All about the ancient tribes
Like other south Florida Indians, the Tequesta wore very little clothing, just breechcloths (loincloths), perhaps made of palmetto, for the men, and skirts of Spanish moss for the women.
Like the other tribes in South Florida, the Tequesta were hunters and gatherers. They relied mainly on fish, shellfish, nuts, and berries for food.
The Tequesta Indians were a tribe of eastern Florida, closely connected with the Ais. Their language was never recorded. Like the Calusa, the Tequesta were devastated by European diseases.
Sharks teeth were used to carve out logs and make canoes for hunting expeditions. Their houses were never permanent and were made similar to chickee huts. The homes were thatched together with palmetto leaves. They had a main kitchen area, known as the midden, which was used by everyone.
Customs. By one account, when the Tequestas for a tradition buried their chiefs, they buried the small bones with the body, and put the large bones in a box for the village people to adore and hold as their gods. The Tequesta also believed that humans have three souls.
The Europeans brought diseases with them that the Timucua easily caught and died from, since their bodies did not have natural resistance to the diseases. The Spanish taught the Indians how to live like Spanish did.
The Tequesta (also Tekesta, Tegesta, Chequesta, Vizcaynos) Native American tribe, at the time of first European contact, occupied an area along the southeastern Atlantic coast of Florida. They had infrequent contact with Europeans and had largely migrated by the middle of the 18th century.
What kinds of games did Tequestas play? skit-ball, where you hit a ball and it bounces off a wall before you hit it! They also played a game with a stick called wee.
The Tequesta, who had dugout canoes, were also known to trade with neighboring tribes for exotic materials. The Tequesta had no agriculture, but gathered fruit and plant roots. They also consumed venison, Caribbean monk seal, sea turtle, manatee, shark, fish and shellfish.
Spanish explorer Pedro Menéndez de Avilés established the first permanent European settlement in the United States at St. Augustine in 1565.
Native Americans in Florida Ais. Apalachee. Calusa. Creek. Miccosukee. Seminole. Timucua. Yemassee.
Born in 1460, Ponce de Leon is credited with being part of Christopher Columbus ‘ second expedition to the New World in 1493 before he went on to become the first European explorer to land on the Florida peninsula.
Enemy Indian tribes from Georgia and South Carolina began raiding the Calusa territory. Many Calusa were captured and sold as slaves. In addition, diseases such as smallpox and measles were brought into the area from the Spanish and French explorers and these diseases wiped out entire villages.
The Calusa tribe in Florida planted rows of trees near its villages to protect against hurricanes. Explanation: The Calusas were also distinct among other Native Americans because they were headed by a hereditary king.
Tequesta is in Palm Beach County and is one of the best places to live in Florida. Living in Tequesta offers residents an urban suburban mix feel and most residents own their homes. In Tequesta there are a lot of restaurants and parks. Many retirees live in Tequesta and residents tend to lean conservative.