The Calusa and Their Legacy
The Calusa and Their Legacy
South Florida People and Their Environments
A journey into the history and cultural traditions of the Calusa people of south Florida
The Calusa were a powerful native people on the Gulf coast, their influence spanning south Florida and lasting well into the European invasion. The Calusa and Their Legacy tells the story of the Calusa in relation to the unique environment that sustained them with abundance. This fascinating history is enhanced with illustrations created by artists at the Florida Museum of Natural History in Gainesville, where an exhibition has interpreted this story since 2002.
Locating the keys to Calusa prosperity in the mudflats, sea grass beds, and mangrove forests of Florida’s Gulf coast estuaries, archaeologists Darcie MacMahon and William Marquardt explore the world of the Calusa in vivid detail, from single-celled algae, oyster bars, and southern stingrays to remnant fishing nets, pottery, and woodcarvings. Linked closely to their extraordinary and plentiful ecosystem, the Calusa survived for centuries as an artistic and complex people defeated only by the ravages of disease, wars, slavery, and displacement.
Calusa traditions survive to the present day among the coastal fisherfolk and the vibrant cultures of Native Americans in south Florida—the Seminole and Miccosukee peoples. The Calusa and Their Legacy with encourage the appreciation and stewardship of south Florida’s multicultural history and ecology.
A volume in the series Native Peoples, Cultures, and Places of the Southeastern United States
“This is a book that makes the Calusa come alive.”—American Archaeology
“In The Calusa and Their Legacy, the world of the Calusa is presented as intricately interconnected, and each part was important to the whole.”—Fort Myers News-Press
“The authors deftly combine the history and environment of the Calusa before the arrival of Europeans. . . . Beautifully and copiously illustrated.”—Charlotte Sun
“Will introduce the Calusa to those with little or no knowledge of them in a way which will also give an appreciation of the environment which has been passed on to us.”—Sanibel Islander
“Eloquently demonstrates the rich cultural diversity that has been characteristic of south Florida peoples throughout (pre)history.”—Florida Anthropologist
"Finally, a well-researched and entertaining look at the grand procession of life that has been flourishing in south Florida’s estuaries for thousands of years. This book masterfully describes the wondrous and little-known stories of its inhabitants—from plankton to mangroves to the ancient Calusa to modern-day people."—Carol Newcomb-Jones, Florida Gulf Coast University
Darcie A. MacMahon is director emerita of exhibits and public programs at the Florida Museum of Natural History in Gainesville.
William H. Marquardt is curator emeritus of south Florida archaeology and ethnography at the Florida Museum of Natural History.
