The Calusa kingdom had an estimated 20,000 people and ranks among the most politically complex groups of hunter-gatherers of the historic world. Each human had three souls, present in his shadow, his reflection in water and in the pupil of his eye. . 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. 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. 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 appears that the answer is their watercourts, which were discovered back in the 1890s. Marquardt and Victor Thompson of the University of Georgia are co-directing research at Mound Key, which has a complex arrangement of shell midden mounds, canals, watercourts and other features. 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. Calusa Tribe. Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 2004. Are there any Calusa people left? 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. The Calusa Indians, who live in southwest Florida, are weakened by epidemics. 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. Julian Granberry has suggested that the Calusa language was related to the Tunica language of the lower Mississippi River Valley. Their main waterway was the Calooshahatchee River, which means River of the Calusa. "The Calusa: A Stratified, Nonagricultural Society (With Notes on Sibling Marriage)." 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. The men wore deerskin breechcloths. 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. Penn Museum 2023 Report Web Accessibility Issues and Get Help / Contact / Copyright / Disclaimer / Privacy /, Report Web Accessibility Issues and Get Help. The Franciscans established a mission there in the late 17th century, but the Calusa evicted them after a few months time. The Calusa may have been the only ancient people in North America who established a kingdom without practicing agriculture. Philadelphia, PA 19104 Little is known about Calusa religion. 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. The people who constructed Fort San Antn de Carlos had to adapt to Mound Keys unique conditions, researchers said. Wiki User. A Calusa /s/ [s] sound is said to range between a /s/ to a // sound. Historically located in northwest Florida, the Apalachee were allied with the Spanish, but maintained their autonomy through political and social traditions. Different tribes had different names for the sport including . They were occupying this land and engaging in commerce, culture, religion, politics and family life . Eventually, in the 18th century, slave raids by English from the north, aided by Creek Indians, destroyed what was left of the already declining Calusa population. The Calusa resisted physical encroachment and spiritual conversion by the Spanish and their missionaries for almost 200 years. By the early 1600s the Calusa returned to Mound Key and reestablished their capital. Thegoal of Ancient Origins is to highlight recent archaeological discoveries, peer-reviewed academic research and evidence, as well as offering alternative viewpoints and explanations of science, archaeology, mythology, religion and history around the globe. Archaeological and historical evidence indicates the Calusas primary source of food was the sea, and virtually all evidence suggests they did not practice agriculture. Additionally, they had (as their name suggests) a fierce, war-like reputation. Did the Calusa farm? 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. Additionally, it has been suggested that the population of this tribe may have reached 50000 people at one point of time. One of the most popular Native American sports was lacrosse. google_ad_slot = "7815442998"; 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. These deposits were carefully water-screened using a series of nested screens in order to capture even the finest organic materials. And, although some of Cushings ideas about the Indians he had discovered and their relationship to tribes in the Caribbean and South America have not remained popular among scholars, his descriptive notes and insights are of unquestionable value. Reagan restored the Tribes to federal recognition by signing Public Law 98-481. The shell mounds are an example of these remains. The best information about the Calusa comes from the Memoir of Hernando de Escalante Fontaneda, one of these survivors. The Calusa people's diet consisted mainly of fish and shellfish from the Gulf of Mexico and its many waterways. The Calusa also believed that three supernatural beings ruled the universe. Schell, Rolfe F. 1,000 years on Mound Key; the story of the Caloosa Indians on . [7] The contemporary archeologists MacMahon and Marquardt suggest this statement may have been a misunderstanding of a requirement to marry a "clan-sister". This change may have resulted from the people's migration from the interior to the coastal region, or may reflect trade and cultural influences. In 1517 Francisco Hernndez de Crdoba landed in southwest Florida on his return voyage from discovering the Yucatn. By the early 19th century, Anglo-Americans in the area used the term Calusa for the people. Tracking the Calusa: A Retrospective. Cord was also made from cabbage palm leaves, saw palmetto trunks, Spanish moss, false sisal (Agave decipiens) and the bark of cypress and willow trees. Our open community is dedicated to digging into the origins of our species on planet earth, and question wherever the discoveries might take us. Many smaller tribes were constantly watching for these marauding warriors. The canals were maintained until the mid-1700s, when the tribe disappeared from . 