The Tribes' sovereignty was once again recognized and funding was restored for education, housing and health programs. Index of Indigenous languages The chief's house, and possibly the other houses at Calos, were built on top of earthen mounds. There was little change in the pottery tradition after this. There is evidence that the people intensively exploited Charlotte Harbor aquatic resources before 3500 BC. ( Public Domain ). 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. The Calusa were a Native American tribe that inhabited the southwest coast of Florida. The mission was closed after only a few months. 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 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 Calusa battle Spain over conversion. 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). 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. It was not conserved and is in poor shape, but it is displayed at the nature center in Marathon. 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 team conducted a geophysical survey of both large mounds at the site, known as Mounds 1 and 2, and then they partially excavated the areas where ground-penetrating radar had indicated the locations of features and structures. By Paul Brinkmann. Honestly, we have explored a very small sample of Mound Key and other nearby island sites., ln the next couple of years, Thompson added, Id like to return to Mound Key to look more closely at the fort and its structures to really delve into Calusa-Spanish interactions.. Could we find unequivocal architectural evidence that Mound Key was the Calusa capital town, as had long been suggested? The Calusa Indians. 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. They had a reputation from being a fierce, war-like people, especially among European explorers and smaller tribes. Historic sources reveal that they were a warlike people who economically and politically dominated most of southern Florida (Fig. Native American tattoos All his subjects had to obey his commands. [8], Some authors have argued that the Calusa cultivated maize and Zamia integrifolia (coontie) for food. Cushings knowledge of American Indian culture, and specifically his experiences at Zuni Pueblo, helped him make rapid judgments about objects which in many cases were disintegrating before him. google_ad_width = 728; When the Spanish arrived in Florida in the early 16 th century, the Calusa were already in possession of a complex centralized government. [Online]Available at: http://floridahistory.org/indians.htm, Marquardt, W. H., 2014. A Calusa alligator head carved out of wood, excavated at Key Marco in 1895, on display at the Florida Museum of Natural History. 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. 9). The Legend of the Calusa Many people believe that the Calusa made a trip to Cuba in their canoes and traded with the Mayans. Field school students brush sand from a tabby wall that might be the outer wall of Fort San Antn de Carlos. Like the Calusa, the Tequesta were devastated by European diseases. The Calusa are said to have been a socially complex and politically powerful tribe, and most of southern Florida was controlled by them. Seeing the work of the Calusa in these materials first-hand were really exciting moments for us.. 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. One illustration of the sophistication of the Calusa can be found in eyewitness accounts of an event in 1566. At the time of the excavations Cushing did not know the name or precise age of the Indians whose world he had discovered. The Apalachee Tribe was among the most advanced and powerful Native American people in Florida. Rituals were believed to link the Calusa to their spirit world ( Art by Merald Clark. Artist's conception of town chief at the Calusa town of Tampa (present day Pineland) (Art by Merald Clark.) One is left only to imagine how lifelike these wooden figureheads must have appeared when used on ceremonial occasions. (Cushing was an anthropologist with the Bureau of American Ethnology, and was well known for his pioneering work at Zuni Pueblo.) One example of a shell mound can be found at a site known as Mound Key at Estero Bay in Lee County. The watercolors illustrate the blue, black, gray, and brownish-red pigments found on many of the wooden specimens. Spanish conquistador Juan Ponce de Len landed on the east coast of Florida and . Tracking the Calusa: A Retrospective. 3). 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 National Geographic has reported that archaeologists have discovered an ancient Native American kings house in Florida. They were a very innovative and prosperous tribe, and had a number of traditions that set them apart from other tribes in the area. The Calusa painted their bodies on a regular basis, but there was no report of tattooing among them. Mollusk shells and shark teeth were used for grating, cutting, carving and engraving. Missions to the Calusa, edited and translated by John H. Hann. Milanich, J. T. (2004). 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. 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. 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. There are probably people of Calusa descent still alive today. They developed a complex culture based on estuarine fisheries rather than agriculture. A new study says Florida's Calusa tribe built fish enclosures to amass surplus food, allowing its society to flourish and build structures such as the king's manor on Mound Key . Additionally, it has been suggested that the population of this tribe may have reached 50000 people at one point of time. 