One of the causes of this was the raids conducted by rival tribes from Georgia and South Carolina. The chief had many wives: one principal wife and others given to him by surrounding villages. In the winter of 1896, Frank Hamilton Cushing began archaeological excavations in southwest Florida. 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.. 215.898.4000. 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. They began preliminary investigations of the fort, which was located on Mound 2 and housed one of the first Jesuit missions established in the U.S. 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. Diseases would ravage their population and force . 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). 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. Fish bones and scales recovered from one of the watercourts indicate the Calusa were capturing schooling species such as mullet, pinfish and herring. [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. One illustration of the sophistication of the Calusa can be found in eyewitness accounts of an event in 1566. The Calusa people were an important tribe of Florida. Milanich, Jerald. [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). 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. Additionally, it has been suggested that the population of this tribe may have reached 50000 people at one point of time. Around A.D. 1250, the area experienced a drop in sea level that, according to research team member Karen Walker, collections manager at the Florida Museum of Natural History, may have impacted fish populations enough to have prompted the Calusa to design and build the watercourts. The Calusa Indians did not farm like the other Indian tribes in Florida. Julian Granberry has suggested that the Calusa language was related to the Tunica language of the lower Mississippi River Valley. In April of that year he made landfall and, calling this new territory La Florida, claimed it for the Spanish Crown. When the chief formally received Menndez in his house, the chief sat on a raised seat surrounded by 500 of his principal men, while his sister-wife sat on another raised seat surrounded by 500 women. 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 king, or head chief, was an absolute ruler. 2014-05-02 14:51:47. 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. Native American tribes Archaeological and historical evidence indicates the Calusas primary source of food was the sea, and virtually all evidence suggests they did not practice agriculture. Some of the "Spanish Indians" (often of mixed Spanish-Indian heritage) who worked at the fishing camps likely were descended from Calusa.[29]. In 1513 Spanish conquistador Juan Ponce de Leon sailed northwest from the island of Hispaniola (now Haiti and the Dominican Republic) with a three-year royal contract to discover rich lands thought to lie in that direction. A diorama of a Calusa chief in the Florida Museum of Natural History. The Spanish reported that the chief was expected to take his sister as one of his wives. Pine tree legends 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. Warriors killed all the adult men. Ancient Chinese Earthquake Detector Invented 2,000 Years Ago Really Worked! The drove back multiple conquistadors and had control of nearby tribes. Menndez married Carlos' sister, who took the baptismal name Doa Antonia at conversion. Image by Pat Payne for American Archaeology. The Calusa also used spears, hooks, and throat gorges to catch fish. 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. [Online]Available at: http://fcit.usf.edu/florida/lessons/calusa/calusa1.htm, Florida Museum of Natural History, 2016. They also claimed authority over the tribes of the east coast, north to about Cape Canaveral. 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 Caloosahatchee culture inhabited the Florida west coast from Estero Bay to Charlotte Harbor and inland about halfway to Lake Okeechobee, approximately covering what are now Charlotte and Lee counties. The Calusa were a tribe of Native Americans known as the "Shell Indians" and some of the first Floridians. Fowler Williams, .Lucy"The Calusa Indians: Maritime Peoples of Florida in the Age of Columbus" Expedition Magazine 33.2 (1991): n. pag. The first Spanish explorers found that these Indians were not very friendly. Historically located in northwest Florida, the Apalachee were allied with the Spanish, but maintained their autonomy through political and social traditions. Large earthen mounds and ridges, accessed by canals, are believed to have been associated with Calusa ritual. By around 5000 BC, people started living in villages near wetlands. 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. All his subjects had to obey his commands. This answer is: Study guides. In 1987, the Tribe approved a constitution and began to lay the groundwork for a self-sufficiency plan. Furthermore, new diseases such as smallpox and measles were introduced into the area by European explorers. The Calusas as Shell Indians The Calusas are considered to be the first "shell collectors." Shells were discarded into huge heaps. When Pedro Menndez de Avils visited in 1566, the Calusa served only fish and oysters to the Spanish. Many smaller tribes were constantly watching for these marauding warriors. The Calusa battle Spain over conversion. Instead, they fished for food on the coast, bays, rivers, and waterways. They had a reputation from being a fierce, war-like people, especially among European explorers and smaller tribes. South Florida Archaeology and Ethnography, South Florida Archaeology & Ethnography Collection. The Calusa artifacts discovered on Marco Island date from 300 AD to 1500 AD, prior to European contact in Florida. 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. Widmer cites George Murdock's estimate that only some 20 percent of the Calusa diet consisted of wild plants that they gathered. 