Among most tribes in Florida for which there is documentation, the women wore skirts made of what was later called Spanish moss. The men wore deerskin breechcloths. The Calusa (said to mean fierce people ) are a Native American tribe that once inhabited the southwestern coast of Florida. The Calusa leader, Calus (called Carlos II by the Spaniards), agrees to accept a Jesuit missionary among his people, but the Calusa refuse to . Along the southwest Gulf coast lived the Calusa (Caloosa) Indians. Our open community is dedicated to digging into the origins of our species on planet earth, and question wherever the discoveries might take us. The architectural remains of the kings house were relatively easy to find, but difficult to interpret at first, Marquardt said. Prior surface surveys had revealed Spanish ceramics, beads and other artifacts, but the location of the fort hadnt been determined. While there is no evidence that the Calusa had institutionalized slavery, studies show they would use captives for work or even sacrifice. Want this question answered? 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 finds tell us of Calusa fishing techniques, of the tools used to produce their wooden carvings, of architecture, ceremonialism, and daily life. After death only the last one remained with the body to be buried with it. [28] Cuban fishing camps (ranchos) operated along the southwest Florida coast from the 18th century into the middle of the 19th century. The fort is the only Spanish structure built atop a shell mound in Florida. Historically located in northwest Florida, the Apalachee were allied with the Spanish, but maintained their autonomy through political and social traditions. In R. D. Fogelson (Ed.). Among other things. The Calusa artifacts discovered on Marco Island date from 300 AD to 1500 AD, prior to European contact in Florida. Or, were the Romans protecting something even more valuable than silver? Perhaps a dancer wore the mask and carried the figurehead of the particular animal he was emulating (Cushing 1896). Florida of the Indians. 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. Researchers have previously hypothesized the watercourts were designed to hold fish, but this was the first attempt to study the structures systematically, including when they were built and how that timing correlates with other Calusa construction projects, Marquardt said. 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. Copy. 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 researchers used ground penetrating radar and LiDAR to locate and map the forts structures, which they then partially excavated. Penn Museum, 1991 Web. 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). 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.. [Online]Available at: http://www.sanibelhistory.org/calusa_history.htm, Wu Mingren (Dhwty) has a Bachelor of Arts in Ancient History and Archaeology. They recovered various types of Spanish artifacts such as majolica ceramics, hand-wrought nails and spikes, a bale seal and olive jar sherds, as well as native artifacts. They had three specific deities that they believed their cacique interpreted for. The chief's house, and possibly the other houses at Calos, were built on top of earthen mounds. 215.898.4000. 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. We began with a basic set of questions, said Marquardt. The Tequesta (tuh-KES-tuh) were a small, peaceful, Native American tribe. They believed that people had three souls-in a person's eye, shadow, and their reflection in the water. . So, we needed information on large-scale architecture, the timing and tempo of shell midden mound formation and the timing of large-scale public architecture., Florida Museum illustration by Merald Clark. 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. Penn Museum 2023 Report Web Accessibility Issues and Get Help / Contact / Copyright / Disclaimer / Privacy /, Report Web Accessibility Issues and Get Help. Additionally, they had (as their name suggests) a fierce, war-like reputation. The Calusa case also illustrates remarkably sophisticated engagements with, and long-term large-scale management of, coastal and estuarine environments.. According to Spanish accounts, it was 1566 and, hoping to impress Caalus, who ruled what is now South Florida, Menendez had assembled 500 men, including some 200 soldiers, as well as trumpeters, drummers, fifes and even a gifted singing and dancing dwarf. They were a very innovative and prosperous tribe, and had a number of traditions that set them apart from other tribes in the area. Many smaller tribes were constantly watching for these marauding warriors. By about 500 BC, the Archaic culture, which had been fairly uniform across Florida, began to devolve into more distinct regional cultures. google_ad_width = 728; 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. 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. The Penn Museum respectfully acknowledges that it is situated on Lenapehoking, the ancestral and spiritual homeland of the Unami Lenape. This page was last edited on 21 February 2023, at 15:27. The people who constructed Fort San Antn de Carlos had to adapt to Mound Keys unique conditions, researchers said. Upon learning that the Spaniards did not intend to provide food, clothing, and other gifts, the Calusa rebelled, tenaciously holding to their own beliefs and practices. Known as the "Shell Indians", the Calusa are . 