During this time of giving thanks, we must look to our past and honor those who have come before us. Before I set off on any walk in Florida nature, I say a silent prayer of thanks to God and for our ancestors like the Timucuan Indians.
The Timucua were the Native American people living in the northeast and north central portions of Florida. The earliest evidence of their presence dates from around 3000 BC. and they probably numbered between 200,000 and 300,000 people organized into various chiefdoms speaking a common language.
The name Timucua may derive from the Spanish pronunciation of the Timucuan word atimoqua, which means “lord” or “chief.” The Timucua were semi-nomadic and lived in the inland forests during the mild fall and winter months. Employing “slash and burn” technology by cutting large growth followed by clearing the fields with fire, the soil would be turned and broken utilizing the nitrates in the ash as an effective fertilizer. Part of their diet included maize, beans, squash, melons, and various root vegetables. The Timucua would also collect wild fruits and berries and bake bread made from the root starch of the Coontie plant. The people cultivated tobacco and utilized a communal food storage system that suggested crop surpluses.
The Timucuan also hunted deer, alligator, bear, turkey, and other game, possibly including eastern bison. During the hot summers, they would migrate to the cooler seashores where they would fish and collect oysters and shellfish. The Timucuan culture is still evident in the many shell middens, essentially Indian trash piles, still found in Florida’s coastal areas.
See Timucua Tribe – Lost Today – Legends of America
Where in The Great Florida Outdoors can you learn more?
One location is the
Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve
12713 Fort Caroline Road
Jacksonville, Florida 32225
904-641-7155
I will continue with more on the Timucuan Indians in my next article
See you on the trail!
Dr. Norman is an advanced master naturalist graduate of the FMNP program from UF and a board-certified dermatologist based in Tampa and Riverview. He can be reached at 813-880-7546.
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