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[By Kerri L. Post · Images courtesy Trail of the Lost Tribes - Title Image Hope for a New Year by Hermann Trappman ]
The Trail of the Lost Tribes
Five centuries ago, Florida was home to 100,000 native people living in hundreds of communities and representing many different cultures. For more than 12,000 years these original Floridians left traces of their lives and work on the landscape. Their ceremonial mounds, village middens, canals, hunting camps and other archaeological remains are fragile messengers from this profoundly different time. They have much to tell us about the first 95% of human history in Florida. Florida's archaeological heritage is a legacy we are privileged to experience and obligated to protect. Thanks to the Trail of the Lost Tribes, Inc., you can experience the places and the lives of Florida's native people. - James J. Miller, Ph.D., former state archaeologist of Florida, from the Trail of the Lost Tribes 2004 brochure.
The Trail of the Lost Tribes was co-founded by Florida heritage interpreters and entrepreneurs Karen Fraley and Marty Ardren as an outgrowth of their tours of the Portavant Archaeological Complex in Manatee County. By bringing together tour operators, archaeologists, artists, educators and museums with ancient artifact collections, the organization works to promote awareness, responsible visitation and protection of the remaining cultural sites of the original people of Florida.
Two Worlds Collide by Dean Quigley
With funding from the Florida Humanities Council, the Frank E. Duckwall Foundation and VISIT FLORIDA, the Trail has expanded its educational mission in recent years, offering a free archaeological speaker series at Trail member sites, and producing full-color brochures to encourage heritage tourism along the Trail. Today, the Trail of the Lost Tribes has grown to include three independent heritage interpreters and 23 sites located primarily along Florida's Gulf Coast.
Highlights of the archaeological sites featured in the Trail of the Lost Tribes brochure
The Crystal River Archaeological State Park is where coastal dwellers relied on the rich marine estuaries of Florida's Gulf Coast and traveled to Crystal River for the burial of their dead and other religious and political purposes for thousands of years.
The Safety Harbor Mound on Old Tampa Bay, continues to stand as silent sentry over the history of the people that came before us. It was at this location that the Tocobaga thrived. The nearby Safety Harbor Museum of Regional History offers a look into the area's history from prehistoric to modern times and tells the story of Florida's first people and the arrival of Spanish explorers in the 16th century.
The Weedon Island Preserve Cultural and Natural History Center in St. Petersburg along the western shores of Tampa Bay was home to at least four prehistoric cultures. Perhaps the most celebrated group is the Weeden Island Culture whose distinctive ornate pottery was first recorded on Weedon Island (the cultural period is spelled differently from the island) in 1924 by Jesse Walter Fewkes of the Smithsonian Institution.
The Museum of the Islands on Pine Island, illustrates how the area's history is rooted through the ancient Calusa Indians whose shell mounds remain as evidence of a once mighty nation. Also on the island is Randell Research Center at Pineland, where you can observe archaeological excavations in progress. The Pineland archaeological site was occupied by Calusa Indians for more than 1,500 years. On nearby Estero Island, The Mound House is the oldest standing structure on the island and sits atop a Calusa Indian shell mound constructed between 1,400 and 2,000 years ago.
On the Big Cypress Seminole Indian Reservation, the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum exhibits rare artifacts and clothing and illustrates the dramatic history of the Seminoles. Learn about traditional uses of native plants and watch Seminoles create traditional arts and crafts at the living village.
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The 2005 Trail of the Lost Tribes Free Speaker Series
February 12
St. Petersburg
Weedon Island Cultural and Natural History Center
Archaeologist, Robert J. Austin, Ph.D.
March 5
St. Petersburg
Science Center of Pinellas County
Archaeologist, Glen Doran, Ph.D.
April 23
Ft. Myers Beach
Mound House
Archaeologist, Corbett Torrence, M.A
July 26
Brooksville
Brooksville City Council Chambers
Archaeologist, Lori D. Collins, M.A.
August 13
Big Cypress Seminole Reservation
Hollywood, Seminole Hard Rock Hotel
Executive Director, AH-TAH-THI-KI Museum, Tina Marie Osceola
Tribal Historic Preservation Officer, W.S. Bill Steele
Archaeologist, Anne McCudden, M.A.
October 14
Gainesville
Florida Museum of Natural History
Archaeologist, Judith Bense, Ph.D.
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