This Spanish expedition brought with them the violence and disease that led to the extinction of the Tocobaga Indian tribe within years of the first Spanish landing in the St Petersburg area.
Within the scope of several hours one can visit four ancient Indian mounds that span several thousand years of history from pre-Columbian to the final chapters of the Tocobagas. By the time of European contact, there were many tribes living in Florida, among which were the Apalachee, the Tocobaga, the Tequesta, the Calusa and the Mayaimi.
The constructions that the aboriginal Floridians have left include wooden sculpture of outstanding quality, hundreds of pyramid mounds, dozens of artificial islands, straight line canals cut for miles through the lowlands, standings stones, mysterious circular earthworks, and even an effigy island.
Many modern Floridians are living on Indian mounds without realizing it. While major mounds were leveled to surface sidewalks and roads during the early 20th century development of St. Petersburg, it is still possible to visit these four important sites. Originally there were probably 15 or 20 of these steep-sided, truncated pyramids around the bay.
All of them lay within a few hundred yards of tidal waters, five by the mouths of major rivers near the sites of villages. All but two were made of gradually built-up layers of sand and compacted varieties of shell up to 20 feet high. Most had ramps and were situated either north or east of a plaza, which may have been used for games.
The mounds' varying sizes suggest a variety of functions, but they do not appear to have been funerary, as very few burials have been found in or near them…Six mounds were oriented to the cardinal directions. Four others deviated from cardinal alignment by 20 degrees or less. It was used to kill animals for food and clothing.
While hunting, the Tocobaga would wear deerskin, or sometimes deer heads over themselves, to get close enough to the animals to kill them. Archaeological digs in the Safety Harbor area of Florida have uncovered many artifacts, or man-made objects from the Tocobaga.
Items such as plates and pots have been found indicating that the Tocobaga Indians were expert potters. The archaeological name for this and adjacent groups in late prehistoric pre-European times is the Safety Harbor culture.
These artifacts may have had handles, as well as incising around the rims, but no complex designs unless found in burial mounds.
Spanish records often refer to villages, chiefs, and chiefdoms groups of subservient villages with the same name. So, Tocobago, may refer to one man, a single village, or an extended alliance of villages, based on the context of the sentence. They were almost exclusively fishermen who fished the Gulf for the big ones and harvested tons of oysters and clams out of the bay. Each village was situated around a public area that was used as a meeting place.
The houses were generally round and built with wooden poles holding up a roof of palm thatches. At right is a poster put into circulation by a Tampa Bay Museum. What They Ate Because of their proximity to both the bay and freshwater streams, the Tocobaga fished and gathered shellfish as their primary source of food.
They also ate manatees, which were abundant in the nearby waters. One such tool was the adz. The adz was made of a shell or pointed stone tied to the end of a curved branch. For a special occasion, cowboys might have apple dumplings or vinegar pie.
Through the campaign, flocks of buzzards feasted on corpses of soldiers on the roads and battlefields. The buzzards were not the only ones who ate well. Begin typing your search term above and press enter to search.
Press ESC to cancel. Skip to content Home Miscellaneous What did the Tocobaga wear? Esther Fleming April 4, They would have used a bow and arrow, or hurled darts with a throwing stick called an atlatl.
Some hunters might disguise themselves by wearing a deerskin with the head still attached. All parts of the deer were useful to the tribe. Other mammals were hunted, such as; raccoon, squirrel, armadillo, rabbits, opossum, fox, and bobcat. Wading birds were caught with nets, and eggs were gathered during shorebird nesting season. The fragrant resin from the tree is used as incense, can be used for glue and is valued for its medicinal properties.
Florida Hogplum Ximenia americana , is a lower canopy tree, reaching to a height of 20'. Its fruit can be eaten when very ripe too many will cause a stomach upset , and its flowers have a most noticeable, pleasant, fragrance. Black Mangrove Avicennia germinans , is salt tolerant tree that expels salt through its leathery leaves. Its roots are excellent storm buffers, preventing both beach erosion and storm surges. The roots provide shelter for small fish and shellfish.
Sea purslane or Sea Pickle Halimione portulacoides has crunchy, slightly salty leaves that are edible. It has also be used to treat scurvy and kidney disorders. Sea Grape Coccoloba uvifera bears fruit almost all year long. The edible sea grape berry can be made into a jelly.
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