Original inhabitants ~ Native Indians

Timucuan Village

Fortified Indian Village. A fence made with thick round poles, some 12' high, surrounded the village. Two guard stations with attendent warriors protected the main spiral like entrance. Most Villages were located near streams and rivers, which were often redirected to the main entrance.
In the center of the village was a large assembly area which around could be found the Chiefs and the principal elders.

This lovely Timucua lady was drawn by a European during the 1590s. From head to foot, she's covered with tattoos. They probably told everyone at a
glance that she belonged to a high social & political class.

Timucuan Indian

Most likely, the woman was poked a number of times with shark's teeth or bone needles. Timucua tattoo artists probably wielded these types of pain makers when plying their craft. The artist would stab tiny holes in the skin
and then rub in wood ashes mixed with berry juice.

Tattooing sometimes made the Timucua ill, but the Indians proved
impressive in appearance. The Europeans were fascinated by how tall and athletic the Timucua men and women looked.

Middens and Shell Mounds, how they came about.....

Source of picture: Florida State Archives

Here are loads of food from the river and lots of grain from the fields.
The grain could be used to prepare grits, fritters, and cornbread. Apparently,
this is a Timucua seafood feast in the making!
When the French saw a scene like this, their mouths would have watered and
their stomachs rumbled. During the 1560s, the settlers at Fort Caroline
couldn't have survived without provisions from local natives.

PREHISTORIC GARBAGE DUMPS -- Suppose you were a Timucua and you didn't care for shellfish: Your neighbors would probably have considered you a finicky eater! Shellfish were consumed primarily by the
Timucua who lived along the coast and the inland rivers, including the St. Johns.
        Over time, these early Floridians ate countless tons of such shellfish as oysters, snails, crabs, clams, and mussels. They piled the debris in middens.  These are trash heaps that contain shells, bones, broken pottery, etc. Some of mounds are massive, and there were lots of them.Middens used to blanket parts of Florida's East Coast, from Cape Canaveral northward. During the 1800s, in fact, Americans couldn't believe their eyes.  They couldn't comprehend that human activity had created so many mounds.
       Numerous middens, though, have been cleared away. Shell miners have used them for road beds & other purposes. This situation has been ongoing sincethe late 1800s. Federal & state laws, however, now prohibit the disturbance of middens on public lands. Unfortunately, those on private property are still fair game.

In this picture, two Timucua smoke a variety of meats: a snake, an alligator, several fish, a deer-like creature, and what may've been a mink. Florida State Archives

EASTSIDE & WESTSIDE -- On the east side of the St. Johns River, Timucua villages stood in an area of generally sandy soil.
This wasn't very conducive to raising crops. Therefore, gardens tended to be smaller, and Indians depended more on gathering wild plants. The Timucun villages on the west side of the river, however, benefited from a richer soil.
They found it easier to grow their food.

photo: Florida State Archives

You'd really get footsore in Timucua times, if it weren't for canoes.
These vessels were the principle means of transportation. The Timucua had no
horses or other draft animals.
GETTING FROM HERE TO THERE According to the French leader Jean Ribault, each Timucua canoe could carry up to 15 to 20 individuals. The vessels averaged 18 feet long.
Canoes moved swiftly, with rowers standing upright while plying their
oars. As shown above, the Timucua carved each vessel from a single log

of pine or cypress. They demonstrated tremendous patience while at work. They gradually hollowed the canoe's body by burning, and they controlled the fire with dams of wet clay. Bit by bit, they sculpted & cut out cut out the scorched wood.

The lower Creek Indians

The Creek Indians were a confederation of tribes that belonged primarily to the Muskhogean linguistic group, which also included the Choctaws and Chickasaws. The Muskogees were the dominant tribe of the confederacy, but all members eventually came to be known collectively as Creek Indians. Most of the Creeks descended from groups living in six towns: Cusseta, Coweta, Areka, Coosa, Hoithle Waule, and Tuckabatchee, all within the confines of the future Alabama and Georgia. These groups most probably formed the confederacy. Later, the Creeks established the practice of adopting conquered tribes and accepting bands fleeing from English, French, and Spanish attacks. By these methods the Alabama, Coushatta, Hitchitee, Tuskegee, and Natchez Indians eventually became Creeks. The Creek confederacy inhabited a large portion of what later became Alabama and Georgia

The Demise of the Spanish

Utina, chief of Timacauns, encountering the aggressive Spanish Soldiers.

As History tells us, The Spanish were friendly at first meeting with Outina/Utina, chief of the Timacau. Their aggressiveness made the Indians uncomfortable, as they would take their men for trips farther into Florida. They began to battle, as they took them as slaves. Soon the more Spanish arrived, disease was brought to the Indians and many died. It is noted that there were as many as 600,000 Indians along the St. Johns River. It was reduced to 160,000.
Pedro Menendez De Aviles wrote his version, and has been transcribed by the University of Florida.

*University of Florida Press/Floridiana Facsimile

Seminole Indians

The better known Seminole do not appear until very late in the Florida story. The Seminole first entered Florida during the 1700's, just two and three quarter centuries ago.
In 1750 the Creek Nation Conference took place in Georgia. Part of the Nation was discontented and broke from the main group. They became the Seminoles. This warlike group moved into North Florida starting the Seminole Wars. They couldn't live peacefully with their own people and were not tolerant of white settlers. As a result there were several Seminole Wars against the settlers and villages.