calusa tribe religion

Artist's conception of town chief at the Calusa town of Tampa (present day Pineland) (Art by Merald Clark.) [28] Cuban fishing camps (ranchos) operated along the southwest Florida coast from the 18th century into the middle of the 19th century. 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 next day 80 "shielded" canoes attacked the Spanish ships, but the battle was inconclusive. People commonly occupied both fresh and saltwater wetlands. Conversion would have destroyed the source of their authority and legitimacy. He was aware, however, of the magnitude of his findings: the remains of a highly organized maritime society whose members performed elaborate rituals and whose artists possessed remarkable abilities in wood carving. Ravaged by new infectious diseases introduced to the Americas by European contact and by the slaving raids, the surviving Calusa retreated south and east. Some of the "Spanish Indians" (often of mixed Spanish-Indian heritage) who worked at the fishing camps likely were descended from Calusa.[29]. The Spanish were used to dealing with natives who farmed and who provided the Spanish with some of their food. Along the southwest Gulf coast lived the Calusa (Caloosa) Indians. 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. 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. Or, were the Romans protecting something even more valuable than silver? 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. Hernando de Escalante Fontaneda, a Spaniard held captive by the Calusa in the 16th century, recorded that Calusa meant "fierce people" in their language. 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. Archaeological and historical documentation reveal that Calusa society was highly structured, with individuals living in fixed settlements surrounding a large central town. These small fish were supplemented by larger bony fish, sharks and rays, mollusks, crustaceans, ducks, sea turtles and land turtles, and land animals. 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. In 1954 a dugout canoe was found during excavation for a middle school in Marathon, Florida. (*) denotes earlier century Calusa language records. Many people lived in large villages with purpose-built earthwork mounds, such as those at Horr's Island. The Apalachee Tribe was among the most advanced and powerful Native American people in Florida. Are the Misty Peaks of the Azores Remnants of the Legendary Atlantis? 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. 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. They also cored sediments on and off the island to help describe and date environmental changes during the sites occupation. They were a very innovative and prosperous tribe, and had a number of traditions that set them apart from other tribes in the area. Many of them are trying to do this on the Internet. Diseases would ravage their population and force . 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. The Untersberg is a great mountain straddling the Austro-German border opposite Salzburg. 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. The drove back multiple conquistadors and had control of nearby tribes. The Calusa were a Native American tribe that lived hundreds of years ago on the island that is now Mound Key Archaeological State Park. [14], The Calusa lived in large, communal houses which were two stories high. Though eschewing agriculture once. By interceding with these spirits, it was believed that the chief was ensuring that his people would be well-supplied by the land. The Calusa artifacts discovered on Marco Island date from 300 AD to 1500 AD, prior to European contact in Florida. Calusa ceremonies included processions of priests and singing women. 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). [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. Miccosukee. 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. The Caloosahatchee Region". Would you like to help support our organization's work with endangered American Indian languages? 4 . Expedition Magazine. A team has uncovered the foundations of a large dwelling and this is As Greek mythology goes, the universe was once a big soup of nothingness. What is the origin of the legend of the Christed Son who was born of a virgin on December 25th? Tracking the Calusa: A Retrospective. According to the documents, the brushwood and lumber fort encompassed some 36 structures. 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. 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 chief organized warfare and possessed special and traditional religious knowledge. Approximate Calusa core area (red) and political domain (blue). Their sophistication and fierceness enabled them to resist Spanish domination for some 200 years. Their territory was bounded in northwest Florida by the Aucilla and Ochlockonee rivers, and . They believed in three superior beings, one controlled the weather, the others ruled the welfare of the tribe and warfare. Known as the "Shell Indians", the Calusa are . There were engineers. It seems a sad demise for such a powerful . The Calusa were a fascinating Native American people who populated the southwestern coast of Florida. Native Americans enjoyed a wide variety of entertainment in the form of sports, games, music, dance, and festivals. Native American art,