$1.00
Vol. 1 No. 2
Where old news is good news!
MASTODON HUNTERS IN THE TAMPA BAY AREA By Hermann Trappman
Herman Trappman
Artist’s rendition of Paleoindians hunting a mastodon just south of Terra Ciea on the southern side of present Tampa Bay. There was no Bay in those days. The Gulf of Mexico was about fifty miles further out than it is at present. The distant line of pines borders a gentle valley. The (Hillsbrough?) River runs north, about 110 feet below present Cabbage Key. The mastodon these hunters pursue has been cut from the herd because it is weak or old. These hunters use an atlatl, a throwing stick, to increase the power of light feathered spears. The mastodons (left background) form a protective front with their young behind them. Paleopoints from this period have been found all around Tampa Bay. Can you guess what time of day it is?
THE ATLATL
the throwing stick a woomera. Although evidence from Europe seems to suggest that the throwing stick was used there for more than 30, 000 years, the oldest known is 19,000. The Moche of Peru depicted the atlatl in their art as did the Maya. It was so powerful a hunting tool that there is evidence that it influenced ani-
The word atlatl is derived from the pronunciation of a Nahuatl (Aztec) word for spear thrower. Like all cultural exchanges the term has gone through an evolution to give us the most recent version of atlatl. It may have started out something like ahtla or atla. The Spanish conquistadors learned the term by being on the Spear or dart receiving end of the spears. The throwing stick was used in Papua, New Guinea, by Australian Aborigines, and Eskimos up through the first half of the twentieth century. Australians call
mal populations and thus environments. As a sophisticated hunting technology, the atlatl is a stick with a hook, spur, at one end which is fit into the slightly hollowed butt-end of a feathered spear or long dart. The motion of the human arm invests the stick with a powerful whipping energy.
Feathers Atlatl Continued on page 2
April - June 1998
The Flint Knappers
by Herman Trappmann
This is a mystery which runs so deep that it’s difficult unwinding a first thread to begin. Let’s start with your car. There is a relationship between you and your car. Why did it appeal to you? It doesn’t matter whether you needed it to get to work, and it was the most inexpensive thing you could find, or that it was so cool you spent a fortune for it. There is a story, your story, woven into it. In fact, your car could act as a metaphor for certain aspects of your relationship to your culture and your response to that world. In the same sense, there was something happening between individual craftsmen, their skill to sculpt stone, and the projectile point or blade (arrow, spear, lance, or knife point) they worked. Very skilled hands sculpted blades of the purest beauty and joy. They literally transcend jewelry. Often the rock was heat treated to enhance the color and its glass like character. Once gray rock, took on the splendor of caramel mixed with a red sunset. The sculptor worked to thin the blade until it was translucent. Suddenly the stone took on a gem-like appearance. When held up to the light, color swirled and blended through it. It was a thing of beauty in itself. To touch it, is to touch the spirit of an unknown craftsman. If it were only this tendency, the mystery would be easy to solve. But, ancient craftsmen challenged their skill by devising certain cuts which only the finest knapper could accomplish. Imagine holding a piece of glass in one hand. You carefully strike it with a stone or deer antler in order to break off a thin razor-sharp sheet. In the unskilled hand the glass turns into broken slivers. In the hand of a master, the wonder grows. Unlike glass, stone is laced with secret lines of strength and weakness. The ancient craftsmen studied the stone after each (See page 4: “Knappers”) Subscribe to the Frontier Gazette for only $6.00 per year. Info on page 2. Give it to a friend!
Atlatl from front page That energy is then forced into the spear which acts as a spring. The point first resists acceleration. Then, as the energy is built up in the shaft, the power is focused into the weight of the point. Like all human technology, what started out simple, became wonderfully complicated. Originally, it is assumed, the stick or board was flat and rigid. Experimentation with a variety of woods and weights, placed an emphasis on the tight flexibility of the stick.
The stick too should store energy like a spring. Weights were added to the stick in order to force the flex. A stone weight is added about halfway along the stick. In some areas of the country, these weights are known as banner stones. It has been suggested that the shape of certain banner stones reduced the whipping noise of the atlatl thus sharpening the element of stealth and surprise. Through time, the way the
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atlatl was held, the placement of the fingers, changed so that as the hand and wrist moved through its arc, the entire thrust from the arm was in the hook of the first two fingers. It was a hold similar to that used by baseball pitchers on a hardball. The new hold increased accuracy and potential variation in the pitch. The length of the stick helps dictate the length of the shot. The longer the stick, the longer the shot. On a long stick, the spear
TOP VIEW
The Key Marco atlatl
There are a variety of designs in Central America. The Mayan
TOP VIEW
Finger loops of leather or vine.
SIDEVIEW
SIDE VIEW
Numerous paleo projectile points have been found all around the Tampa Bay area. In 1977, Ben Waller and James Dunbar published the first map of distribution for the State. Since then, scores of points have turned up here.
noses up. The stone weight seems to help the accuracy of a long throw. On a short stick, the spear noses down. The short stick seems to deliver more accuracy. It may have been that hunters carried several atlatls for different needs.•
Bone hook or spure Stone weight
Theory has it that when the spear hit the target, the spear shaft fell This point was just over four inches long away, leaving the point with its Short foreshaft in the animal. flute on Found by Dean Quigley, along the beach Hunting big animals like one side near the Courtney Campbell Causway, elephant is a very dangerous on the Tampa side of the Bay. business. It is my opinion that hunters could not afford time or 1/4 inch thick mistakes. I imagine somewhere between five and ten hunters The foreshaft is made up of two pieces of ivory tusk, bone or wood throwing together and targeting the vein and artery bundles in the neck. The faster The foreshaft is lashed to the point the animal died, the safer the hunters. The spear is assembled with the foreshaft fit into its socket.
Spur
Vol. 1 No. 2
The dart or spear averages between four and seven feet long.
MAYAN STYLE ATLATL drawings by Hermann Trappman throwing stick is called Hul-che in one of its dialects. I would like to thank Bob Perkins (Atlatl Bob) for his wonderful research and excellent papers. For more information, search atlatl on the internet.