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. 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. Ivar the Boneless: Viking Warrior, Ruler and Raider, The Irish Story and Legend of C Chulainn, What is Shambhala? Native American names The chief had many wives: one principal wife and others given to him by surrounding villages. They determined that the enclosures, which were built on a foundation of oyster shells, walled off portions of the estuary, serving as traps and short-term holding pens for fish before they were eaten, smoked, or dried for later consumption. Engineering the courts required an intimate understanding of daily and seasonal tides, hydrology and the biology of various fish species, said Thompson. Marquardt notes that the Calusa turned down the offer of agricultural tools from the Spanish, saying that they had no need for them. Calusa society developed from that of archaic peoples of the Everglades region. 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. Menndez left a garrison of soldiers and a Jesuit mission, San Antn de Carlos, at the Calusa capital. Florida of the Indians. 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 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. The men wore deerskin breechcloths. 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 believed in three superior beings, one controlled the weather, the others ruled the welfare of the tribe and warfare. The Tequesta lived in the southeastern parts of present-day Florida. The Calusa Domain. Calusa beliefs included a trinity of governing spirits. Calusa society developed from that of archaic peoples of the Everglades region. 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. Penn Museum, 1991 Web. The first Spanish explorers found that these Indians were not very friendly. 2013-09-27 21:18:35. The Calusa artifacts discovered on Marco Island date from 300 AD to 1500 AD, prior to European contact in Florida. 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. 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. 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 king initially allied himself with Menendez, hoping to gain an advantage over his rivals elsewhere in the Florida peninsula.. 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. [8], The Calusa caught most of their fish with nets. South Florida Archaeology and Ethnography, South Florida Archaeology & Ethnography Collection. ( Public Domain ), Featured image: Calusa people fishing. 314 Palmetto Street, Jacksonville 32202. (2004). The Calusa may have been the only ancient people in North America who established a kingdom without practicing agriculture. For more than 200 years, South Florida's Indians resisted Spanish domination. 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. Return to American Indians for Children ed. 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). It is clear the Calusa possessed an extraordinary understanding of and sensitivity to their natural environment. Known for their equestrian skills and bravery in battle, they played a crucial role in expanding the empire and establishing its dominance. (*) denotes earlier century Calusa language records. The best information about the Calusa comes from the Memoir of Hernando de Escalante Fontaneda, one of these survivors. The canals were maintained until the mid-1700s, when the tribe disappeared from . Hernando de Escalante Fontaneda, a Spaniard held captive by the Calusa in the 16th century, recorded that Calusa meant "fierce people" in their language. Fruit and roots were gathered, and deer, bear, and raccoon were probably eaten as well. Julian Granberry has suggested that the Calusa language was related to the Tunica language of the lower Mississippi River Valley. Warriors killed all the adult men. The archaeologists recovered seeds, wood, palm-fiber cordage that likely came from Calusa fishing nets and even fish scales from the waterlogged levels. Ancient Chinese Earthquake Detector Invented 2,000 Years Ago Really Worked! 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. [7] The contemporary archeologists MacMahon and Marquardt suggest this statement may have been a misunderstanding of a requirement to marry a "clan-sister". Additionally, it has been pointed out that tribute was sent to this chief from other tribes in south Florida. 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. Certain ceremonies were performed to seal the alliance (and perhaps also as a display of the might of the Calusa), and was witnessed by over 4000 people. Soon 20 war canoes attacked the Spanish, who drove off the Calusa, killing or capturing several of them. The priests wore carved masks, which were at other times hung on the walls inside a temple. In several cases where the waterlogged objects dried and disintegrated into unrecognizable forms, the paintings and photographs provide the only surviving record (see Fig. While estimates vary, their population probably numbered between 4,000 and 10,000. See answer (1) Best Answer. Many smaller tribes were constantly watching for these marauding warriors. 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. For me, the work has been absolutely fantastic and since we began it has been one discovery after another, said Thompson. Rituals were believed to link the Calusa to their spirit world (Art by Merald Clark.) Calusa means "fierce people," and they were described as a fierce, war-like people. The Calusa tribe once numbered around 50,000 people, and Tampa was one of their largest towns. They built many villages at the mouth of the Miami River and along the coastal islands. In 1697 Franciscan missionaries established a mission to the Calusa but left after a few months.