Florida Museum of Natural History Florida and Georgia archaeologists have discovered the location of Fort San Antn de Carlos, home of one of the first Jesuit missions in North America. By 880, a complex society had developed with high population densities. Calusa influence may have also extended to the Ais tribe on the central east coast of Florida. This page was last edited on 21 February 2023, at 15:27. 9). 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. One is left only to imagine how lifelike these wooden figureheads must have appeared when used on ceremonial occasions. [14], The Calusa lived in large, communal houses which were two stories high. Among other things. 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. Hernando de Escalante Fontaneda, an early chronicler of the Calusa, described "sorcerers in the shape of the devil, with some horns on their heads," who ran through the town yelling like animals for four months at a time. The Calusa king initially allied himself with Menendez, hoping to gain an advantage over his rivals elsewhere in the Florida peninsula.. The chief had many wives: one principal wife and others given to him by surrounding villages. (1993). Granberry has provided an inventory of phonemes to the sounds of the Calusa language.[22][21]. Radiocarbon dating of organic materials associated with the watercourts indicates they were built between A.D. 1300 and 1400, toward the end of a second phase of construction on the kings house. 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. According to the documents, the brushwood and lumber fort encompassed some 36 structures. Tribute was offered in the form of prestige goods, such as feathers, mats, deerskins, food, and metals and captives recovered from Spanish shipwrecks (Hudson 1976). Since the soft limestone that surrounded them was unfitting for tool and weapon production, they decided to use shells, wood, fish teeth, and bone for tools. Menndez left a garrison of soldiers and a Jesuit mission, San Antn de Carlos, at the Calusa capital. Spanish conquistador Juan Ponce de Len landed on the east coast of Florida and . The Spanish reported that the chief was expected to take his sister as one of his wives. The Legend of the Calusa Many people believe that the Calusa made a trip to Cuba in their canoes and traded with the Mayans. Like the Calusa, the Tequesta were devastated by European diseases. One of the causes of this was the raids conducted by rival tribes from Georgia and South Carolina. After ten days a man who spoke Spanish approached Ponce de Len's ships with a request to wait for the arrival of the Calusa chief. 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. The Horsemen of Oyo were legendary warriors who served the Oyo Empire of West Africa. Want this question answered? (1964). Fowler Williams, .Lucy"The Calusa Indians: Maritime Peoples of Florida in the Age of Columbus" Expedition Magazine 33.2 (1991): n. pag. In 1569, just three years after the Spanish fort was built, the Calusa attacked a Spanish supply ship, prompting more violence. "They had an established religion. Julian Granberry has suggested that the Calusa language was related to the Tunica language of the lower Mississippi River Valley. 314 Palmetto Street, Jacksonville 32202. They believed in three superior beings, one controlled the weather, the others ruled the welfare of the tribe and warfare. 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. This is still a popular sport today. google_ad_slot = "7815442998"; Calusa society developed from that of archaic peoples of the Everglades region. By around 5000 BC, people started living in villages near wetlands. [26], For more than a century after the Avils adventure, there was little contact between the Spanish and Calusa. Historic sources reveal that they were a warlike people who economically and politically dominated most of southern Florida (Fig. Mudlarker Finds Bronze Age Shoe on a UK Riverbank Dated 2,800 Years Old! What language did the Calusa speak? Request Answer. What did the Calusa tribe believe in? Warriors killed all the adult men. Archaeological and historical documentation reveal that Calusa society was highly structured, with individuals living in fixed settlements surrounding a large central town. At the time of European contact in the 16th and 17th centuries, the historic Calusa were the people of the Caloosahatchee culture. If a Calusa killed such an animal, the soul would migrate to a lesser animal and eventually be reduced to nothing.[18]. The soul in the eye's pupil stayed with the body after death, and the Calusa would consult with that soul at the graveside. Are the Misty Peaks of the Azores Remnants of the Legendary Atlantis? 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. [15], The Calusa wore little clothing. 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. [8], Some authors have argued that the Calusa cultivated maize and Zamia integrifolia (coontie) for food. Spanish admiral Pedro Menndez de Avils (1519-1574) by Francisco de Paula Mart (1762-1827) ( Public Domain ). 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. Artist's conception of town chief at the Calusa town of Tampa (present day Pineland) (Art by Merald Clark.) What was the calusa Indians religion? The leaders included the paramount chief, or "king"; a military leader (capitn general in Spanish); and a chief priest. The National Geographic has reported that archaeologists have discovered an ancient Native American kings house in Florida. 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. The Calusa battle Spain over conversion. The Calusa knew of the Spanish before this landing, however, as they had taken in Native American refugees from the Spanish subjugation of Cuba. Unlike most Florida Indian tribes . [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 Calusa Tribe had a large population and were well-organized. [5] A few leaders governed the tribe. 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. Widmer cites George Murdock's estimate that only some 20 percent of the Calusa diet consisted of wild plants that they gathered. 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. During the Calusa's reign the Florida coastline extended roughly 60 miles further into the Gulf of Mexico. Additionally, it has been suggested that the population of this tribe may have reached 50000 people at one point of time. Seeing the work of the Calusa in these materials first-hand were really exciting moments for us.. 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. At the time of first European contact, the Caloosahatchee culture region formed the core of the Calusa domain. In 1711, the Spanish helped evacuate 270 Indians, including many Calusa, from the Florida Keys to Cuba (where almost 200 soon died). New Evidence Shows Humans Were Using Bows and Arrows in 52,000 BC. The Calusa made bone and shell gauges that they used in net weaving. 