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 priests wore carved masks, which were at other times hung on the walls inside a temple. [28] Cuban fishing camps (ranchos) operated along the southwest Florida coast from the 18th century into the middle of the 19th century. In a report from 1697, the Spanish noted 16 houses in the Calusa capital of Calos, which had 1,000 residents. Like the Calusa, the Tequesta were devastated by European diseases. The Caloosahatchee Region". The Calusa resisted physical encroachment and spiritual conversion by the Spanish and their missionaries for almost 200 years. Unlike most Florida Indian tribes . Along the southwest Gulf coast lived the Calusa (Caloosa) Indians. The first people to live on the island were the Calusa Native Americans, who were known as a fierce people. We began with a basic set of questions, said Marquardt. 2). His status was reflected by his personal adornments, which included a golden headdress and beaded leg bands (Coggin and Sturtevant 1964). The Calusa wove nets from palm-fiber cord. The men were responsible for work away from the home, like hunting and raiding. Calusa society developed from that of archaic peoples of the Everglades region. 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. The women were responsible for work around the house, like cooking and raising the children. The Calusa king initially allied himself with Menendez, hoping to gain an advantage over his rivals elsewhere in the Florida peninsula.. Apart from that, shells are said to have been used by the Calusa to make all sorts of things, including tools, jewelry, utensils, and even spearheads for fishing and hunting. 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. 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. In his second voyage, Ponce de Leon received a poisoned arrow that hounded his tight and he died in Cuba the same year in 1521.His decease is attributed to Calusa people. Map of Calusa territory in Florida. They were one of the first tribes in South Florida and they settled near Biscayne Bay in the present-day Miami area. The Calusa remained committed to their belief system despite Spanish attempts to convert them to Catholicism. By interceding with these spirits, it was believed that the chief was ensuring that his people would be well-supplied by the land. Senquene succeeded his brother (name unknown), and was in turn succeeded by his son Carlos. Their sophistication and fierceness enabled them to resist Spanish domination for some 200 years. Calusa influence may have also extended to the Ais tribe on the central east coast of Florida. The plaques and other objects were often painted. In 1763, Spain ceded Florida to England and surviving Calusas were taken to Cuba. 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. Were theonlyPop Archaeology site combining scientific research with out-of-the-box perspectives. (2004). Archaeologists have been able to take a closer look at one of the United Kingdoms most famous shipwrecks. "They had an established religion. 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. The chief organized warfare and possessed special and traditional religious knowledge. However, they would suffer the same fate as many of the other Native American tribes. During the Calusa's reign the Florida coastline extended roughly 60 miles further into the Gulf of Mexico. Escampaba may be related to a place named Stapaba, which was identified in the area on an early 16th-century map. The Calusa men were tall and well built with long hair. Calusa society developed from that of archaic peoples of the Everglades region. Tabby was an Old World concrete consisting of lime from burned shells mixed with sand, ash, water and broken shells. 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. 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. Wiki User. The Calusa may have been the only ancient people in North America who established a kingdom without practicing agriculture. Fontaneda was shipwrecked on the east coast of Florida, likely in the Florida Keys, about 1550, when he was thirteen years old. 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. The Calusa was a powerful, complex society who lived on the shores of the southwest Florida coast. The Shell People. (*) denotes earlier century Calusa language records. It was reputed in local legend to be the seat of the god Wotan and to be haunted. By the early 19th century, Anglo-Americans in the area used the term Calusa for the people. Man in Peru Caught Out Drinking With an 800-year-old Mummy! 9). The site of the excavation appears to be linked with Calusa ceremonialism and was one location at which wooden carvings, probably used in ritual, were housed. For more than 200 years, South Florida's Indians resisted Spanish domination. Mound Key, an island west of Fort Myers, was the center of this large Calusa Empire. This tribe of Indians controlled most of Southwest Florida and created an elaborate network of canals, homes, and government. What formation processes resulted in the complex of mounds and other features there? Each human had three souls, present in his shadow, his reflection in water and in the pupil of his eye. What language did the Calusa speak? 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 Calusa (said to mean fierce people ) are a Native American tribe that once inhabited the southwestern coast of Florida. What was the calusa Indians religion? The Tequesta Indians were a tribe of eastern Florida, closely connected with the Ais. Little is known about Calusa religion. There is an eyewitness account from 1566 of a "king's house" on Mound Key that was large enough for "2,000 people to stand inside. 10 Innovative Medieval Weapons: You Would Not Want To Be At The Sharp End Of These! As for the southern region, my focus was on the Calusa Indians from the south-western Florida peninsula area. In 1697 Franciscan missionaries established a mission to the Calusa but left after a few months.