[27]. Philadelphia, PA 19104 The Caloosahatchee Region". 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. Or, were the Romans protecting something even more valuable than silver? Rituals were believed to link the Calusa to their spirit world (Art by Merald Clark.) [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. Calusa means "fierce people," and they were described as a fierce, war-like people. The first people to live on the island were the Calusa Native Americans, who were known as a fierce people. Lucy Fowler Williams is Keeper of Collections for the American Section. Large earthen mounds and ridges, accessed by canals, are believed to have been associated with Calusa ritual. New Evidence Shows Humans Were Using Bows and Arrows in 52,000 BC. 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 Spanish documented four cases of known succession to the position of paramount chief, recording most names in Spanish form. Dominican missionaries reached the Calusa domain in 1549 but withdrew because of the hostility of the tribe. 4-8). The explorers soon became the targets of the Calusa attacks. Each human had three souls, present in his shadow, his reflection in water and in the pupil of his eye. 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.. 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. [14], The Calusa lived in large, communal houses which were two stories high. 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. Gainesville: University of Florida Press: Florida Museum of Natural History, 1991. Calusa Tribe. Their language was never recorded. 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. Office: Old St. Luke's Hospital. A diorama of a Calusa chief in the Florida Museum of Natural History. Archaeological and historical documentation reveal that Calusa society was highly structured, with individuals living in fixed settlements surrounding a large central town. 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. Calusa beliefs included a trinity of governing spirits. They were descendants of Paleo-Indians who inhabited Southwest Florida approximately 12,000 years ago. The Calusa Indians were descendants of Paleo-Indians who inhabited Southwest Florida approximately 12,000 years ago. The Calusa king, or head chief, was an absolute ruler. 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. After each meal, these shells were put to good use as building material and tools. The Calusa may have been the only ancient people in North America who established a kingdom without practicing agriculture. Tamara Jager Stewart is the assistant editor of American Archaelogy and the Conservancys Southwest region projects director. 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. The 2017 excavations were really exciting for a number of reasons, Thompson said. The Calusa are said to have been a socially complex and politically powerful tribe, and most of southern Florida was controlled by them. The soul in the eye's pupil stayed with the body after death, and the Calusa would consult with that soul at the graveside. The chief's house was described as having two big windows, suggesting that it had walls. Tabby was an Old World concrete consisting of lime from burned shells mixed with sand, ash, water and broken shells. Cushings excavations brought to light at least 23 wooden masks and figureheads. Calusa ceremonies included processions of priests and singing women. Historically located in northwest Florida, the Apalachee were allied with the Spanish, but maintained their autonomy through political and social traditions. When combined with historical and archaeological documentation, Cushings finds from Key Marco teach us about the Calusa Indians around the time of contact. Man in Peru Caught Out Drinking With an 800-year-old Mummy! The Calusa leader, Calus (called Carlos II by the Spaniards), agrees to accept a Jesuit missionary among his people, but the Calusa refuse to . The Spanish were used to dealing with natives who farmed and who provided the Spanish with some of their food. The Calusa, who had no immunity against such illnesses, were wiped out in large numbers. A dozen words for which translations were recorded and 50 or 60 place names form the entire known corpus of the language. This answer is: Study guides. The Calusas were one of the few North American Indian tribes who were ruled by a hereditary king. [Online]Available at: http://www.sanibelhistory.org/calusa_history.htm, Wu Mingren (Dhwty) has a Bachelor of Arts in Ancient History and Archaeology. 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. 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. Archaeology, 57(5), 4650. ( Public Domain ). Many people lived in large villages with purpose-built earthwork mounds, such as those at Horr's Island. Understanding the Mysterious Kingdom of Shambhala, Dont Cross the Kobolds: Mischievous Spirits of European Folklore, The Curious Apparitions of Pagan Goddesses to the German Knights Templar, The Truth Behind the Christ Myth: Ancient Origins of the Often Used Legend Part I, The Gristhorpe Man: A Bronze Age Skeleton with a Story to Tell, The Origins of Human Language: One of the Hardest Problems in Science, Translation of 5,500-Year-Old Babel Text from China Reveals Oldest Known Map of Inner Solar System, A Blazing Weapon: Unraveling the Mystery of Greek Fire. 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