FUN SUMMER WORKSHOPS! June 8 through July 31 For kindergarten through 12th Grade Call (813) 384-0027 for free summer brochure. Hands-on workshops cover many scientific subjects. Indian Lore • Tampa Bay Archaeology Paleo-Indians & Their Technology Scratching Below the Surface
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April - June 1998
Published Quarterly by Neily Trappman Studio 5409 21st Ave. S. • Gulfport • FL • 33707 Phone: (813) 321-7845 E-mail tocobaga@gte.net Writers: Hermann Trappman Elizabeth Neily Illustrations: Hermann Trappman Elizabeth Neily
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“Understanding the past gives you the freedom to plan for the future.”
EVENTS CALENDAR April
1998
3-4 Gulfport, Fossil Fair. Ad This Page
2-4 Wekiwa Springs State Park History Then and Now LivingHistory. 4 Fort Dallas Living History Encampment.(1830’s/‘40’s.) At the old Fort Dallas barracks, Miami. Fully working fort. Quartermaster, salvage yard, Indian trading post, and the whole works. Contact John May, 305-448-7867 9 Tampa, tampa bay History Center, Historian in Residence, Dr. Canter Brown, Jr. with discuss “Florida cracker culture” with Ray Albritton, author of Recollections of a Time Gone by.
1-30 Dunedin, Dunedin Historical Society, “History of Baseball” exhibit (813) 736-1176 1-end of 1998, Pass-A-Grille, Gulf Beaches Historical Museum “Memories of Baseball on the Beaches” , (813)360-2491. 1- Oct. 31. Largo, Heritage Village, “Pennants over Pinellas 1914-1998.” (813) 582-2123. 1 - Oct 31. “Diamonds in the Sand - St, Petersburg Baseball History” 1 - July 31. Stealing Home: How Jackie Robinson Changed America” (813) 392-4678 or 821-8261. 9 Tampa, Tampa Bay Holocaust Museum, “Baseball’s Reluctant Challenge”, Prof. Jack Davis discusses the desegregation of spring training. (813) 392-4678. 11 Gulfport, 4th Annual Spring Fest, Arts & Craft Show, Antique Auto Expo 11-12 Dade City, Will McLean Music Festival. Florida’s best songwriters and acoustic music. (352) 465-7208 11-19 Tallahasee, Bar C Ranch, Jefferson County, Southeastern Rendevous pre-1840; Booshway, Jan Winans (850) 562-0705 12 Bradenton. De Soto National Memorial, 16th Century Spanish Camp (941)792-0458 17-26 Archives Awareness Week Tampa, , Tampa Bay History center, historic tours and lectures. Breakfast at H. B. Plant musum on Fri. at 8:30am. 18 Tampa, Tampa Bay History Center, Free Workshop, “Why are the People in that Picture Dressed Funny?” 18-19 Altoona (north of Leesburg) Civil War Reenactment 21 Key West, Key West Community College, National Symposium on the Maine and Span-Am War. 21 Tampa, Tampa Bay History Center, Dr. Glenn Westfall explores Cigar Label Artistry and preservation methods. 26 Tampa at Hyde Park Ave. and Peter O. Knight historic home. Span/Am War (1898) encampment.
May
1 Miami. Walking Tour of “Camp Miami” used by Span/Am (1898) troops Call (305)375-1492 10 Bradenton, De Soto National Memorial, 16th Century Spanish Camp (941)792-0458. 15-16 Alligator Fest, Olustee Park in Downtown Lake City.Halpatter Tustenuggee Association, P.O. Box 487, Lake City, FL 32056; 904-719-9887, or Steve Knight at 904-752-7639. Seminole village planned. 22-24 Gainesville, FL Anthropological Society Annual Meeting,, Matheson Historical Center. Contact: Ryan
Wheeler, (352) 372-0778. 29 Ybor City Night Celebration sponsored by Ybor City Italian Club 30 Tampa. Span/Am (1898) Memorial Parade in Ybor City. Evening dinner/ ball, hosted by H.B. Plant Museum. Reenactors to assemble at Ybor City State Museum & set up encampment Sat. a.m. Contacts: Parade - Charles or Angelo Spicola (813)248-2151; Plant Museum diner/ball (813) 2541891; Reenactors - Ron Hickox (813) 744-5502 mornings / (813) 899-1776 evenings 4-7 pm.
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June
6 St. Augustine, Drake’s Raid, 16th Century reenactment of the Raid by Sir Francis Drake. 16th Century camp at Fountain of Youth Park. Contact: Brian Bowman 6-7 Port Tampa, Picnic Island City Park, original Span/Am War (1898) site of troops boarding ships for Cuba. Reeactor encampment. Commemoration of Battle San Juan Hill. Contact: Ron Hickox (see above). 14 Bradenton, De Soto National Memorial, 16th Century Spanish Camp (941)792-0458 20-21 Ft. De Soto, South St. Petersburg-Mullet Key: Spam/Am War (1898) encampment and reenactment of Battle of Las Guasimas.
July
11-12 Fernandina Beach, Fort Clinch, living history Span/Am War 1898 program 12 Bradenton, De Soto National Memorial, 16th Century Spanish Camp (941)792-0458
August
9 Bradenton, De Soto National Memorial, 16th Century Spanish Camp (941)792-0458
SUMMER CAMPS
Museum of Science and Industry , 4801 East Fowler Avenue, Tampa, NEW CLASSES: Tasty Science; Making Music; Skating Science; Up, Up, and Away, Weather or Not, Young Detectives, Science of Sports, and Roller Coaster Physics. OLD FAVORITES: Gone Fishin’ and Diggin’ Dinosaurs will be offered along with computer camps, and travel camps to canoe and snorkel Florida’s springs or hunt for fossils. There are 172 offerings in all during the nine weeks, making this MOSI largest Summer Science Camp ever. For a complete listing of programs, dates and costs contact MOSI at 9876000 or 1-800-995-MOSI. Pinellas Pioneer Settlement, 3130 31st Street. So., St. Petersburg. POINEER CAMP See our Ad page Safety Harbor Museum, See our Ad page 5 Science Center of Pinellas County 22nd Ave. No., St. Petersburg. See our Ad page 2 There are many other Summer Camps available. Check with your local Museum, Science Center or Park.