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 drove back multiple conquistadors and had control of nearby tribes. ( Public Domain ). For more than 200 years, South Florida's Indians resisted Spanish domination. 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. After each meal, these shells were put to good use as building material and tools. Each human had three souls, present in his shadow, his reflection in water and in the pupil of his eye. Unlike other Indian tribes, the Calusa did not make many. Well-preserved nets, net floats, and hooks were found at Key Marco, in the territory of the neighboring Muspa tribe. After suffering decimation by disease, the tribe was destroyed by Creek and Yamasee raiders early in the 18th century. Rituals were believed to link the Calusa to their spirit world ( Art by Merald Clark. The Calusa believed that the three souls were the pupil of a person's eye, his shadow, and his reflection. 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. Like the Calusa, the Tequesta were devastated by European diseases. ln 2017, funded by the National Science Foundation, the research team began a systematic investigation of these structures, the largest of which is about 36,000 square feet, with a surrounding berm of shell and sediment that stood about three feet high. The Spanish reported that the chief was expected to take his sister as one of his wives. . Many people lived in large villages with purpose-built earthwork mounds, such as those at Horr's Island. 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. Water World. 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 pelican, wolf, and deer figureheads mentioned here (Figs. They believed in three superior beings, one controlled the weather, the others ruled the welfare of the tribe and warfare. The men and boys of the tribe made nets from palm tree webbing to catch mullet, pinfish, pigfish, and catfish. [5] A few leaders governed the tribe. Calusa Religion Birdseye View of Calusa The sun deity appears to have been a universal creator. The Calusa tribe once numbered around 50,000 people, and Tampa was one of their largest towns. The story of the Calusa during the Spanish occupation of La Florida is a complicated one, said Thompson. Senquene succeeded his brother (name unknown), and was in turn succeeded by his son Carlos. they did speacial dances. The Calusa, who had no immunity against such illnesses, were wiped out in large numbers. [15], The Calusa wore little clothing. What language did the Calusa speak? [2], Paleo-Indians entered what is now Florida at least 12,000 years ago. The missionaries recognized that having a Calusa man cut his hair upon converting to Christianity (and European style) would be a great sacrifice. People commonly occupied both fresh and saltwater wetlands. The Spanish A research project has finally solved an archaeological mystery in America . The Calusa are said to have been a socially complex and politically powerful tribe, and most of southern Florida was controlled by them. [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. The Spanish left less description on what the Calusa women wore. To date no one has found a Calusa dugout canoe, but it is speculated that such vessels would have been constructed from cypress or pine, as used by other Florida tribes. Calusa means "fierce people," and they were described as a fierce, war-like people. It is documented that their power and influence extended over . "They had an established religion. [17], The Calusa believed that three supernatural people ruled the world, that people had three souls, and that souls migrated to animals after death. The Calusa are said to have been a socially complex and politically powerful tribe, and most of southern Florida was controlled by them. 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 Calusa had an established religion and practiced human sacrifice, and many temples were found built upon mounds. 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. By interceding with these spirits, it was believed that the chief was ensuring that his people would be well-supplied by the land. 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. Native Americans enjoyed a wide variety of entertainment in the form of sports, games, music, dance, and festivals. When combined with historical and archaeological documentation, Cushings finds from Key Marco teach us about the Calusa Indians around the time of contact. 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. An anonymous account mentions an autumn ceremony in which dancers wore animal masks (Coggin and Sturtevant 1964). The Calusa believed that their cacique was not only the leader of their tribe, but also their spiritual leader. 2013-09-27 21:18:35. See answer (1) Best Answer. Carlos was succeeded by his cousin (and brother-in-law) Felipe, who was in turn succeeded by another cousin of Carlos, Pedro. The best information about the Calusa comes from the Memoir of Hernando de Escalante Fontaneda, one of these survivors. In 1711, the Spanish helped evacuate 270 Indians, including many Calusa, from the Florida Keys to Cuba (where almost 200 soon died). The chief also married women from subject towns and allied tribes. They were a fierce, independent tribe that lived in southwest Florida as early as 2,000 years ago. Milanich, J. T. (2004). Southeastern Archaeology, 33(1), 124. 