[27]. While there is no evidence that the Calusa had institutionalized slavery, studies show they would use captives for work or even sacrifice. A variety of carving tools were also recovered. The Jesuit Menendez noted that in the early hours of the morning, Carlos would sit on a stool with his people around him to discuss the ideas presented by the missionaries. 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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". What was the Calusa religion? The capital of the Calusa, and where the rulers administered from, was Mound Key, near present day Estero, Florida. . According to these accounts, the Calusa had a head chief named Carlos who lived in Calos and received tribute from surrounding villages. 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. Chumash Tribe Facts: The Chumash Name The Calusa used the canals to travel by canoe from their villages and ceremonial centers to coastal trading posts. Now, there is a lot of garbage and misinformation on the Internet no matter what . Fruit and roots were gathered, and deer, bear, and raccoon were probably eaten as well. 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. Marquardt, W. H. (2014). It is believed that Calusa translated to mean "Fierce People". The fishing nets they used to catch food were made from palm tree fibers. The process of shaping the boat was achieved by burning the middle and subsequently chopping and removing the charred center, using robust shell tools. [19], Little is known of the language of the Calusa. Salvaged goods and survivors from wrecked Spanish ships reached the Calusa during the 1540s and 1550s. Favored sites were likely occupied for multiple generations. 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. 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. Unlike other Indian tribes, the Calusa did not make many. In several cases where the waterlogged objects dried and disintegrated into unrecognizable forms, the paintings and photographs provide the only surviving record (see Fig. 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. [2] The Tequesta tribe had only a few survivors by . They are attacked by Spain, which in 1566 had established St. Augustine in the north. They believed that people had three souls-in a person's eye, shadow, and their reflection in the water. Perhaps a dancer wore the mask and carried the figurehead of the particular animal he was emulating (Cushing 1896). The Carolinan colonists supplied firearms to the Creek and Yemasee, but the Calusa, who had isolated themselves from Europeans, had none. The Calusa are said to have been the descendants of Palaeo-Indians who inhabited Southwest Florida about 12000 years ago. The rich and relatively stable coastal ecology of southwest Florida provided an abundance of marine lifenumerous kinds of fish, shellfish, and sea mammalsthat was capable of supporting a large human population. 314 Palmetto Street, Jacksonville 32202. Are there any Calusa people left? It is documented that their power and influence extended over . 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. The pelican, wolf, and deer figureheads mentioned here (Figs. The surrounding villages had local headmen who answered to the chief. 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. At the time of the excavations Cushing did not know the name or precise age of the Indians whose world he had discovered. 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. The leaders included the paramount chief, or "king"; a military leader (capitn general in Spanish); and a chief priest. Artist's conception of town chief at the Calusa town of Tampa (present day Pineland) (Art by Merald Clark.) 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. Conversion would have destroyed the source of their authority and legitimacy. Previous indigenous cultures had lived in the area for thousands of years. Wiki User. [1], Early Spanish and French sources referred to the tribe, its chief town, and its chief as Calos, Calus, Caalus, and Carlos. Typical Women's Work. [16], Ceremonial or otherwise artistic masks have been discovered and were previously described by the Spanish who first encountered the Calusa. Radiocarbon dating of carbonized wood, a deer bone and a shell verified the forts mid-16th-century date. This page was last edited on 21 February 2023, at 15:27. 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. 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. Additionally, they had (as their name suggests) a fierce, war-like reputation. Ancient Origins 2013 - 2023Disclaimer- Terms of Publication - Privacy Policy & Cookies - Advertising Policy -Submissions - We Give Back - Contact us. Historic sources reveal that they were a warlike people who economically and politically dominated most of southern Florida (Fig. They developed a complex culture based on estuarine fisheries rather than agriculture. 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. Montauk It's also rich with the history and culture of the Calusa Indians, the Native Americans who preceded us, even if their footprints are a bit blurry. Marquardt, Thompson and other University of Georgia colleagues and students began fieldwork at Mound Key in 2013, funded by the National Geographic Society. 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 had an established religion and practiced human sacrifice, and many temples were found built upon mounds. 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 is recorded that in that year, the Calusa chief formed an alliance with the Spanish governor, Menndez de Avils. People commonly occupied both fresh and saltwater wetlands. [8], Some authors have argued that the Calusa cultivated maize and Zamia integrifolia (coontie) for food. Native American art,