CLUBS Centtral Gulf Coast Archaeological society Meets at Science Center of Pinellas County, second Tues. of Month, 7PM. Paleontological Society of Lee County, Meets 3rd Thursday of the month at 7pm in the Iona house, the Calusa Nature Center and Planetarium on Ortiz, Ft.Myers.
FOURTH ANNUAL
PREHISTORIC FLORIDA SHOW April 4th Saturday 9AM-5PM
1998
April 5th SUNDAY 9AM-4PM
Florida’s Largest Collector and Exhibition Showcase Eighty Tables with
Artifacts • Fossils • Rocks • ART Buy • Sell • Trade GULFPORT CASINO 5500 SHORE BLVD., GULFPORT, FL Interstate Exits 5 and 6
ADMISSION: $3.00 PER PERSON 6 YEARS & UNDER FREE A percentage of the proceeds will go to “All Children’s Hospital”
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Knappers from front page stroke, trying to fathom its uniqueness and just the right way to bring out its best quality. The most beautiful and prized technique is the ability to remove a long clean even flake. Working within the crystal structure of the chert, flint, or obsidian, the long flake leaves a beautiful wave like path. Sometimes they shaped the stone into perfectly controlled straight edges, the classic triangular shape. Then, curved or cut a base which ate into the delicate structure of the body of the point. Every flake must be calculated. One thoughtless move and the blade snaps into pieces. Still we haven’t closed in on the mystery. Why? Why, when your life depends on the game you can bring home, would you spend so much time, skill, and effort on a piece of equipment that might break the first time you use it? There are points and blades which are made with less care, the utilitarian stuff. Even in some of the utilitarian points you can see the skill of a distinguished craftsmen.
Bill Hicks shifts a craft into an art form. Studying the crystaline make up of the stone he works with, his skillful hands turn a spear point into a work of summetry and beauty. A knap-in is an event where people, who make points and blades, gather to learn from each other, buy and sell the rock for making the points, and share their wonderful sense of the past. The Florida Knap-In is held in the heartland, six miles east of Altoona. Mark Bracken sells flint, bows, and beautifully crafted points. His work is thin and full of color. “Did the ancient Americans make points as fine as these,” I ask? “Oh yeah! I’m nearly as good,” he smiles, “but not quite.” My untrained eye can’t see the difference. “How can you tell,” I
Sharing knowledge from the past and making friendships for the future. There is a difference between the points made for hunting and the points we are describing. If these jewel-like points were not made for hunting, then what were they used for? Suddenly we enter the uncertain terrain of relationships. If an archaeologist dug up your car in a thousand years, how could he guess at the story of its owner? Our life, our personal history, is a story. To deny the story of those first people who lived here, is to deny their shared humanity with us. How do you follow the thread of a story which has disappeared a thousand years ago? Archaeologists painstakingly look for the evidence in the earth. Cultural anthropologists study still living peoples. Historians follow the written record. On February the 21st I tracked a group of folks who look for understanding by actually trying to replicate these amazing artifacts.
formed a sharp dagger-like image. It’s why I made it that way.” I marveled at the craftsmanship. “May I watch you sculpt,” I asked. “Sure,” he invites me with a gesture, picking up a piece of glass like dark stone. I notice that his wrist is knotted with arthritis. He sits down with the piece of obsidian in one hand and a tool I had never seen before in the other. “I invented this,” he looked up at me, “My hands were too sore too work flint any more. This came to me in a dream too. In the dream it was quite different than it appears now. I’ve shortened it until it takes all the strain off my hands.” His hands danced across the stone and clean long chips fell away. James Stokes is a wonderful artist. Don Kohl is visiting from Newcomerstown, Ohio. He was teaching Bryan Barns how to solve some problem in the knapping process. “It seems to me that the most beautiful points were ceremonial,” I hazarded. Don caught me in a steady gaze. “Yes sir, “ he replied, “The ceremonial point is knaped with absolute care. The hunting point was knocked out for more immediate use.” Bryan picked up the subject enthusiastically. “In north Florida,” he started, “Archaeologists excavating the site of a structure found a beautiful triangular point. I had the chance to watch the excavation. The structure was made up of four posts. The posts could have been a part of a circle designating the four directions.” “As the wooden posts of ancient buildings rot away, they leave a dark stain in the soil.” Bryan watched the archaeologists carefully remove the sand. There, at the bottom of one of the
post holes, lay a beautiful point. “Could it have been there before the post holes were dug,” I wondered? Bryan shook his head, “Wouldn’t matter. The person digging the hole would’ve found it. It lay at the very margin of the discolored earth, and in the exact center. If it was found, it was placed, if it was brought to that ceremony, it was placed.” Bill Hicks has an intelligent steady character and hands with the skill level of a concert pianist. He talks and knaps flint with a powerful self assurance. “Bill,” I ask, “Can you tell the difference between modern work and the old?” He is a tall man with a manner that hints Florida’s pioneer stock. He pulls himself up slightly and without a pause begins talking with the same thoughtful attitude he brings to his work. “Naw,” he says, “I don’t think you can. The work now is really good. The ancient people didn’t have the tools we have. We can run off long flakes with out a mistake. I’ve seen a lot of points and I think we can make them just as good today.” As I listened to folks who dedicate a big part of their lives to an understanding of prehistoric culture, I realized the depth of the mystery and our part in it. Human beings have always been sophisticated. Our vision of the world is based on a value system which is the foundation of our culture. Theare definitely are other value systems than ours. The way we perceive the world is the story of our lives. For some, it’s art for art’s sake. For others it’s art, the underlying symbol, for the sake of life’s fulfillment. It is the understanding of the master craftsman for the material and understanding how to take it to the limit, how to bring the most wonder out of it, that is a challenge for the craftsmen who follow. As for the mystery of those ancient American craftsmen, take another look at the land around you and reflect on what they left behind. •
ventured? “It’s subtle things,” he starts, “Their work was slightly thinner. They were using tools which left a softer, smoother mark. Our modern tools leave tell-tale features.” A visitor strolled by. I could see the attraction to the points reflected in her eyes. “How much,” she asks? Bracken takes them out of the case and lays them on the table top. Each one has its own price. She picks them up one at a time. There is something about each one that her discerning eye picks out. While she considers, I wander off to learn more. James Stokes has a table covered with display cases filled with his art. One is made of cow horn carved into the head of a screaming eagle. Held in its beak is a sculpted blade. It’s filled with energy. I stand looking. He sees me. “I dreamed it,” he says, “I dreamed that I saw an eagle flying. As it screamed, its tongue Mark Bracken throws a spear using an atlatl.
