Calusa Indians of south west Florida

When Europeans first arrived in the 16^th century the Calusa Indians controlled south west Florida.  The Calusa were coastal fishermen, and some even lived in the Big Cypress uplands where they maintained hunting camps.  Hernando d’Escalante Fontaneda, a Spanish shipwreck survivor spent 17-years as a Calusa prisoner before he was rescued.  In his journal he described them as “men of strength”.  From his writings we learn that their marine cuisine included lobsters, oysters, and manatees, “enormous trout nearly the size of men,”and eels as thick as thighs.


Due to the bounty of available food the Indians of the Everglades had ample time to pursue construction, religion, and art.  They left behind enormous mounds of shells (clam, conch, and oysters) including a 150 acre island of Chokoloskee, which they then constructed their palm thatched homes upon.  They also crafted tools, ritualized costumes, and intricate artwork faithfully depicting local wildlife.

 

Approximate Calusa core area (red) and political domain (blue)

The Calusa were often described as nearly naked savages by early explorers, but they were a sophisticated people who worked to mold nature to their purposes through building seawalls, jetties, fish traps, and reservoirs and canals (one canal connecting Lake Okeechobee to a hunting ground was nearly 3-miles long.  They certainly had an impact on the environment of the Everglades, but with an estimated population of only 20,000 at their height their lifestyle was sustainable.
They were not an entirely admirable culture, as they practiced human sacrifice, marryied sisters, and kidnapped wives from conquered foes, but considering their culture persisted in the region for over 2000 years it is remarkable that they did not degrade their environment in more significant ways.
Sources:

Grunwald, Michael The Swamp: The everglades, Florida, and the politics of Paradise Simon Schuster PaperbacksNew York 2006
“Calusa indian art, artifacts, & anecdotes” visited 2/2/10. http://www.sanybel.com/calusa_indian.htm

“Calusa” Wikipedia Free Encyclopedia visited 2/2/10. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calusa