What is the Calusa tribe?
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Calusa, North American Indian tribe that inhabited the southwest coast of Florida from Tampa Bay to Cape Sable and Cape Florida, ...
What are the names of the tribes that lived in the flatlands of Georgia?
Creek, Muskogean-speaking North American Indians who originally occupied a huge expanse of the flatlands of what are now Georgia and Alabama. There were two divisions of Creeks: the Muskogee (or Upper Creeks), settlers of the northern Creek territory; and the Hitchiti and Alabama, who had the same general traditions as….
What is the Seminole tribe?
Seminole. Seminole, North American Indian tribe of Creek origin who speak a Muskogean language. In the last half of the 18th century, migrants from the Creek towns of southern Georgia moved into northern Florida, the former territory of the Apalachee and Timucua. By about 1775 those migrants had begun to be….
What was the Calusa tribe?
The Calusa people were an important tribe of Florida. 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. They also claimed authority over the tribes of the east coast, north to about Cape Canaveral. They were farmers to a limited extent but were better noted as expert fishers, daring seamen, and fierce and determined fighters, keeping up their resistance to the Spanish arms and missionary advances after all the rest of Florida had submitted.
Where did the Seminole tribes go?
More were evacuated to Cuba, where many of them died. When Spain ceded Florida to Great Britain in 1763, the last remnants of the tribes of South Florida went to Cuba. Those few that remained on the mainland were absorbed into the Seminole tribe; however, their language and culture survived up to the Second Seminole War’s close.
When did the Spanish establish a mission and fortified post among them?
In 1567 the Spaniards established a mission and fortified post among them, but both seem to have been discontinued soon after, although the tribe came later under Spanish influence. About this time, they numbered nearly 50 villages, from one of which the city of Tampa takes its name. By the year 1600, they were carrying on regular trade with Havana, Cuba.
What did the Calusa tribe do?
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. 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.
How many people were in the Calusa tribe?
Additionally, it has been suggested that the population of this tribe may have reached 50000 people at one point of time. The men of the Calusa are recorded to have been powerfully built, ...
What is the lowest level of Calusa society?
Slaves occupy the lowest level in Calusa society. One illustration of the sophistication of the Calusa can be found in eyewitness accounts of an event in 1566. It is recorded that in that year, the Calusa chief formed an alliance with the Spanish governor, Menéndez de Avilés.
Why did the Calusa go extinct?
One of the causes of this was the raids conducted by rival tribes from Georgia and South Carolina. Many Calusa are said to have been captured and sold as slaves.
What are the Calusa people called?
Hence, the Calusa are sometimes called the ‘Shell People / Indians’. A reconstruction of a Calusa home and terraces, on display at the Florida Museum of Natural History.
How many people attended the Calusa ceremony?
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. The chief is said to have entertained the governor in a building so large that it could hold 2000 people in it.
What was the chief's purpose in interceding with spirits?
By interceding with these spirits, it was believed that the chief was ensuring that his people would be well-supplied by the land. Additionally, it has been pointed out that tribute was sent to this chief from other tribes in south Florida. Directly beneath the chief was the nobility.
How big is the Calusa watercourt?
These massive, rectangular structures built of shell and sediment enclose large areas on both sides of the mouth of Mound Key’s great canal, a marine highway nearly 2,000 feet long and about 100 feet wide that bisects the island.
When did Calusa build water courts?
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.
What was the only Spanish structure built atop a shell mound in Florida?
The people who constructed Fort San Antón de Carlos had to adapt to Mound Key’s unique conditions, researchers said. The fort is the only Spanish structure built atop a shell mound in Florida. Field school students brush sand from a tabby wall that might be the outer wall of Fort San Antón de Carlos.
What was the only ancient civilization in North America that did not practice farming?
Uniquely, it was powered by fishing, not farming. Florida Museum illustration by Merald Clark. The Calusa may have been the only ancient people in North America who established a kingdom without practicing agriculture. Their sophistication and fierceness enabled them to resist Spanish domination for some 200 years.
When were the Calusa watercourts built?
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 king’s house. Fish stored in the watercourts likely fed the workers who built the massive palace. 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.
Where was the Spanish fort named after the patron saint of lost things?
It was during this time that the team located the Spanish fort – Fort San Antón de Carlos, named for the Catholic patron saint of lost things – that historic documents said was built near Caalus’ house in 1566. According to the documents, the brushwood and lumber fort encompassed some 36 structures.
How many soldiers did Menendez have?
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.
What tribes fought with the Calusas?
The Calusas were warlike people. They dominated many of the less-powerful tribes of Florida Indians, such as the Tequestas, Jaegas, and Ais, and fought frequently with the Timucuas to the north. When the Creek Indians moved south into Florida, at first the Calusas fought with them as well.
Where did the Calusas live?
Some Calusas were sent to Cuba as slaves by the Spanish in the 1500's, and others traveled there voluntarily during the epidemics and turmoil of the late 1600's and early 1700's. Their descendents may still be living in Cuba today. Other Calusas survived the epidemics and ultimately joined the Seminole tribe.
How many people could a Calusa canoe hold?
The largest Calusa canoes could hold fifty people and were equipped with sails as well as oars. The Calusas used these seafaring canoes to travel to islands as far away as Cuba. The Calusas also built canals to make it easier for them to travel across southern Florida by canoe.
What did Calusa men wear?
Calusa men wore their hair in topknots, sometimes with feathers attached. Women sometimes decorated their long hair with flowers. Here is a website with pictures of these Indian hair styles. Calusa warriors often painted their faces and bodies bright colors during battles and dances.
What was the Calusa king?
The Calusa king, or head chief, was an absolute ruler. All his subjects had to obey his commands. In reality, though, Calusa kings probably had to listen to the opinions of the village chiefs, who held local authority.
Did the Calusa Indians have walls?
Calusa houses didn't have any walls. They were more like canopies--roofs of palm leaves supported by wooden poles. Here is a picture of Native American shelters like the ones Calusa Indians used. Calusa villages, on the other hand, were very complicated to build.
Does Calusa speak any language?
They spoke their native Calusa language, but nobody speaks this language anymore. In fact, no one ever wrote down the Calusa language before it disappeared. Except for some place names in Florida, the language will remain a mystery.