Cracker Advice A donkey laden with gold is still a donkey. Pick your Friends but not to pieces. It is sure to be dark if you shut your eyes.
Editorial
History is the story of cause and effect. It is the foundation for our cultural and social psychology. Bob Carr, archaeologist for Miami Dade, really brought it home to me. “History started as the last moment passed, for all of us,” he said. “History isn’t something out there which started fifty years ago or a hundred years ago,” he waved his hand across the horizon,” It’s happening as we talk, and it’s as personal as the term personal history implies.” That was about fifteen years ago, and for me, Bob’s image opened a great door. Some folks define history as beginning with the advent of writing. They describe everything which came before as prehistory. When I use the term prehistoric, it’s usually without thinking and refers to the time of dinosaurs. Our language and it’s use and definition is part of our history. Our history, our memories, the story of our life time, it’s the most important thing that any of us own. In that shared, intensely personal moment, as we describe glimpses of our life’s history to someone, we connect it to why we are the way we are. I can remember listening in mesmerized awe to my fathers personal origin story. He repeated it hundreds of times. It became a part of my story. Families have family history, which includes our genetic predisposition’s, our weakness to certain diseases, and potential for longevity. We look to our parents and grand parents for our traits. Sometimes they are the cutting edge of life and death. Our culture has a history. It defines us as a member. It is the stuff that creates a division of labor. It gives us wealth or poverty, prejudice or generosity, crime and punishment. It may also suggest that if we find something laying around, ya know, kinda’ laying on the ground, it might not belong to anyone and ya’ can take it. It is the way we relate to our earth and its gifts. It may leave us with the feeling that history is academic and unimportant. Our nation has a history. It tells us what is the predominant language and religion. It is our educational system and the way we conduct business and the way we are treated medically. It is the rule which creates a military and the need for national defense. It defines people and places living beyond our borders. Our planet has a history. Like all the other histories, it is vitally important to all of us. It is the history of all of its people, animals, weather patterns, and changes. It is the most important history of all of them because it the history
we all share. It is the final source of information which our future generations will rely on. An archaeological site, a site rich in fossil material, the location where some powerful event took place, are all the points of our shared heritage. The sands of Florida are deep with our human story. They are deep with the story which came before. Every day that story is being lost or stolen. The scientists with their varied human prejudices dig it up. Enthusiasts dig it up to own or sell a piece of it. Construction shoves it aside or destroys it. Every day the delicate beauty of our human story is ruined beyond the lessons that the future will need. The information of major world weather patterns are swept aside. Images of environmental stress are lost. Patterns of economy and agriculture are demolished or misinterpreted. The historic perspective of genetics and disease vectors vanishes. Those who live for immediate gratification, seem to hold the stage. Can we afford to send that culture into our future? Can we afford to waist history as an important resource? Can we afford to mine it for personal gain without recognizing our responsibility to the future? Much of the story of an artifact is lost the moment it is disturbed. But, even nature disturbs them. The roots of trees churn up the soil, storms erode it, and the chemistry of the soil can erase artifacts. Some conservationists would protect everything, some want to hide it from the public, some fail to realize that the story is the essential thing. In this moment in human history, “reasonable” seems caught between radical. Construction can act responsible and reasonable, collectors and students can do the same. Fossils or artifacts on private property are a part of the property. Trespassing to take someone else’s belongings is not dignified or caring. Ask permission. Artifacts or fossils on public lands are owned by all the people. They are protected by laws. Remember the story, it is the most important part of an artifact. Consider that it’s cultural history is being lost or sold. Believe that working together for the common good of tomorrow is reasonable. History is not some unimportant, boring old stuff trapped between the pages of a course we have to pass. In the end it’s the only thing we have. It’s our story. We are entirely defined by our history.•
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TIMUCUAN’S TO VISIT ST. PETERSBURG, JULY 17, 1998
The Timucua Confederation was a confederation of about a dozen states (tribes) to thenortheast of the Tampa Bay area. The Spanish attempted to missionize them throughout the 16th and 17th centuries. Ocala is a Timucua word. They ranged north into mid-coastal Georgia. By the end of the 1700’s the last of the indeginous people had gone extinct. How long the Timucua had lived here or been a confederation we may never learn. Because the Spanish tried to missionize them, they had to learn the native language and write it down. Julian Granberry has translated their language into English. Mr. Granberry entered the debate when he observed that Timucua seems to be linked to the language group spoken to our south, in the Caribbean. The study of our ancient heritage is full of controversy. The story of Florida’s first people is a long, exciting, complex, and one. A great deal is known about the Timucua through the exhaustive
efforts of archaeologists, avocational students, historians, and translators. Trying to honor and bring a lost culture back to life is very difficult. Wynne Tatman has devoted her entire life to that endevour. Using reproductions of the tools used by the ancients and the information that has been left behind, she lives it. Wynne will set up a Timucua style camp at Boyd Hill Nature Park, 1101 Country Club Way South, on Friday, July 17th. Her program will feature many hands on activities, stories, and demonstrations. This is a chance to meet a truly extraordanary person and experience an incredible vision of Florida’s unique past. The program starts at 10am, ends at 4pm,and is free to the public. It’s geared for the family so bring a picnic and spend the day. For more info, Boyd Hill Nature Park at 813-893-7326. Wynne Tatman (904)824-3325 Heritage of the Ancient Ones 625 THEADORE ST., ST. AUGUSTINE, FL 32095
Safety Harbor Museum of Regional Summer Camps for Kids
Hands On history June 8-19 Experience Lifestyles & crafts of Florida Pioneers Call now to Register Your child. Classes fill early!