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.. google_ad_width = 728; There was little change in the pottery tradition after this. 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. A diorama of a Calusa chief in the Florida Museum of Natural History. 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. Ravaged by new infectious diseases introduced to the Americas by European contact and by the slaving raids, the surviving Calusa retreated south and east. Archaeology, 57(5), 4650. Different tribes and regions had their own games and traditions. MacMahon, Darcie A. and William H. Marquardt. Indeed, given the results of recent research, they are now considered one of the most politically complex groups of non-agriculturalists in the ancient world. According to the documents, the brushwood and lumber fort encompassed some 36 structures. In addition, elaborate rituals with synchronized singing and processions of masked priests were also carried out on that occasion. Fish stored in the watercourts likely fed the workers who built the massive palace. Expedition Magazine. 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. What was the calusa Indians religion? 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. The Calusa were a Native American tribe that inhabited the southwest coast of Florida. [26], For more than a century after the Avils adventure, there was little contact between the Spanish and Calusa. 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. (904) 665-0064. No Zamia pollen has been found at any site associated with the Calusas, nor does Zamia grow in the wetlands that made up most of the Calusa environment. [Online]Available at: http://fcit.usf.edu/florida/lessons/calusa/calusa1.htm, Florida Museum of Natural History, 2016. Calusa beliefs included a trinity of governing spirits. Diseases would ravage their population and force . [5] A few leaders governed the tribe. 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. By interceding with these spirits, it was believed that the chief was ensuring that his people would be well-supplied by the land. Because the Timucua didn't use money, though, a shaman would be given such items as baskets or turkeys. Rituals were believed to link the Calusa to their spirit world ( Art by Merald Clark. 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 Tribes' sovereignty was once again recognized and funding was restored for education, housing and health programs. The leaders included the paramount chief, or "king"; a military leader (capitn general in Spanish); and a chief priest. Radiocarbon dating of carbonized wood, a deer bone and a shell verified the forts mid-16th-century date. Then, two things happened: either Chaos or Gaia created the universe as we know it, or Ouranos and Tethys gave birth to the first beings. Florida of the Indians. Index of Indigenous languages 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. Furthermore, new diseases such as smallpox and measles were introduced into the area by European explorers. Miccosukee. They fished and hunted for their food and would catch things like: mullet, catfish, eels, turtles, deer, conchs, clams, oysters, and crabs. This class was supported by commoners, who provided them with food and other material goods. Directly beneath the chief was the nobility. Are the Misty Peaks of the Azores Remnants of the Legendary Atlantis? Little was recorded of jewelry or other ornamentation among the Calusa. They believed in three superior beings, one controlled the weather, the others ruled the welfare of the tribe and warfare. While a few Calusa individuals may have stayed behind and been absorbed into the Seminole, no documentation supports that. 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. 8, 9). 2014-05-02 14:51:47. The Calusa believed that the three souls were the pupil of a person's eye, his shadow, and his reflection. 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. In the winter of 1896, Frank Hamilton Cushing began archaeological excavations in southwest Florida. The Calusa Indians. He struck an uneasy peace with their leader Caluus, or Carlos. Cushings excavations took place along the coast. 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. Additionally, it has been pointed out that tribute was sent to this chief from other tribes in south Florida. Uniquely, it was powered by fishing, not farming. In 1763, Spain ceded Florida to England and surviving Calusas were taken to Cuba. 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. It is believed that Calusa translated to mean "Fierce People". 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. The Calusa leader, Calus (called Carlos II by the Spaniards), agrees to accept a Jesuit missionary among his people, but the Calusa refuse to . [Online]Available at: http://floridahistory.org/indians.htm, Marquardt, W. H., 2014. Florida Museum artifact photos by Jeff Gage. The women were responsible for work around the house, like cooking and raising the children. An anonymous account mentions an autumn ceremony in which dancers wore animal masks (Coggin and Sturtevant 1964). 4 . Could we find unequivocal architectural evidence that Mound Key was the Calusa capital town, as had long been suggested? They are a tribe. Previous indigenous cultures had lived in the area for thousands of years. 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. In 1954 a dugout canoe was found during excavation for a middle school in Marathon, Florida. 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. 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. The Calusa people based most of their diet on seafood. 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