google_ad_client = "pub-8872632675285158"; 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. 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. [19], Little is known of the language of the Calusa. The Calusa were a tribe of Native Americans known as the "Shell Indians" and some of the first Floridians. 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. google_ad_slot = "7815442998"; Granberry has provided an inventory of phonemes to the sounds of the Calusa language.[22][21]. The Jews are not a race. Index of Indigenous languages [8], Some authors have argued that the Calusa cultivated maize and Zamia integrifolia (coontie) for food. The missionaries recognized that having a Calusa man cut his hair upon converting to Christianity (and European style) would be a great sacrifice. [Online]Available at: http://floridahistory.org/indians.htm, Marquardt, W. H., 2014. By interceding with these spirits, it was believed that the chief was ensuring that his people would be well-supplied by the land. Missions to the Calusa, edited and translated by John H. Hann. 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. There is evidence that the people intensively exploited Charlotte Harbor aquatic resources before 3500 BC. They were one of the first tribes in South Florida and they settled near Biscayne Bay in the present-day Miami area. 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 and their legacy: South Florida people and their environments. However, they would suffer the same fate as many of the other Native American tribes. The mission was closed after only a few months. Mound Key, an island west of Fort Myers, was the center of this large Calusa Empire. A Calusa alligator head carved out of wood, excavated at Key Marco in 1895, on display at the Florida Museum of Natural History. According to Menendez, in 1566 the town of Calos contained a central mound where special masks were kept and where human sacrifices were made. 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 watercolors illustrate the blue, black, gray, and brownish-red pigments found on many of the wooden specimens. Native American tattoos The Calusa Indians did not farm like the other Indian tribes in Florida. [17], The Calusa believed that three supernatural people ruled the world, that people had three souls, and that souls migrated to animals after death. Many smaller tribes were constantly watching for these marauding warriors. Although the Calusa came to an end, some remains of their achievements can still be seen today. Want this question answered? Spanish conquistador Juan Ponce de Len landed on the east coast of Florida and . 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Dominican missionaries reached the Calusa domain in 1549 but withdrew because of the hostility of the tribe. 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. Salvaged goods and survivors from wrecked Spanish ships reached the Calusa during the 1540s and 1550s. The Legend of the Calusa Many people believe that the Calusa made a trip to Cuba in their canoes and traded with the Mayans. Request Answer. 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. Radiocarbon dating of carbonized wood, a deer bone and a shell verified the forts mid-16th-century date. [Online]Available at: http://fcit.usf.edu/florida/lessons/calusa/calusa1.htm, Florida Museum of Natural History, 2016. 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. American Archaeology cover, featuring Florida Museum illustration by Merald Clark. 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. Although he did not know much about the history of the Calusa Indians, what he did know was the legend in Tampa that the Calusa Indians cast a spell to keep them safe. The Calusa may have been the only ancient people in North America who established a kingdom without practicing agriculture. Warriors killed all the adult men. The Calusa kingdom had an estimated 20,000 people and ranks among the most politically complex groups of hunter-gatherers of the historic world. Archaeological and historical documentation reveal that Calusa society was highly structured, with individuals living in fixed settlements surrounding a large central town. The Calusa are said to have been a socially complex and politically powerful tribe, and most of southern Florida was controlled by them. Map of Calusa territory in Florida. At the time of the excavations Cushing did not know the name or precise age of the Indians whose world he had discovered. They had a reputation from being a fierce, war-like people, especially among European explorers and smaller tribes. Add an answer. [26], For more than a century after the Avils adventure, there was little contact between the Spanish and Calusa. Additionally, it has been suggested that the population of this tribe may have reached 50000 people at one point of time. Cushings excavations brought to light at least 23 wooden masks and figureheads. Montauk They also cored sediments on and off the island to help describe and date environmental changes during the sites occupation. Excavation of the watercourts yielded artifacts like cordage that are not normally preserved at archaeological sites. The University Museum has an exceptional collection of artifacts from the Calusa site at Key Marco, Florida. Fish stored in the watercourts likely fed the workers who built the massive palace. 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. Because the Timucua didn't use money, though, a shaman would be given such items as baskets or turkeys. Calusa means "fierce people," and they were described as a fierce, war-like people. Rituals were believed to link the Calusa to their spirit world ( Art by Merald Clark. Office: Old St. Luke's Hospital. 