History
Discovery Camp June 22 - July 3 Learn about Cultural Development through discovering materials. Make pottery, baskets and everyday implements.
A Florida History and Archaeological Museum 329 Bayshore Blvd. S., Safety Harbor, FL (813) 726-1668
Where Ancient Skills Survive 4535 Kennedy Blvd • Tampa • FL
Leather • Leathercraft Supplies • Books • Classes (813) 286-2172 1-800-472-1848
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100 Years Ago Our War with spain
of a brilliant military ball at a fashionable seaside summer resort....” Beyond the inviting porches and gardens of the Tampa Bay Hotel, Kennan found the city to be only “a huddled collection of generally insignificant buildings standing in an arid desert of sand.”
Port Tampa
Tampa’s clean, empty streets are a huge contrast from later in the war.Wamsley Collection U.S. F. by Elizabeth Neily Whispers of war with Cuba had been blowing in on the breezes from the Gulf for several decades. By 1898, Cuban cigar workers in Tampa, Ybor City and other parts of Florida had been fanning the flames of unrest for some time. Disgusted with the corrupt and oppressive Spanish government, they dreamed of a Cuba Libre. Secretly, they supported filibustering expeditions (private military operations) and openly garnered support from American politicians and the public. But it was not until rival publishers William Randolf Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer grabbed hold of the idea of war to liberate Cuba in order to sell newspapers that it finally garnered wide support in Congress. President McKinley was not an enthusiastic supporter of war with Spain. While practically every paper in the nation virtually demanded mobilization of American forces to rescue the Cuban people, McKinley favored a diplomatic settlement.
REMEMBER THE MAINE
When the battleship Maine , on a “friendly naval visit”, blew up and sank in Havana harbor on February 15, the newspapers demanded retribution. An investigation was launched and although it could not be decisively concluded that the explosion on the Maine had been accidental rather than by a mine, public sentiment was such that war was inevitable. Two weeks later Congress appropriated $50 million for war preparations. “Remember the Maine” became the battle cry of the war effort. On April 11, President McKinley forwarded the war resolution to Congress and ten days later war with Spain was declared. It would last112 days. First Key West, then Tampa was selected as the base for troops leaving for Cuba. Tampa had a good water supply so trainloads of soldiers began pouring into the tiny seaside resort town. Henry Plant, the railroad magnate and key figure in Tampa’s history, had seen the war as way to increase revenues on his railroad lines and to attract tourists to his palatial hotel which had opened the year 1891. When Plant extended his railroad to Tampa Bay in 1884, he
Remember the Maine as signaled from the flagship.
Women and children bade fathers and husbands good-bye, perhaps never to see them again. Michigan Volunteers memory book.
dreamed of building a hotel to compete with the Flagler establishments on the east coast. Thirteen gleaming minarets atop of “Plant’s Palatial Palace” welcomed crowds of the rich and the famous to Tampa Bay. Plant threw open the doors to the top brass of the U.S. Army to use as their headquarters and the correspondents from all over the country crowded the reception hall and verandas, sipping iced tea while anxiously awaiting news of the declaration of war. George Kennan, of the Red Cross and Outlook magazine, was overwhelmed by the hotel’s spendor when he arrived in Tampa on May 6. “A nearly full moon was just rising over the trees on the eastern side of the hotel park, touching with silver the drifts of white blossoms on dark masses of oleander trees in the foreground, and flooding with soft yellow light, the domes, Moorish arches, and long facade of the whole immense building, Two regimental bands were playing waltzes and patriotic airs under a long row of incandescent lights on the broad veranda; fine‑looking, sunbrowned men, in all the varied uniforms of army and navy, were gathered in groups here and there, smoking, talking, or listening to the music; the rotunda was crowded with officers, war correspondents, and gaily attired ladies, and the impression made upon a newcomer, as he alighted from the train, was that
The Tampa Tribune reported: “Few people have ever had an idea of the facilities for receiving and discharging cargoes of vessels that exist at Port Tampa. For three years an emmense dredge has been at work in this channel and now there is 20 feet of water at the shore end and 26 feet of water at the outer end of the canal. The work has cost about $2,000,000 and other improvements at Port Tampa have cost at least $1,000,000 but without enormous expenditure of money, Tampa would not have been selected as the port of embarkation for the United States Army of invasion and occupation. All of the improvements at Port Tampa have been inaugurated and carried out by Mr. H.B. Plant.” As excited as the Tampa Bay community was about the staging of the war from its shores, it was in no way prepared for the influx of military personnel. The sleepy little
burg may have been touted as one of the most exotic vacation spots in the world for rich and famous, but it had no sewer or water lines. City Hall was bankrupt. In fact, editorials in the Tampa Tribune on May 2, reported that city workers had not been paid in months. Prolonged debates over street paving occupied officials while citizens waded through ankle deep sand. Mr. A.E. Vivian held the dust down by keeping his sprinkler at work from 5 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily. He used 21 tanks of water per day. During the lunch hour the horses used to pull the sprinkler were changed. Imagine that into this backwater town of 12,000 flowed 61,000 troops! With them came the quartermaster department with not enough storage space to handle all the supplies and munitions necessary to outfit the army. The city was flooded with famous and unknown tourists, opportunists, vagabonds and other such folks who had caught the war fever. The police chief and his deputies were hard pressed to keep the peace. Riots broke out as soldiers plied with cheep beer invaded the neighborhoods. By June 10, the Tampa Tribune warned, “Ladies should stay off the streets after sundown.” Folks following the troop trains
Troops crowd the docks at port Tampa waiting to board the ships which will transport them to Cuba.Photo courtesy of Special Collections University of South Florida
DATELINE TAMPA 1898
Florida and the Spanish American War narrated by
General H. Norman Schwarzkopf
NEW
Three Rough Riders in front of the Tampa Bay Hotel, 1898. Credit: Hampton Dunn Collection
This entertaining 18-minute video made in commemoration of the centennial of the Spanish American War explores the events in Florida, particularly in Tampa, that led to the land invasion of Cuba in 1898. Includes never before seen archival film footage. Appropriate for the classroom as well as for history buffs. Available in the Museum Store for $9.95. Call for details. TUES - SAT 10AM - 4PM • SUN - NOON - 4PM 401 W. KENNEDY BLVD. • TAMPA, Fl 33606 • (813) 254-1891 EXT 27
!
