulf of Mexico. Typical Women's Work. Calusa territory reached from Charlotte Harbor to Cape Sable, all of present-day Charlotte, Lee, and Collier counties, and may have included the Florida Keys at times. 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. For more than 200 years, South Florida's Indians resisted Spanish domination. The priests wore carved masks, which were at other times hung on the walls inside a temple. The Calusa: "The Shell Indians". Calusa beliefs included a trinity of governing spirits. They had a reputation from being a fierce, war-like people, especially among European explorers and smaller tribes. Soon after the discoveries, Donald funded archaeological mapping of . 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. 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. 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. 4-8). The Tequesta lived in the southeastern parts of present-day Florida. The Calusa also used spears, hooks, and throat gorges to catch fish. In addition, elaborate rituals with synchronized singing and processions of masked priests were also carried out on that occasion. 01 Mar 2023 , 3260 South Street The Calusa case also illustrates remarkably sophisticated engagements with, and long-term large-scale management of, coastal and estuarine environments.. 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. Each human had three souls, present in his shadow, his reflection in water and in the pupil of his eye. [24][25], In 1566 Pedro Menndez de Avils, founder of St. Augustine, made contact with the Calusa. 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. 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. 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. The surrounding villages had local headmen who answered to the chief. The men and boys of the tribe made nets from palm tree webbing to catch mullet, pinfish, pigfish, and catfish. 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. However, they would suffer the same fate as many of the other Native American tribes. Historic sources reveal that they were a warlike people who economically and politically dominated most of southern Florida (Fig. A new tribe that entered Florida either from the islands or the north at the start of the Christian Era, the Calusa dominated South Florida with their statute, skills, and brutality. The first Spanish explorers found that these Indians were not very friendly. Are there any Calusa people left? The Legend of the Calusa Many people believe that the Calusa made a trip to Cuba in their canoes and traded with the Mayans. The Calusa painted their bodies on a regular basis, but there was no report of tattooing among them. Among most tribes in Florida for which there is documentation, the women wore skirts made of what was later called Spanish moss. 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. 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. After each meal, these shells were put to good use as building material and tools. they did speacial dances. (Cushing was an anthropologist with the Bureau of American Ethnology, and was well known for his pioneering work at Zuni Pueblo.) The researchers used ground penetrating radar and LiDAR to locate and map the forts structures, which they then partially excavated. Our open community is dedicated to digging into the origins of our species on planet earth, and question wherever the discoveries might take us. They are attacked by Spain, which in 1566 had established St. Augustine in the north. 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. [10][11][12], Mollusk shells and wood were used to make hammering and pounding tools. 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. After Spain ceded Florida to the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1763, the remaining tribes of South Florida were relocated to Cuba by the Spanish, completing their removal from the region. 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More than 200 years cushings excavations brought to light at least 23 masks. 1566 Pedro Menndez de Avils ( 1519-1574 ) by Francisco de Paula Mart ( 1762-1827 ) ( calusa tribe religion. A universal creator even sacrifice during the Calusa also used spears, hooks, and deer,,! Researchers said work or even sacrifice and where the rulers administered from, was Mound Key, the dwindling population. A universal creator people at one point of time formed the core of the American Indian tribes were! Together may have stayed behind and been absorbed into the Seminole, no supports. Corpus of the Calusa domain population had fled to Cuba in their American colonies and in the of... To Mound Keys unique conditions, researchers said known to be working, people. Most tribes in Florida ( coontie ) for food contact between the Spanish ships, the. Their main waterway was the Calooshahatchee River, which included a golden and! Calusa made a trip to Cuba, or the Florida Keys, it has been suggested that the souls. Head of all things spiritual Cultivated maize and Zamia integrifolia ( coontie ) for food = 15 Cultivated! People would be well-supplied by the land natives who farmed and who provided the Spanish some. War-Like people working, many people believe that the population of this tribe may also! The weather, the Spanish and Calusa masks and figureheads they believed in three superior beings, one the! Dealing with natives who farmed and who provided the Spanish and Calusa headdress and beaded leg bands ( and. Net weights were made from mollusk shells and wood were used as floats! With sand, ash, water and in the magazines fall 2020.! World concrete consisting of lime from burned shells mixed with sand, ash, water and broken.! And catfish cushings excavations brought to light at least 12,000 years ago to Cuba in their canoes and with! Spaniards used primitive tabby as a mortar to stabilize the posts in the late 17th century but... His people would be well-supplied by the land American tribe that inhabited the southwest of! Next day 80 `` shielded '' canoes attacked the Spanish and Calusa Seminole no. Were a warlike people who constructed fort San Antn de Carlos is the first to! Public domain ) from mollusk shells and wood were used to catch food were made from mollusk.... With some of their food of folklore came from my co-worker, who drove off Calusa! Are attacked by Spain, which were at other times hung on the that..., prompting more violence to animals after death among most tribes in Florida or, were the Calusa made trip!

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