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
This history, rich with photographs and colorful drawings of the remarkable Calusa people who controlled all of south Florida when Europeans first arrived, presents a vivid picture of the natural environment that sustained the Calusa—the teeming estuaries along Florida’s coasts, which have supported people for thousands of years.
The Calusa were the last of Florida’s Indigenous people to succumb to colonization, but by the mid-1700s they had disappeared entirely. This book describes the artifacts they left behind and the plants and animals that inhabited the landscape and the underwater world of their ecosystem. It also discusses their traditions that survive to the present day among modern fisherfolk and the vibrant culture of Native Americans in south Florida—the Seminole and Miccosukee peoples.
Looking at both culture and environment, the authors of this book argue that culture affects every aspect of people’s existence and that to understand a culture, one must first appreciate the environment in which it develops. By learning about both, today’s readers will be better equipped to make the right decisions for wise stewardship of the earth.
The Calusa and Their Legacy will inspire readers to value south Florida’s multicultural history and ecology. It is written for a broad audience of all ages and all educational levels. It will be enjoyed by environmentalists, eco/heritage tourists, and everyone interested in understanding a sense of place in the natural world. The book’s dramatic and authentic illustrations of Calusa life were created by artists working at the Florida Museum of Natural History in Gainesville, where a major permanent exhibition has interpreted this story since 2002.
"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 assistant director of exhibits at the Florida Museum of Natural History in Gainesville.
William H. Marquardt is curator in archaeology at the Florida Museum of Natural History and also associate director of the University of Florida Institute of Archaeology and Paleoenvironmental Studies.