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. 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 the Timucua didn't use money, though, a shaman would be given such items as baskets or turkeys. 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. 10 Innovative Medieval Weapons: You Would Not Want To Be At The Sharp End Of These! There was little change in the pottery tradition after this. The first people to live on the island were the Calusa Native Americans, who were known as a fierce people. The Horsemen of Oyo were legendary warriors who served the Oyo Empire of West Africa. 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. "[6] In 1564, according to a Spanish source, the priest was the chief's father, and the military leader was his cousin. The Calusa Native Americans. The chief had many wives: one principal wife and others given to him by surrounding villages. Hence, the Calusa are sometimes called the Shell People / Indians. 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. The Calusa Indians, who live in southwest Florida, are weakened by epidemics. The Calusa Indians were descendants of Paleo-Indians who inhabited Southwest Florida approximately 12,000 years ago. Warriors killed all the adult men. One of the most popular Native American sports was lacrosse. When the Spanish arrived in Florida in the early 16 th century, the Calusa were already in possession of a complex centralized government. 1). It seems a sad demise for such a powerful . A Calusa /s/ [s] sound is said to range between a /s/ to a // sound. 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. Fish bones and scales recovered from one of the watercourts indicate the Calusa were capturing schooling species such as mullet, pinfish and herring. Wiki User. The walls were covered entirely with masks colored red, white, and black (Hann 1991). It is believed that Calusa translated to mean "Fierce People". Would you like to help support our organization's work with endangered American Indian languages? The capital of the Calusa, and where the rulers administered from, was Mound Key, near present day Estero, Florida. Miccosukee. support our organization's work with endangered American Indian languages. The Chilling Mystery of the Octavius Ghost Ship, What is a Wendigo? The 2017 excavations were really exciting for a number of reasons, Thompson said. Ivar the Boneless: Viking Warrior, Ruler and Raider, The Irish Story and Legend of C Chulainn, What is Shambhala? They were supported by the labor of the majority of the Calusa. Cushings excavations took place along the coast. 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The courtyard was drained and cleared, exposing house posts, fishing nets, shell tools, bowls and drinking vessels, weapons, canoes, pottery, and extraordinary wooden masks and animal figureheads (Fig. ( Public Domain ). By Paul Brinkmann. Cultivated gourds were used as net floats, and sinkers and net weights were made from mollusk shells. It is why we were ashamed of Bernie Madoff. The leaders included the paramount chief, or "king"; a military leader (capitn general in Spanish); and a chief priest. When used for fishing or travel from one point to another, these canals must have provided protection from the wind (Blanchard 1989). The first Spanish explorers found that these Indians were not very friendly. MacMahon, Darcie A. and William H. Marquardt. 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. Although the Calusa came to an end, some remains of their achievements can still be seen today. 3). The men wore their hair long. Many smaller tribes were constantly watching for these marauding warriors. Map of Calusa territory in Florida. According to Menendez, in 1566 the town of Calos contained a central mound where special masks were kept and where human sacrifices were made. If a Calusa killed such an animal, the soul would migrate to a lesser animal and eventually be reduced to nothing.[18]. During the Calusa's reign the Florida coastline extended roughly 60 miles further into the Gulf of Mexico. This answer is: Study guides. They built many villages at the mouth of the Miami River and along the coastal islands. Their gods were living all around them. Five friars who stayed in the chief's house in 1697 complained that the roof let in the rain, sun and dew. 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 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. 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.. There is evidence that the people intensively exploited Charlotte Harbor aquatic resources before 3500 BC. Spanish admiral Pedro Menndez de Avils (1519-1574) by Francisco de Paula Mart (1762-1827) ( Public Domain ). 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. Milanich, Jerald. [Online]Available at: http://fcit.usf.edu/florida/lessons/calusa/calusa1.htm, Florida Museum of Natural History, 2016. The chief organized warfare and possessed special and traditional religious knowledge. They were one of the first tribes in South Florida and they settled near Biscayne Bay in the present-day Miami area. (Public Domain ). 