All about the ancient tribes
The Tequesta lived in the southeastern parts of present-day Florida. The Tequesta tribe lived on Biscayne Bay in what is now Miami-Dade County and at least until Pompano Beach. Their territory may have also included the northern half of Broward County and southern and central Palm Beach County.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
In North Florida lived two highly organized, farming tribes the Apalachee of the Tallahassee Hills and the Timucuans, located between the Aucilla River and the Atlantic Ocean as far south as Tampa Bay. These people were latecomers to Florida and brought with them farming skills beyond those tribes of the South.
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.
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.
The homes of the Native American tribes of Florida had similarities. All five tribes used wooden poles and branches for the frames of their homes. The Apalachee, Tequesta, Tocobaga, and Timucua all created walls and roofs from grass and palm leaves. The Timucua and Apalachee also used mud and clay in their walls.
There are 2.31 miles from Tequesta to Jupiter in southeast direction and 3 miles (4.83 kilometers) by car, following the West Riverside Drive route. Tequesta and Jupiter are 7 minutes far apart, if you drive non-stop.
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.