Different tribes and regions had their own games and traditions. The Calusa: "The Shell Indians". Many of them are trying to do this on the Internet. The Calusa Indians. 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. Their sophistication and fierceness enabled them to resist Spanish domination for some 200 years. 8, 9). 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. 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. Since it seems to be working, many people still believe in the legend. There was little change in the pottery tradition after this. It appears that the answer is their watercourts, which were discovered back in the 1890s. The people who constructed Fort San Antn de Carlos had to adapt to Mound Keys unique conditions, researchers said. In the 1700's, infectious diseases, slaving raids and attacks by Creek and Yamasee Indians who were supplied with guns by the English, decimated the Calusa population. After the outbreak of war between Spain and England in 1702, slaving raids by Uchise Creek and Yamasee Indians allied with the Province of Carolina began reaching far down the Florida peninsula. New Moai Statue Found on Chiles Easter Island Excites Researchers. The Calusa (said to mean fierce people ) are a Native American tribe that once inhabited the southwestern coast of Florida. 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. As noted in an early 1566 acecount, Pedro Menendez de Aviles, a Jesuit missionary in charge of an early and unsuccessful attempt to convert the tribe to Christianity, was welcomed by the principal leader of the Callus with a large meal consisting only of many kinds of boiled, roasted, and raw fish (Goggin and Sturtevant 1964). The women were responsible for work around the house, like cooking and raising the children. Native American tattoos In 1763, Spain ceded Florida to England and surviving Calusas were taken to Cuba. (*) denotes earlier century Calusa language records. By 880, a complex society had developed with high population densities. They had three specific deities that they believed their cacique interpreted for. Florida Museum artifact photos by Jeff Gage. The first recorded contact between the Calusa and Europeans was in 1513, when Juan Ponce de Len landed on the west coast of Florida in May, probably at the mouth of the Caloosahatchee River, after his earlier discovery of Florida in April. ARTIFACTS & OBJECTS Racoon tail Fish bladder ear decorations Body tattoos Wood spear with bone tip Shell bead necklace Shell pendant Shell bead bracelet Bald Eagle 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. In addition, elaborate rituals with synchronized singing and processions of masked priests were also carried out on that occasion. ( Public Domain ). Those excavations revealed rarely preserved objects of wood, such as masks, figureheads, bowls, and tools, which survived because of the wet environment. It is believed that Calusa translated to mean "Fierce People". But Widmer argues that the evidence for maize cultivation by the Calusa depends on the proposition that the Narvez and de Soto expeditions landed in Charlotte Harbor rather than Tampa Bay, which is now generally discounted. Rituals were believed to link the Calusa to their spirit world (Art by Merald Clark.) Many smaller tribes were constantly watching for these marauding warriors. During the Calusa's reign the Florida coastline extended roughly 60 miles further into the Gulf of Mexico. Be notified when an answer is posted. The first Spanish explorers found that these Indians were not very friendly. Man in Peru Caught Out Drinking With an 800-year-old Mummy! Darcie A. Macmahon and Dr. William H. Marquardt, an expert on the Calusa, have written a fascinating book that brings to life a group of people who disappeared from Florida in the 1700s. The Calusa may have been the only ancient people in North America who established a kingdom without practicing agriculture. At the time of European contact in the 16th and 17th centuries, the historic Calusa were the people of the Caloosahatchee culture. The Calusa Indians were descendants of Paleo-Indians who inhabited Southwest Florida approximately 12,000 years ago. What did the Calusa tribe believe in? Large earthen mounds and ridges, accessed by canals, are believed to have been associated with Calusa ritual. /* 728x15 link ad */ The Calusa wove nets from palm-fiber cord. 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. 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. google_ad_width = 728; Penn Museum, 1991 Web. Miccosukee. The story of the Calusa during the Spanish occupation of La Florida is a complicated one, said Thompson. Are the Misty Peaks of the Azores Remnants of the Legendary Atlantis? The Calusa (/klus/ k-LOO-s) were a Native American people of Florida's southwest coast. Native American art,