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 people based most of their diet on seafood. Calusa Religion Birdseye View of Calusa The sun deity appears to have been a universal creator. "They had an established religion. 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. 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 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 Penn Museum respectfully acknowledges that it is situated on Lenapehoking, the ancestral and spiritual homeland of the Unami Lenape. This is still a popular sport today. The Calusa men were tall and well built with long hair. [Online]Available at: http://www.funandsun.com/1tocf/inf/nativepeoples/calusa.html, www.sanibelhistory.org, 2016. The finds tell us of Calusa fishing techniques, of the tools used to produce their wooden carvings, of architecture, ceremonialism, and daily life. Fontaneda was shipwrecked on the east coast of Florida, likely in the Florida Keys, about 1550, when he was thirteen years old. Widmer cites George Murdock's estimate that only some 20 percent of the Calusa diet consisted of wild plants that they gathered. Our open community is dedicated to digging into the origins of our species on planet earth, and question wherever the discoveries might take us. AtAncient Origins, we believe that one of the most important fields of knowledge we can pursue as human beings is our beginnings. 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. 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. Additionally, they had (as their name suggests) a fierce, war-like reputation. What was the Calusa religion? Said by a Spaniard, Hernando de Escalante Fontaneda, who was a captive among them for many years, to mean "fierce people," but it is perhaps more probable that, since it often appears in the form Carlos, it was, as others assert, adopted by the Calusa chief from the name of the Emperor Charles V, about whose greatness he had learned from Spanish prisoners. The process of shaping the boat was achieved by burning the middle and subsequently chopping and removing the charred center, using robust shell tools. 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. Archaeologists have been able to take a closer look at one of the United Kingdoms most famous shipwrecks. 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. 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. ( Public Domain ). 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The Spanish documented four cases of known succession to the position of paramount chief, recording most names in Spanish form. [16], Ceremonial or otherwise artistic masks have been discovered and were previously described by the Spanish who first encountered the Calusa. 4 . 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. Their sophistication and fierceness enabled them to resist Spanish domination for some 200 years. In R. D. Fogelson (Ed.). This language was distinct from the languages of the Apalachee, Timucua, Mayaca, and Ais people in central and northern Florida. The Carolinan colonists supplied firearms to the Creek and Yemasee, but the Calusa, who had isolated themselves from Europeans, had none. The Calusa Native Americans. Florida of the Indians. 1). The Calusa artifacts discovered on Marco Island date from 300 AD to 1500 AD, prior to European contact in Florida. 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. Philadelphia, PA 19104 They were occupying this land and engaging in commerce, culture, religion, politics and family life . 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. These small fish were supplemented by larger bony fish, sharks and rays, mollusks, crustaceans, ducks, sea turtles and land turtles, and land animals. [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. [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 women were responsible for work around the house, like cooking and raising the children. The Calusa made bone and shell gauges that they used in net weaving. On Key Marco, among numerous mounds and ridges of earth and shell, he discovered a courtyard submerged in mud and bound by walls of conch shells. Menndez married Carlos' sister, who took the baptismal name Doa Antonia at conversion. 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 Calusa are said to have been the descendants of Palaeo-Indians who inhabited Southwest Florida about 12000 years ago. The Calusas were one of the few North American Indian tribes who were ruled by a hereditary king. 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. 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. The 2017 excavations were really exciting for a number of reasons, Thompson said. Wiki User. Florida Museum artifact photos by Jeff Gage. Ancient Origins 2013 - 2023Disclaimer- Terms of Publication - Privacy Policy & Cookies - Advertising Policy -Submissions - We Give Back - Contact us. Calusa society developed from that of archaic peoples of the Everglades region. Tabby was later used by the English in their American colonies and in Southern plantations. The Calusa: "The Shell Indians". In the winter of 1896, Frank Hamilton Cushing began archaeological excavations in southwest Florida. The Spanish founded a mission on Biscayne Bay in 1743 to serve survivors from several tribes, including the Calusa, who had gathered there and in the Florida Keys. The leaders included the paramount chief, or "king"; a military leader (capitn general in Spanish); and a chief priest. Furthermore, new diseases such as smallpox and measles were introduced into the area by European explorers. The Calusa case also illustrates remarkably sophisticated engagements with, and long-term large-scale management