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. 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 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 CalusaPeople of the Estuary. By about 500 BC, the Archaic culture, which had been fairly uniform across Florida, began to devolve into more distinct regional cultures. Historic documents say the Calusa then set fire to Mound Key and fled the island, which also prompted the Spanish to leave. Or, were the Romans protecting something even more valuable than silver? Calusa means "fierce people," and they were described as a fierce, war-like people. [Online]Available at: http://www.sanibelhistory.org/calusa_history.htm, Wu Mingren (Dhwty) has a Bachelor of Arts in Ancient History and Archaeology. 8, 9). [10][11][12], Mollusk shells and wood were used to make hammering and pounding tools. Montauk There were engineers. They are attacked by Spain, which in 1566 had established St. Augustine in the north. The Calusa are said to have been a socially complex and politically powerful tribe, and most of southern Florida was controlled by them. 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. They were descendants of Paleo-Indians who inhabited Southwest Florida approximately 12,000 years ago. Pine tree legends The Calusa also used spears, hooks, and throat gorges to catch fish. 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. The missionaries recognized that having a Calusa man cut his hair upon converting to Christianity (and European style) would be a great sacrifice. 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. [17], The Calusa believed that three supernatural people ruled the world, that people had three souls, and that souls migrated to animals after death. See answer (1) Best Answer. 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 University Museum has an exceptional collection of artifacts from the Calusa site at Key Marco, Florida. At some point of time in their history, this tribe discovered that there was a wealth of fish in the waters, and began to exploit this resource. The two forms together may have indicated his transformation (Figs. Their gods were living all around them. According to Menendez, in 1566 the town of Calos contained a central mound where special masks were kept and where human sacrifices were made. Slaves occupy the lowest level in Calusa society. This lasted until about 1750, and included the historic Calusa people. What is the origin of the legend of the Christed Son who was born of a virgin on December 25th? google_ad_height = 15; Nets were woven with a standard mesh size; nets with different mesh sizes were used seasonally to catch the most abundant and useful fish available. The Calusa Indians, who live in southwest Florida, are weakened by epidemics. Despite the social complexity and political might that the Calusa attained, they are said to have eventually went extinct around the end of the 18 th century. The Calusa are said to have been the descendants of Palaeo-Indians who inhabited Southwest Florida about 12000 years ago. 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. There is evidence that the people intensively exploited Charlotte Harbor aquatic resources before 3500 BC. According to these accounts, the Calusa had a head chief named Carlos who lived in Calos and received tribute from surrounding villages. (Public Domain ). 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. Were theonlyPop Archaeology site combining scientific research with out-of-the-box perspectives. It was during this phase of research that the team located and documented the massive kings house, showing it was indeed every bit as impressive as Spanish accounts, which claimed it was large enough to accommodate some 2,000 people. 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). The Calusa were a tribe of Native Americans known as the "Shell Indians" and some of the first Floridians. Ravaged by new infectious diseases introduced to the Americas by European contact and by the slaving raids, the surviving Calusa retreated south and east. They collected materials for accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) dating and sediment samples for archaeobotanical and zooarchaeological analysis. The Calusa case also illustrates remarkably sophisticated engagements with, and long-term large-scale management of, coastal and estuarine environments.. They were occupying this land and engaging in commerce, culture, religion, politics and family life . The chief also married women from subject towns and allied tribes. 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. Soon after the discoveries, Donald funded archaeological mapping of . Different tribes had different names for the sport including . Rituals were believed to link the Calusa to their spirit world ( Art by Merald Clark. Field school students brush sand from a tabby wall that might be the outer wall of Fort San Antn de Carlos. [4], The Calusa had a stratified society, consisting of "commoners" and "nobles" in Spanish terms. "Calusa". The Calusa tribe lived along the Gulf Coat and inner waterways; their homes were built on stilts with roofs made from Palmetto leaves; these homes had no walls. The Calusa people based most of their diet on seafood. Would you like to help support our organization's work with endangered American Indian languages? 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. Artist's conception of town chief at the Calusa town of Tampa (present day Pineland) (Art by Merald Clark.) Engineering the courts required an intimate understanding of daily and seasonal tides, hydrology and the biology of various fish species, said Thompson. Carlos was succeeded by his cousin (and brother-in-law) Felipe, who was in turn succeeded by another cousin of Carlos, Pedro. Their territory ranged from Tampa Bay south to the Ten Thousand Islands and as far east as Lake Okeechobee. After each meal, these shells were put to good use as building material and tools. They were one of the first tribes in South Florida and they settled near Biscayne Bay in the present-day Miami area. When Pedro Menndez de Avils visited in 1566, the Calusa served only fish and oysters to the Spanish. Although his primary interest is in the ancient civilizations of the Near East, he is also interested in other geographical regions, as well as other time periods. Read More. The Calusa were a fascinating Native American people who populated the southwestern coast of Florida. Southeastern Archaeology, 33(1), 124. The Spanish were used to dealing with natives who farmed and who provided the Spanish with some of their food. 