Page 15 - Our Place in History

Our Place in History

Nocoroco

We begin our journey around AD 1500, following the
late St. Johns period identified as AD 800. The Timucuan
Indians were a resourceful group of people so named by
early European explores in Florida. The works of French
artist Jacques le Moyne in 1564 and other early
descriptions provide archeologists and historians with
invaluable information about the lifestyles of the
Timucuan Indians and their prehistoric ancestors.

We know from this information that in addition to
collecting shellfish for food, native Floridians hunted deer
and other animals with bows and arrows and spears.
They also fished and trapped turtles and birds. Plants,
roots, nuts and berries were also gathered for food. Some
native groups grew corn, beans, squash, pumpkins and
other domesticated plants to ensure a stable diet.

Clothing was sparse and consisted of simply a few
strands of Spanish moss. The Timucuans also decorated
their bodies with tattoos and jewelry, especially the chiefs
and other important people of the tribe.

A palisade line fortified some Timucuan villages or a
wall made of sharpened, upright timbers. A village
typically consisted of a large centrally located ceremonial
house used for religious and political gatherings.
Accustomed to life near the water, natives used wooden
dugout canoes for transportation and hunting along the St
Johns and Halifax rivers (the Halifax River is actually an
estuary). Please reference a small book titled “True
Natives – The Prehistory of Volusia County”, written by
Dana Ste. Claire, for an in-depth study of Volusia County
native history.

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