a kick a coming and an awful big to the docks were amazed by the row. Were tired of soldiers, with view. “One mile of steamships, lying their trampin’ and trimmin’, we low, bow to stern as close together want sick Yankees and nice pretty as it is possibleto place them, is wimmen; oranges, lemons, guavas, a sight that can be witnessed by and sich, that make our lives happy visitors to Port Tampa at present and our people rich, we want our old phosphates boom, selling our lands, and well worth a long journey to for we’ve got a few pine woods and behold, for never before has such an aggregation of ships been attempted hills on our hands. We would see before in this country.” wrote theT- fruits and vegetables in cars by the score, if things were now going as ampa Tribune. smooth as of yore. We’ve got too By August, the war in Cuba was much red tape tied to our living, over, but Tampa was wallowing in waste. With still no money in the its so little receiving and so tarnal much giving. So turn the crank back city coffers to hire workers, the War a few twists Father Time, and give Department was called in by the State Board of Health. The quarter- us the orange and lemon and lime, master’s office made ten four-mule nice stories to tell, for these flies teams available to assist in cleaning are just awful, and the skeeters are up the mess. Twenty-five men with —hard to catch.” • shovels and rakes were put to work to clean up first Franklin Street and then in other areas. TheTribune reported that it had been so long since the gutters and drains had been cleaned out that many had forgotten they had ever existed. The editor of the Port Tampa Busy South may not be remembered as a great poet but he did express the sentiments of war weary Tampans when he was prompted to write: “Backward, turn backward, Oh time in your flight, give us old Florida once more for a night. What kind of old thing are you giving us now, we’ve got Typical camp life scene above taken from The Spanish American War The War in Cuba, by Senor Gonzalo de Quein Tampa Bay will be featured sada, Chargé dAffairs of the Republic of Cuba in our July issue. Look in our at Washington , D.C and Henry Davenport Northrop,1898. The artist is identified only calendar of events on page 3 by the initials - N.P.C. for centennial celebrations .
Oh Boy - Doboy Leggings!
looped lacings on each legs caught on the hooks of the leggings on the other leg, tripping some of the men up completely and making most of the rest stumble comically at every few steps. The volunteer colonel thought that the whole regiment was drunk, and was in a site of mingled rage and consternation, which added greatly to the interest of the occasion. -Tampa Tribune • Mankind is the only animal that can be skinned more than once. • A person who never changes their mind, may not have a mind to change. • Don’t make love by the garden gate; love is blind but the neighbors ain’t. • If you go against the grain, you can expect to get some splinters. - Florida folk sayings
Among one of the volunteer regiments called out for service in the Spanish American War was one very good one, but the men had never seen military leggings before. The regulation doboy leggings were issued to them, and they put them on—with all the lacings on the inside of the legs! The result was that as they marched out for parade, the
7
Buffalo Soldiers came here too!
When, the 9th and 10th Cavalry, better known as the Buffalo soldiers, pulled into Tampa Bay in 1898 they ran smack in the oppressive “blue laws” which segregated blacks from whites. The surly welcome they received in Tampa did not sit well with these professional, self-possessed men. Fights broke on more than one occassion when the respect they felt they deserved for putting down Indian rebellions in the west was not forthcoming. They were the butt of nasty jokes, and were denied service in restaurants and shops. With tensions running strong, their camp was moved to Lakeland until they could board transports to Cuba. The following are excerps from Reminiscences and Thrilling Stories of the War in 1898 by journalist J.Hampton Moore. It gives a vivid account of the respect paid by other troopers to the heroics of the 9th and 10th Cavalry. When these determined professionals went into battle their years of military experience stood them apart from the raw volunteer soldiers. (Some of the vernacular of the original text has been changed to represent today’s cultural attitudes.) “The two African American, Cavalry Regiments, the Ninth and Tenth Regulars, were among the most popular soldiers in Cuba. They are quiet, well-mannered, cheerful fellows, these Black troopers, and far sooner than any of the other Cuban veterans they recovered their spirits and vitality after the campaign. In an encampment made cheifly up of the sick and half sick, it was inspiring to meet on the road, a group of these soldiers jogging along in lively conversation, beaming with smiles. As to their abilities in battle but one opinion was expressed, and almost in the same words: “Those black chaps fought like devils.” Many are the stories of their prowess, told by men of the other regiments. A company of the Tenth went into action singing. Two men of another company enlivened their comrades during a very trying halt under fire by executing a double-flop dance, to which the whole company began to clap out the
time; their officers, meanwhile, were wisely blind and deaf to these rather unusual antics. The Rough Riders were enthusiastic over the Nineth regiment. When Roosevelt’s men had made their rush up San Juan Hill, they found themselves in a very bad position, pressed by a superior force of the enemy on both flanks and in front. It is generally admitted that they could not have held their position but for the splendid
One of the regulation uniforns was of blue linen drill with dark blue shirt, light blue trousers to match and a typical campaign hat. The soldier on the left is wearing a waterproof overcoat. charge of the black men to their support. After the worst of the fighting was over, a Rough Rider, finding himself near one of the black troopers, walked up and grasped his hand, saying: “We’ve got you fellows to thank for getting us out of a bad hole.” That’s all right, ,” said the trooper, with a broad grin. “That’s all right. It’s all in the famly. We call ourselves the Black Rough Riders.” •
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8
ARMORERS DEMONSTRATE at the De SOTO MEMORIAL
by hermann Trappman Although the DeSoto National Memorial is a small park, it is an intersection of change for National and world history. The story which began there has never ended. In November of 1996, I went there with James Duncon, a member of the Cherokee Nation who walked the trail of tears back from Oklahoma. We prayed there for understanding between our peoples. It is that kind of place. People go there for their own reasons— to discover the feeling of convergence. The demonstrators and reenactors who are on site at the DeSoto National memorial tointerpret this story are devoted folks. When you
