The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-05-10
A PREHISTORIC RACE
A VANISHED RACE THAT LIVED on
FLORIDA COAST REEFS.
Proofs OF Pre-Columbia Trade Be-
tween Florida and Yucatan-
Archaeologfcal Discoveries.


Mai. ]. W. Powell. director OF the
Bureau OF Ethnology. has just returned
from the scene OF the most remarkable
archaeological discovery that has been
made in this country during the last
quarter OF century. In Florida have
been found the relics of a comparatively
civilized race OF people. who lived there
long before the days of Columbus. They
were fishermen and traders by sea, main
tanning a commerce with the West Indies
and Yucatan- That they were very
numerous population Is proved by the
mounds OF oyster and other shells which
they have left behind. These are by far
the largest she'll mounds in the world.
and the making OF them must have re-
ouired many centuries. The mystery. Is
how the people were wiped out, for there
is no evidence that they survived so late
as the first coming OF the whites
In several respects these people were
different from any known Indians; but
the most notable point about them was
their method OF living in houses over the
water and elevated on piles. The region
occupied by them was the west shore of
Florida southwark Of Tampa and the
outlying islands. That part Of the coast
OF the fiowery peninsula is very irreg
ular. with numerous islands and points
OF mainland. The villages must have
been thickly scattered. judging from the
shell heaps which to-day mark the
ancient sites. These mounds of dinner
refuse left over for centuries vary in
size from two hundred yards to half a
mile square, and the depth OF molluscan
remains in places is as much as thirty
feet
The vestiges OF thousands of houses
are found on the shell heaps. They
seem to have been constructed In the
simplest fashion on small platforms Of
logs unheld by piles driven into the mud.
Beneath the mud were old coral reefs,
so that the foundation was fairly Sc
cCre- The people depended for food al
most entirely upon what they could get
from the water and their diet consisted
mostly Of shell fish OF various kinds. The
mounds are composed chiefly Of oyster
shells. but also contain immense quanti-
ties OF the shells OF other species OF mol
lusks. such as clans. mussels and scol-
lops. The shells Of big conchs are es-
pecially numerous. Indians are more
nearly omnivorous than whites.
Depending on such food for subsist-
ence. these prehistoric fisherfolk found ii
most convenient to live on the shore.
Their pile-supported dwellings kept them
out OF the wet and afforded some degree
OF safety from attack AS fast as they
ate the oysters they dropped the shells
into the water beneath, and thus In the
course Of time the accommodations rose to
q level with the platforms. Finally the
houses came TO rest upon the shell heaps
directly, and In the latter are buried the
relics Of generation after generation. BY
the study Of these relics, in which Frank
Gushing. the famous ethnologist, has
been engaged for some time past, many
interesting facts have been ascertained
respecting the customs and manner Of
life OF this vanished race.
No similar dwellings on piles have been
found anywhere else on this continent
IT was thought that some had been dis
covered on the Delaware river near Clay
mont, but they turned out TO be aborigf-
nal fish wiers. The ancient houses on
stills in the Swiss lakes resemble them
pretty closely. In connection with these
however, there were no shell heaps for
lack Of mollusks to eat In the mud
about the stumps OF the piles that sup
ported the old lake dwellings of Switzer-
land have been discovered many works
OF art and other interesting things illus
trating the state of culture enjoyed by
the people But nothing brought to light
over there approaches in interest the OBJ
Jects dug out of the shell heaps in Flor
ida
These objects, already obtained in
great number, are of astonishing varie-
ty. There are utensils of wood, carved
and painted So perfectly are they pre-
served that the painted patterns are yet
clear and the carvings sharp. To these
are added pieces of exquisite pottery,
articles Of featherwork. such as that for
which the Mexicans of old were famous,
and ornaments Of numerous patterns and
kinds. There are textile fabrics also
All OF these things are unquestionably
prehistoric Nothing has been found
that belonged to the white man or that
suggests contact with him. Not a trace
OF European art is discovered. Skulls
and skeletons of human beings there are
In great quantities. representing the NOR
tai remains of the people themselves.
A MARITIME RACE.
One fact OF remarkable interest proved
by this new discovery is that the pre-
historic people in question maintained a
considerable commerce with Central
America and the West India islands. It
has long been suspected that the early
aborigines of the Florida peninsula had
trade relations with Yucatan, but ac-
curate knowledge upon the subject has
not been obtained until now. Undoubt-
eddy they got from that source fabrics.
articles of feather work and other things.
They were a maritime and commercial
race. navigating the ocean fearlessly and
IndklnS voyages 10 comparatively dis
tant lands What sort of boats they
used cannot be ascertained, unfortu-
nately.
Mr.. Cushing thinks that his find
points to another very important con-
clusion. namely, that the shell heaps rep
resent the origin of mound building by
American aborsgines. The minds OF
primitive people work slowly; they think
that they cannot live except as their
ancestors have lived. Accordingly tribes
migrating inland from the coast con-
tinued to build their houses upon
mounds. using earth for want of shells
To the persistence of this habit may be
attributed the mounds which are scat
tered by thousands throughout nearly
the whole OF the United States. AS for
the superior civilization OF the aboriginal
traders of Florida Prof. W. ]. MCGEE, of
the Bureau Of Et:nology. asserts that
the neighborhood of the sea is favorable
TO the development of a race. Maritime
people become civilized earlier than those
VINO dwell inland. He believes that the
civilization of the world has been de-
veioped first along the coasts and in
desert regions.
Inc shells In the mounds are excellent
~ preserved, so that they might almost
be imagined TO have been opened within