Notes on the Colusa: Native American Indians That you Don't Know About

History With RCS, prehistory, archaeology: The Colusa (Indians) in what is now Florida of North America               

 

                I intend to write about the earlier people of North America from time to time. I'll begin now with Notes on the Colusa. We do not often hear about the Colusa people, but these brief notes may sharpen your interest in those whom we have called Indians.

                As recent as the 1500s the Colusa controlled much of the southwest of what is now the state of Florida. The Colusa defended their land from the aggression of others, including Europeans. The Spaniards knew them as fierce.

                The Caloosahatchee river, with its mouth on the southwest of the Florida peninsula, was central to their lands.

                They lived mostly along inland waterways and developed those waterways for transportation and food production. The sea was also a source of food for them. They left middens of seashells large enough to compete in size with their great mounds and earthworks. They fished with nets and traps, and also fashioned good looking and effective hooks.

                The Colusa may have been directly to the Paleoindians of 10,000 BC. They had seagoing vessels and traded with the people of the Caribbean islands. In later years they were famed for their wide use of seashells as ornaments and implements.

                They were physically well developed and in colonial times were known for being 3 to 4 inches taller than the usual European man.

                The Colusa had a strong influences on the "tribes" around them. That influence, in some part, may have been due to their wide trading network. That trade was carried on dugouts especially on their inland waterways. They also built and used larger seagoing vessels. They visited the island we now call Cuba and navigated to farther islands. They also traveled the Gulf of Mexico to the mouth of the Mississippi. 

                Their homes were built on platforms on pilings over the water of their waterways. They could get into their dugout and take the "water road" to the "water highway"  on to Mississippi or Cuba. Their buildings were well made and ha particularly handsome roofs of palmetto fronds. It is said that some of their buildings were large enough to accommodate a great number of people. The Caloosa/Colusa were excellent wood workers and they did some fine wood carving. 

                They were also excellent farmers, sailors, fishermen, and traders. Their large gardens were often surrounded by canals and were built up and fertilized by dredging those canals. They are probably responsible for the construction of what we have called bayous.

                Their high level culture has been dated to well before 100 BC. Several of their middens and earthworks have been dated to at least that time.

                We have a lot to learn from and about these people. Investigations into their agricultural techniques may be of important use to us soon. 

                You may publish comments below. I may publish what you have to contribute about the Colusa. More to come.

                                                                                RCS