CALUSA INDIANS

THEY WERE NATIVE AMERICANS WHO LIVED ON THE COAST AND ALONG THE COAST OF FLORIDA'S SOUTHWEST. CALUSA DEVELOPED FROM ARCHAIC PEOPLE WHO LIVED IN THE EVERGLADES REGION. DURING EUROPEAN CONTACT THE CALUSA WERE PART OF CALOOSAHATCHEE CULTURE. THEY DEVELOPED A COMPLEX CULTURE AROUND FISHING VS AGRICULTURE. THEY PROBABLY ALSO OCCUPIED THE FLORIDA KEYS. THEIR POPULATION WAS MOST DENSE ON SOUTHERN FLORIDA THEIR POLITICAL CONTROL EXTENDED OVER OTHER TRIBES IN SOUTHERN FLORIDA AS WELL AS TO A TRIBE IN CENTRAL EAST COAST OF FLORIDA.


THE EARLY FRENCH AND SPANISH REFERRED TO THEIR CHIEF AS CALOS. THEY HELD A SPANIARD CAPTIVE IN THE 16TH CENTURY. PALEO- INDIANS WERE IN FLORIDA AT LEAST 12,000 YEARS AGO. BY 5000 B.C. PEOPLE LIVED IN VILLAGES NEAR THE WETLANDS. CERTAIN SITES WERE OCCUPIED BY MULTIPLE GENERATIONS. THEY ACCUMULATED LARGE SHELL MIDDENS. MANY PEOPLE LIVED IN LARGE VILLAGES WITH PURPOSED -BUILT MOUNDS. THEY CREATED FIRED POTTERY BY 2000 B.C. BY 500 B.C. THE ARCHAIC CULTURE BEGAN TO DEVELOP INTO DISTINCT REGIONS. THEY HAVE EVIDENCE THAT CHARLOTTE HARBOR AQUATIC RESOURCES WERE BEING INTENSIVELY EXPLOITED BEFORE 3500 B.C. THEIR POTTERY WAS FROM THE GLADES TRADITION AND DEVELOPED AROUND 500 A.D. TO 1750 AD, INCLUDING HISTORIC CALUSA. BY 800 A.D. THEY DEVELOPED A COMPLEX SOCIETY. ARTIFACTS CHANGED SLOWLY OVER THIS PERIOD WITH NO CHANGE IN TRADITIONS. THE POPULATION MIGHT HAVE MIGRATED FROM INLAND FLORIDA TO THE COASTAL REGION.


THEY HAD A STRATIFIED SOCIETY WITH COMMONERS, NOBLES AND LEADERS. LEADERS INCLUDED CHIEFS, A MILITARY LEADER, AND A CHIEF PRIEST. MOST OF THESE POSITIONS WERE SUCCEEDED BY RELATIVES. THE CHIEF MARRIED WOMEN FROM SUBJECT TOWNS AND ALLIED TRIBES. THEY SECURED ALLIANCES WITH THE SPANISH EXPLORERS AS WELL. THEIR DIET ALONG THE COAST CONSISTED OF FISH OF VARIOUS TYPES, TURTLES, AND LAND ANIMALS. AN ANALYSIS OF A HABITATION SITE FOUND MORE THAN 93% OF THEIR ENERGY CAME FROM ANIMALS, FISH, AND SHELLFISH; WITH LESS THAN 6% FROM MAMMALS. ALSO LESS THAN 1% CAME FROM BIRDS. THEY GATHERED WILD BERRIES, FRUITS, NUTS, ROOTS, AND OTHER PLANTS. ONLY 20% OF THEIR DIET CONSISTED OF WILD PLANTS THAT THEY GATHERED. THEY HAVE EVIDENCE THAT THEY CULTIVATED PAPAYA AND A GOURD SPECIES. THEIR FISH WERE CAUGHT WITH NETS MOSTLY. THE NETS WERE WOVEN WITH STANDARD AND VARIOUS MESH SIZES. THEY USE BONE AND SHELL GAUGES TO WEAVE THEIR NETS. THEY USED SPEARS, HOOKS, NETS FLOATS, AND HOOKS TO CATCH FISH.


SHELLS AND WOOD WERE USED TO MAKE HAMMERING AND POUNDING TOOLS. SHARK'S TEETH WERE USED FOR GRATING, CUTTING, AND CARVING AS WELL AS ENGRAVING. THEY WOVE NETS FROM PALM FIBER CORD, AS WELL AS CABBAGE PALM, AND FALSE SISAL, AND WILLOW TREES. FISH TRAPS WERE MADE FROM WOOD AND CORD. THEY MADE MASKS AND CARVED WOODEN PAINTED PLAQUES.


THEY LIVED IN COMMUNAL HOUSES. THE CHIEF'S HOUSE WAS THE COUNCIL HOUSE AND HELD 2,000 PEOPLE WITHOUT CROWDING. THEY WERE BUILT ON TOP OF EARTH WORKS MOUNDS. IN THE CAPITAL CITY, CALOS, THERE WERE 16 HOUSES WITH 1000 OCCUPANTS. THE MEN WORE DEERSKIN BREECH CLOTHS. THE WOMEN WORE SPANISH MOSS SKIRTS. THEY DID NOT WERE TATTOOS. WHEN THE MEN WERE CONVERTED TO CHRISTIANITY THEY CUT THEIR HAIR SHORT. THE CALUSA BELIEVED IN THREE SUPERNATURAL PEOPLE WHO RULED THE EARTH, AND THEY THOUGHT SOULS MIGRATED TO ANIMALS AFTER DEATH.


THE MOST POWERFUL LEADER GOVERNED THE LEADER GOVERNED THE PHYSICAL WORLD. THEY BELIEVED THAT THE THREE SOULS WERE THE PUPIL OF THE EYE, HIS SHADOW, AND HIS REFLECTION. THEY WOULD CONSULT WITH THE SOUL OF THE EYE'S PUPIL AFTER DEATH. THEY OTHER . THE OTHER TWO SOULS LEFT THE BODY AFTER DEATH AND ENTERED AN ANIMAL.

CALUSA CEREMONIES INCLUDED PROCESSIONS OF PRIESTS AND SINGING WOMEN. THEY WORE CARVED MASKS, WHICH WERE AT OTHER TIMES HUNG ON THE WALLS OF A TEMPLE. THEY REMAINED COMMITTED TO THEIR TRADITIONAL BELIEFS EVEN THOUGH THE SPANISH WANTED TO CONVERT THEM TO CATHOLICISM. THE NOBLES CONSIDERED THEMSELVES INTERMEDIARIES BETWEEN THE GODS. THEY RESISTED EUROPEAN AND SPANISH FOR 200 YEARS. BUT AFTER CATCHING EUROPEAN DISEASES, THE TRIBE WAS DESTROYED BY THE CREEK AND YAMASSEE RAIDERS EARLY IN THE 18TH CENTURY.

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