Working on the opening for the neck of a breast plate. listen to them, you get a sense of vision. As in all good stories, there are opposing forces. We are still trying to wrangle them out. Those conquistadors who stepped ashore in 1539 are us. The native people who fell victim to European violence are us as well. This is our story. You can find it in insider trading on the stock exchange, in child abuse on the T.V. news, or in our willingness to rise up for a greater dream. The archaeologists and reenactors who use the memorial know that they are part of that story. On March 21 and 22, reenactors came to demonstrate the making of armor. Armor was as much a part of the 16th century as it is in our modern world. It was designed to protect the conquer-
Evidence of a Prehistoric Landscape by Hermann Trappman
A visitor trying on armor watches while Tim Burk works on a new piece. Only the feel and look of the past can offer an understanding of how the story played out. Judging from our twentieth century armchair perspective can never hope to comprehend the origins of the attitudes which our lives are based upon. The men and women who demonstrate that world are devoted to an understanding that connection. For our children, these demonstrations firmly set their feet on the ground of cultural heritage. They need the understanding of the positive elements and the negative elements of a society founded and devoted to material success. ors on the battle fields of France, Spain, and Italy. The guns of that time were still fairly inefficient. Basically they were shotguns which used a glowing fuse to set off the powder. The crossbow, longbow, sword, pike, and other hand weapons were the still the tools of conquest. Europe boiled in war. The reconquesta against the Moors ended in Spain in 1492. After that, Spanish soldiers found them selves fighting beside Frenchmen in the streets of Rome against the soldiers of Pope Julius. The new weapon of fire and steel put bullets right through plate armor. Although pieces of armor remained, troops went for the lighter chainmail. Chainmail could blunt the slash of a sword. It offered a lot of mobility and strength. The men coming to the New World, wore the armor collected from the battlefields of Europe. Many of them were knights who had been left out of the family inheritance. They fought to gain a fortune. After a battle, they wandered the field, taking what they needed from the fallen. Most wore mix and match armor. They were recruited from the taverns and roadsides of Europe, and they had to pay to get here. Helmet styles varied over a period of more than thirty years.
In the wars with the Aztec in Mexico, soldiers learned to use quilted, stuffed cotton doublets (gambezon). The thick cotton fibers entangled the stone arrowheads which the native people shot. Besides, many of the Aztec warriors wore them. This is only a vignette of the men who came here in 1539. Colorful, violent, and exciting in their vision of themselves, they were viewed as thieves and desperadoes by the native civilizations they touched. The native people, too, were occupied by that human endeavor, war. War to them was a method of maintaining territory and proving warrior power. They took off their clothes to do battle. It was the raw power and spirit of the man challenging his opponent. The two viewpoints were at absolute opposite ends of the spectrum. DeSoto National Memorial is located at the mouth of the Manatee River in Palma Sola, just west of Bradenton.•
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Hammering out a gorget. A gorget was the armor which was fastened around the neck.
In the time before the Skyway Bridge, in the days of the ferry, this spit of land had been the southern connecting point from the Pinellas Peninsula to Bradenton and all the west coast destinations south of Tampa Bay. Piney Point had seen busy days before the Skyway, but in 1969 it was a lonely potholed road beside the beginnings of a new port. Port Manatee was going to be the port at the southern entrance to the bay. Saturday, February 9, 1969. — The dragline peeled away layers of earth. The operator couldn’t even see the cuts he made as his bucket swung out and then fell. The waters of Tampa Bay crashed back over the big scoop. Wheels screeched as the cables groaned over them and the great motor pounded a quickening tempo, hauling up the weight of water and earth. Like some metallic dinosaur the dragline turned, its bucket falling open, spilled its contents on growing mounds of dry land. In that bucket rode a question, a mystery, and powerful image of times gone by. Bulldozers attacked the mounds like great badgers, their blades shoving the earth into ditches and holes and then smoothing the surface. When it was done the men climbed down from their seats atop the huge earth movers and went home. The bay took on the color of brushed steel as the last of the winter storms swept overhead in a gray blanket spanning the horizon. The rain splashed on earth that had not seen the light of day in 7 million years. In this spot the past was literally greeting the future as rain drops washed the clinging earth away from fossil remains of the earliest known horses from this area. At least seven varieties of ancestral horse were carried out of the dim past by that dragline. There were the remains of a prehistoric longlegged rhinoceros (Aphelops) and an elephant ancestor, the gomphotherium, mixed in with shell castings, sea-cow bones and the teeth from the giant white shark, Carcharadon Meglodon. Drawn by the raw earth, fossil collectors arrived. Along the water’s edge lay the first spoils from the machines. There was a wild array of mastodon teeth, recent horse teeth, the remains of giant land tortoise, tapir and bison. One collection held more than 600 horse teeth, all from different animals. This assemblage was the puzzle pieces to a Tampa Bay environment no more than a million years Continued on page 9
Prehistoric Landscape from page 8 old. At each interglacial phase, this area was submerged beneath about 200 feet of ocean. Florida’s fossils are commonly scoured by tidal action. There was fossil material brought up at Port Manatee that had that a worn look, but most of the fossils found along the waterline retained the most minute detail. Like a landscape photograph, torn into small pieces and scattered, these fossils may offer us a picture of Tampa Bay at a time around the growth of the last glaciation. Recent horses and bison prefer open grasslands. The giant tortoise shares the same love of open scrub. The scene may describe a scene much dryer than the one we view today. Tampa Bay may have been just a river traveling 80 miles further out to the gulf. The fossil pickings along the shoreline were so rich that many collectors failed to notice the formation that capped the construction. Rains had exposed a rocky terra cotta colored surface. The inner castings of prehistoric shellfish littered the ground along with shark teeth. This evidence of a very early era was only picked over for the biggest and best shark teeth. Everyone scrambled for the mastodon and horse remains. TOP VIEW
Recent Horse upper molar