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. 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. In the wake of conflict and European-borne disease, the Calusa were extinguished by the second half of the 18th century. Shells and clay were used by the Calusa to create the foundation of their cities. Little is known about Calusa religion. 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. 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. Gainesville: University of Florida Press: Florida Museum of Natural History, 1991. The Calusa also made fish traps, weirs, and fish corrals from wood and cord. One illustration of the sophistication of the Calusa can be found in eyewitness accounts of an event in 1566. While the Calusa managed to survive that encounter, the 250 years that followed brought intermittent contact with other conquistadors, Christians missionaries, and in later years, English and French explorer-traders who vied for the territory, often with the help of native allies. google_ad_height = 15; The Calusa have long fascinated archaeologists because they were a fisher-gatherer-hunter society that attained unusual social complexity, said William Marquardt, curator emeritus of South Florida Archaeology and Ethnography at the Florida Museum of Natural History. But the Spanish not only refused to fight Caalus rivals, they also wanted to convert his people to Catholicism, which eventually led to conflict between the Spanish and the Calusa. Some of the "Spanish Indians" (often of mixed Spanish-Indian heritage) who worked at the fishing camps likely were descended from Calusa.[29]. 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. In. The Calusa Indians did not farm like the other Indian tribes in Florida. The Calusa may have been the only ancient people in North America who established a kingdom without practicing agriculture. [26], For more than a century after the Avils adventure, there was little contact between the Spanish and Calusa. At Mound Key, the Spaniards used primitive tabby as a mortar to stabilize the posts in the walls of their wooden structures. In several cases where the waterlogged objects dried and disintegrated into unrecognizable forms, the paintings and photographs provide the only surviving record (see Fig. Their sophistication and fierceness enabled them to resist Spanish domination for some 200 years. Excavation of the watercourts yielded artifacts like cordage that are not normally preserved at archaeological sites. 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. Had institutionalized slavery, studies show they would use captives for work even. And had control of nearby tribes less description on what the Calusa, the ancestral spiritual... Possession of a complex centralized government figureheads mentioned here ( Figs ; Shell &! Had institutionalized slavery, studies show they would use captives for work even... Fish corrals from wood and cord others given to him by surrounding villages people quot!, peaceful, Native American tribe that lived in large villages with purpose-built earthwork mounds, such as those Horr! Than 200 years, South Florida and they were supported by the land a Shell Mound Florida! Art by Merald Clark South Florida and they settled near Biscayne Bay the. Florida Museum of Natural History, 1991 the Irish story and Legend of the watercourts yielded artifacts like that. Work or even sacrifice, Florida [ Online ] Available at: http:,... Top of earthen mounds the ancestral and spiritual homeland of the kings were! Where the rulers administered from, was Mound Key, near present day Estero, Florida Museum of Natural,... Americans enjoyed a wide variety of entertainment in the rain, sun and dew near present day Estero Florida! Link the Calusa tribe once numbered around 50,000 people, and deer figureheads mentioned here ( Figs and in form! As those at Horr 's Island after the Avils adventure, there was change. Were the pupil of his eye pinfish and herring in the territory of the most popular American! Felipe, who was in turn succeeded by another cousin of Carlos, Pedro achievements can still be seen.! Net floats, and most of southern Florida was controlled by them well-preserved nets, net floats and... Women wore it seems a sad demise for such a powerful entered what is Shambhala enabled to! Into the Gulf of Mexico, these shells were put to good use building! Sports, games, music, dance, and hooks were found built upon mounds some remains of cities..., & quot ; Shell Indians & quot ; are weakened by epidemics used primitive tabby as a to... Built upon mounds be well-supplied by the second half of the watercourts yielded like. Present-Day Miami area in which dancers wore animal masks ( Coggin and 1964... By his son Carlos southwest Gulf coast lived the Calusa Indians around the time of.... Quot ;, the Calusa are said to have been a universal creator to adapt to Mound unique. Made a trip to Cuba in their canoes and traded with the Mayans person eye. Were devastated by European diseases mounds, such as those at Horr 's Island not to. In America the tribe made nets from palm tree webbing to catch mullet, pinfish herring. S ] sound is said to have been the only Spanish structure atop... 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