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. It's also possible that a few were absorbed into the Seminole tribe. The Southeast is one of 10 culture areas that scholars use to study the Indigenous peoples of the United States and Canada. Calusa v. Iroquois: Religious Beliefs. The men wore deerskin breechcloths. Seeking Native American Spirituality: Read This First! [16], Ceremonial or otherwise artistic masks have been discovered and were previously described by the Spanish who first encountered the Calusa. Florida of the Indians. 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. 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. Tabby was an Old World concrete consisting of lime from burned shells mixed with sand, ash, water and broken shells. It is believed that Calusa translated to mean "Fierce People". This change may have resulted from the people's migration from the interior to the coastal region, or may reflect trade and cultural influences. 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. One of the most notable traditions of the Calusa was their use of shell mounds. And to what extent does the occupational and architectural history speak to broader issues of Calusa complexity? 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 heir of the chief wore gold in an ornament on his forehead and beads on his legs. Penn Museum 2023 Report Web Accessibility Issues and Get Help / Contact / Copyright / Disclaimer / Privacy /, Report Web Accessibility Issues and Get Help. They formerly held the southwest coast from about Tampa Bay to Cape Sable and Cape Florida, together with all the outlying keys, and extending inland to Lake Okeechobee. 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. 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 Apalachee Tribe was among the most advanced and powerful Native American people in Florida. At the top of the hierarchy was the chief, who had control over the life and death of his subjects, and was believed to have the ability to communicate with the spirits. Undecorated pottery belonging to the early Glades culture appeared in the region around 500 BC. Wiki User. The Calusa (said to mean fierce people ) are a Native American tribe that once inhabited the southwestern coast of Florida. The Calusa was a powerful, complex society who lived on the shores of the southwest Florida coast. The men and boys of the tribe made nets from palm tree webbing to catch mullet, pinfish, pigfish, and catfish. 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. The story of the Calusa during the Spanish occupation of La Florida is a complicated one, said Thompson. 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. 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. [8], The Calusa caught most of their fish with nets. The Caloosahatchee Region". In a report from 1697, the Spanish noted 16 houses in the Calusa capital of Calos, which had 1,000 residents. 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 appears that the answer is their watercourts, which were discovered back in the 1890s. Image by Pat Payne for American Archaeology. The chief lived in the main village at the mouth of the Miami River. They fished and hunted for their food and would catch things like: mullet, catfish, eels, turtles, deer, conchs, clams, oysters, and crabs. The women were responsible for work around the house, like cooking and raising the children. MacMahon, Darcie A. and William H. Marquardt. [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). In. [4], Between 500 and 1000, the undecorated, sand-tempered pottery that had been common in the area was replaced by "Belle Glade Plain" pottery. The Calusa are said to have been a socially complex and politically powerful tribe, and most of southern Florida was controlled by them. Marquardt, William H. (2004). Later periods in the Caloosahatchee culture are defined in the archaeological record by the appearance of pottery from other traditions. There was little change in the pottery tradition after this. The watercolors illustrate the blue, black, gray, and brownish-red pigments found on many of the wooden specimens. It has been speculatively identified as Calusa in origin. Marquardt notes that the Calusa turned down the offer of agricultural tools from the Spanish, saying that they had no need for them. 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. Fontaneda was shipwrecked on the east coast of Florida, likely in the Florida Keys, about 1550, when he was thirteen years old. 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. They left 1,700 behind. 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 Jews are not a race. Index of Indigenous languages Be notified when an answer is posted. Mound Key, an island west of Fort Myers, was the center of this large Calusa Empire. Tracking the Calusa: A Retrospective. Water World. 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. support our organization's work with endangered American Indian languages. The Calusas as Shell Indians The Calusas are considered to be the first "shell collectors." Shells were discarded into huge heaps. The Calusa: "The Shell Indians". Their sophistication and fierceness enabled them to resist Spanish domination for some 200 years. 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. However, no evidence of plant food was found at the Wightman site. 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. Because of their reliance on shellfish, they accumulated large shell middens during this period. The architectural remains of the kings house were relatively easy to find, but difficult to interpret at first, Marquardt said. Menndez married Carlos' sister, who took the baptismal name Doa Antonia at conversion. These Indians were so unfriendly that this was one of the first tribes that Spanish explorers wrote home about in 1513. When the Spanish arrived in Florida in the early 16 th century, the Calusa were already in possession of a complex centralized government. 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. , ash, water and broken shells and wood were used to with! Made nets from palm tree webbing to catch fish, with individuals living in fixed surrounding! 36 structures have indicated his transformation ( Figs authors have argued that the Calusa Indians who... People ) are a Native American people in Florida Indigenous peoples of the Christed Son who was in turn by. Prompting more violence a warlike people who populated the southwestern coast of Florida the... St. Augustine in the north `` nobles '' in Spanish terms an Old world concrete consisting of lime burned. 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