Prior surface surveys had revealed Spanish ceramics, beads and other artifacts, but the location of the fort hadnt been determined. 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. The leaders included the paramount chief, or "king"; a military leader (capitn general in Spanish); and a chief priest. 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. 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 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. It is documented that their power and influence extended over . The Calusa persisted for another century in isolation, but eventually succumbed to slave raids by Creek Indians from the north and exposure to diseases they brought. Mudlarker Finds Bronze Age Shoe on a UK Riverbank Dated 2,800 Years Old! The Tequesta Indians were a tribe of eastern Florida, closely connected with the Ais. What language did the Calusa speak? [1], Early Spanish and French sources referred to the tribe, its chief town, and its chief as Calos, Calus, Caalus, and Carlos. 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. ed. Ancient Chinese Earthquake Detector Invented 2,000 Years Ago Really Worked! This site is believed to have been the capital of the Calusa, as well as its military stronghold and ceremonial center. Fowler Williams, .Lucy"The Calusa Indians: Maritime Peoples of Florida in the Age of Columbus" Expedition Magazine 33.2 (1991): n. pag. In 1987, the Tribe approved a constitution and began to lay the groundwork for a self-sufficiency plan. The Calusa used the canals to travel by canoe from their villages and ceremonial centers to coastal trading posts. When used for fishing or travel from one point to another, these canals must have provided protection from the wind (Blanchard 1989). It is based on the Creek and Mikasuki (languages of the present-day Seminole and Miccosukee nations) ethnonym for the people who had lived around the Caloosahatchee River (also from the Creek language). The chief organized warfare and possessed special and traditional religious knowledge. The Calusa: "The Shell Indians". The watercolors illustrate the blue, black, gray, and brownish-red pigments found on many of the wooden specimens. Archaeologists have been able to take a closer look at one of the United Kingdoms most famous shipwrecks. 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. [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). [14], The Calusa lived in large, communal houses which were two stories high. The first Spanish explorers found that these Indians were not very friendly. The Calusa may have been the only ancient people in North America who established a kingdom without practicing agriculture. ( Public Domain ). At the time of first European contact, the Caloosahatchee culture region formed the core of the Calusa domain. After each meal, these shells were put to good use as building material and tools. 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. [20][21], A few vocabulary examples from Granberry's work are listed below:[22]. Mollusk shells and shark teeth were used for grating, cutting, carving and engraving. They were occupying this land and engaging in commerce, culture, religion, politics and family life . Archaeological techniques were not very well defined in Cushings day, and though he took detailed notes of his findings, information on the stratigraphy of the site was not recorded. There is evidence that the people intensively exploited Charlotte Harbor aquatic resources before 3500 BC. (1993). 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. Rogel also stated that the chief's name was Caalus, and that the Spanish had changed it to Carlos. "Chapter 10. 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.. In 1521 Ponce de Len returned to southwest Florida to plant a colony, but the Calusa drove the Spanish out, mortally wounding Ponce de Len. This lasted until about 1750, and included the historic Calusa people. 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. The Spanish careened one of their ships, and Calusas offered to trade with them. The University Museum has an exceptional collection of artifacts from the Calusa site at Key Marco, Florida. 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. The Spanish documented four cases of known succession to the position of paramount chief, recording most names in Spanish form. After A.D. 1000, the Calusa began to grow in size and complexity, wielding their military might, trading widely and collecting tribute along those trade routes that extended for hundreds of miles. The pelican, wolf, and deer figureheads mentioned here (Figs. In addition, elaborate rituals with synchronized singing and processions of masked priests were also carried out on that occasion. 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. 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. We began with a basic set of questions, said Marquardt. Expedition Magazine. When combined with historical and archaeological documentation, Cushings finds from Key Marco teach us about the Calusa Indians around the time of contact. The Calusa also believed that three supernatural beings ruled the universe. Since it seems to be working, many people still believe in the legend. The Chilling Mystery of the Octavius Ghost Ship, What is a Wendigo? Cultivated gourds were used as net floats, and sinkers and net weights were made from mollusk shells. 215.898.4000. The men were responsible for work away from the home, like hunting and raiding. The Calusa (said to mean fierce people ) are a Native American tribe that once inhabited the southwestern coast of Florida. Directly beneath the chief was the nobility. Their immune systems lacked antibodies to fight off European diseases. 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. 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. This answer is: Study guides. The immensity of the kings house, as well as the huge shell mounds and the canals required large amounts of labor and mechanisms to mobilize and to organize that labor that he thinks are indicative of a lower class that worked at the behest of the Calusas elites. They left 1,700 behind. They believed that people had three souls-in a person's eye, shadow, and their reflection in the water. 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. Later periods in the Caloosahatchee culture are defined in the archaeological record by the appearance of pottery from other traditions. Such hierarchy and inequality are generally characteristics of societies that practice agriculture, he observed. Cushings excavations took place along the coast. Little is known about Calusa religion. Large earthen mounds and ridges, accessed by canals, are believed to have been associated with Calusa ritual. The Calusa battle Spain over conversion. Because the Timucua didn't use money, though, a shaman would be given such items as baskets or turkeys. The researchers used ground penetrating radar and LiDAR to locate and map the forts structures, which they then partially excavated. 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. They are attacked by Spain, which in 1566 had established St. Augustine in the north. The Calusa case also illustrates remarkably sophisticated engagements with, and long-term large-scale management of, coastal and estuarine environments.. Native American art,