of, coastal and estuarine environments.. [2], Paleo-Indians entered what is now Florida at least 12,000 years ago. Previous indigenous cultures had lived in the area for thousands of years. The Calusa Indians. One example of a shell mound can be found at a site known as Mound Key at Estero Bay in Lee County. Calusa beliefs included a trinity of governing spirits. MacMahon, Darcie A. and William H. Marquardt. Many smaller tribes were constantly watching for these marauding warriors. ( Public Domain ). They fished and hunted for their food and would catch things like: mullet, catfish, eels, turtles, deer, conchs, clams, oysters, and crabs. One is left only to imagine how lifelike these wooden figureheads must have appeared when used on ceremonial occasions. Many people lived in large villages with purpose-built earthwork mounds, such as those at Horr's Island. 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. The Calusa people's diet consisted mainly of fish and shellfish from the Gulf of Mexico and its many waterways. Since it seems to be working, many people still believe in the legend. New Moai Statue Found on Chiles Easter Island Excites Researchers. It is clear the Calusa possessed an extraordinary understanding of and sensitivity to their natural environment. The Calusa was a powerful, complex society who lived on the shores of the southwest Florida coast. This article first appeared in the magazines fall 2020 issue. The Chilling Mystery of the Octavius Ghost Ship, What is a Wendigo? It's also possible that a few were absorbed into the Seminole tribe. It seems a sad demise for such a powerful . A Calusa /s/ [s] sound is said to range between a /s/ to a // sound. 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. 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. The Calusa, who had no immunity against such illnesses, were wiped out in large numbers. The pelican, wolf, and deer figureheads mentioned here (Figs. They had three specific deities that they believed their cacique interpreted for. 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. Fish bones and scales recovered from one of the watercourts indicate the Calusa were capturing schooling species such as mullet, pinfish and herring. Return to American Indians for Children 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. Known as the first shell collectors, the Calusa used shells as tools, utensils, building materials, vessels for domestic and ceremonial use and for personal adornment. The Spanish reported that the chief was expected to take his sister as one of his wives. Artist's conception of town chief at the Calusa town of Tampa (present day Pineland) (Art by Merald Clark.) An anonymous account mentions an autumn ceremony in which dancers wore animal masks (Coggin and Sturtevant 1964). [1], Early Spanish and French sources referred to the tribe, its chief town, and its chief as Calos, Calus, Caalus, and Carlos. Soon 20 war canoes attacked the Spanish, who drove off the Calusa, killing or capturing several of them. They believed in three superior beings, one controlled the weather, the others ruled the welfare of the tribe and warfare. Marquardt notes that the Calusa turned down the offer of agricultural tools from the Spanish, saying that they had no need for them. [2], Juan Rogel, a Jesuit missionary to the Calusa in the late 1560s, noted the chief's name as Carlos, but wrote that the name of the kingdom was Escampaba, with an alternate spelling of Escampaha. The research team uncovered a network of post holes and foundation trenches that indicate a large structure measuring about 80 feet long and 65 feet wide covered the summit of the islands highest hill. The heir of the chief wore gold in an ornament on his forehead and beads on his legs. One of the most notable traditions of the Calusa was their use of shell mounds. The Calusa believed that the three souls were the pupil of a person's eye, his shadow, and his reflection. Hostilities erupted, and the Spanish soldiers killed Carlos, his successor Felipe, and several of the "nobles" before they abandoned their fort and mission in 1569. He struck an uneasy peace with their leader Caluus, or Carlos. (904) 665-0064. Along the southwest Gulf coast lived the Calusa (Caloosa) Indians. When used for fishing or travel from one point to another, these canals must have provided protection from the wind (Blanchard 1989). Credit: Florida Museum of Natural History ). In 1763, Spain ceded Florida to England and surviving Calusas were taken to Cuba. The Calusa tribe once numbered around 50,000 people, and Tampa was one of their largest towns. The Calusa remained committed to their belief system despite Spanish attempts to convert them to Catholicism. Directly beneath the chief was the nobility. (Public Domain ). Historic documents say the Calusa then set fire to Mound Key and fled the island, which also prompted the Spanish to leave. South Florida Archaeology and Ethnography, South Florida Archaeology & Ethnography Collection. It was not conserved and is in poor shape, but it is displayed at the nature center in Marathon. The Calusa Domain. It was reputed in local legend to be the seat of the god Wotan and to be haunted. In addition, elaborate rituals with synchronized singing and processions of masked priests were also carried out on that occasion. We began with a basic set of questions, said Marquardt. 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. The Calusa king initially allied himself with Menendez, hoping to gain an advantage over his rivals elsewhere in the Florida peninsula.. Rogel also stated that the chief's name was Caalus, and that the Spanish had changed it to Carlos. 01 Mar 2023 , 3260 South Street Native American art,