Careful examination began to turn up odd teeth in that earliest layer. Mixed in with the shell castings and shark teeth were small, hard, black rectangular teeth. These were horse teeth too, but very different in size from the later inhabitants of this state. Tiny hard black rectangular teeth with amazing detail on their chewing surface described a little animal compared to the size of today’s horse. But, the wear pattern gives us a glimpse at an animal that has already adapted to grazing. Although more complex than a modern horse-tooth you wouldn’t have any problem recognizing the obvious similarities. This little horse has been named Nannipus minor. The world of Nannipus seems to have been one of delightful
9 TOP VIEW Nannipus Minor diversity. Slightly larger are the teeth of Pseudhipparion and bigger still are the Cormo-hipparion. The size and crown patterns define species differences. Finally the largest horse of that prehistoric TOP VIEW
Cormo plicatile All the horse teeth shown are upper cheek teeth, premolars or molars Cormo ingenuum Bay area is aptly named Dinohippus. The teeth of the Dinohippus are as large as a modern horse. So just like the pony is a part of the modern scene, a great variety of horses wandered the pastures of St. Petersburg, Bradenton, and Tampa. What was the Tampa Bay area like seven million years ago? The little horses give us a hint. Teeth are designed for the kind of work they are expected to do. Animals that browse on shrubby vegetation have different teeth than animals that crop grass on an open plain. The way the animal handles digestion also influences the tooth structure. With only a whisper of evidence, we must turn to modern counterparts. The modern cow lacks upper front teeth. Cows clamp grass between their lower teeth and their hard upper gum and tear it away. The grass is hardly chewed at all
Bison tooth Lower third molar Like thier close relatives the cows, bison have the same sharp crowns. before it is swallowed into a stomach designed just to break down the fiber. Once the fiber is soft-
ened, the cow brings it up again as cud. The cud is well chewed and goes into a stomach where it is digested for its nutritional value. This process is easy on the teeth, and cows maintain high crowned sharp looking teeth into middle age. Horses, on the other-hand, chop the grass off with sharp front teeth and then chew it up on wide scrub-board teeth on each side of their mouths and than swallow it for digestion. Along with the grass, sandy grit is taken in as well. The whole process causes much more wear on the teeth. These ancient horses show the same wear signs as their modern counterparts. The long-legged rhino is also seen as a grasslands inhabitant, but where does the shovel tusked Gomphotherium fit in? With so little evidence we must be thoughtful in our imagi-
native ramblings. Did so many fossil horses found in the same site suggest that they lived at the same time? In other sites in the state several of these horses have been found together. Was their variety an indicator of a widely varied environment? Was Piney Point at the confluence of a river seven million years ago? Were the bones swept along and deposited in a natural catch basin? We may never answer these questions. We can hope that some future site will clarify this amazing part of Florida’s environmental history. To get a glimpse at these tales from the past, visit the Florida Museum of Natural History in Gainesville.
TOP VIEW
Nannipus?
Pseud skinneri Actual size
Vanishing Florida Panthers by Sean Bollar
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GAMES AND
other
IT’S WAR!
2 teams of 3 to 8 Players each 1 to 2 referees 6 Spears made from 6’ 0” Styrofoam Swimming Pool floats Yellow Rope for dividing line. Make playing field size appropriate for number of players about 20 to 30 feet across. Stretch rope for dividing line. Length of field is not important. The purpose of the game is for one teamto “kill” all the members of the opposing team. The team with no players left on the field lose.Play one game first to get the players familiar with the rules. Rules: 1. Give three spears to each team. 2. The game begins with a battle cry. 3. Teams throw their spears at each other. A player is “dead” when he/she is hit by a spear. He or she must sit out the rest of that game. Oops! Penalties 1. A player is given a penalty whenever crossing the dividing line. They must sit out for the next 3 minutes. 2.Hitting another player in the head is also a three minute penalty. Winners The best two out of three games wins. These are the basic rules, but you can change them to make the game more challenging.•
THINGS TO DO
Method 1. Hold strands of yarn in place with clip or knot arround peg in traditional method. Strands should be about 30” long. Band should be 1” to 1-1/2” wide. 2. Using right-hand strand, weave it alternately over and under the other strands bringing it out on the left (weft #1) 3. Repeat Step 2 with the strand now on the far right (weft 2). 4. Bend the first weftdown and behind the second to reintroduce it as a warp strand. 5. Repeat Step 2 continuing to reintroduce weft ans warp after accumulating two weft strands on the left dside. PATTERNS 1. Alternate two colors to form bands. 2. Shade strands from dark to light across band. 3. Experiment using more colors. Finger woven ornamental sashes in brightly colored geometric designs became one of the most popular clothing items of North American Indians.•
CRAFT Step 4 and 5
Step 1 - 3
FINGER WEAVING
Weaving was an important part of Native American women’s skills. Girls learned to weave baskets and mats at a very young age and continued to practice their art until they were old women. Finger weaving is an ancient craft that reqires no tools other than your hands. It was used to weave everything from sandals to dance masks, mats to robes. Natural fibers from rushes, cornhusks, bark, grasses and palmetto leaves were used. The Indians tied their weaving to a peg in the ground and sat before it to weave. You may want to use a clip board or large clip to hold the work. Head Band using Flat Braid Terms Warp - unmoving threads Weft - moving thread Shed - Space through which weft thread moves. Materials Rug Yarn or Knitting worsted Clipboard or Potato Chip Bag Clip
Old Time Cures
poison Ivy Prickly Pear Poultice or Gunpowder and unsalted hog lard applied liberally. (We wouldn’t recommend standin’ too close to a fire for this ‘un.)
10
The 11th Annual Tampa Bay Fossil Fair
foreign sources. They love to talk their about subject and many are have mastered it thoroughly. This is the opportunity to offer When most of us think of a rich cultural feeling to our chilFlorida, we bring up the image dren. Much of it was expressive of beaches, hotels, and sand. The and intimate, and some was hands idea of fossils seems remote. The on. vision of a mountainous, rocky, Exhibited in the roomy Fort landscape and fossils is more Homer Hesterly Armory in Tamappropriate. Closer investigation pa, the displays were filled with offers a very different Florida. A the most amazing remains of the relatively thin layer of sand covgreat animals which once roamed ers a stony landscape made up of this landscape. The huge bones fossils and the stuff of ancient sea of mammoths and mastodons were displayed not far from the delicate bones of an ancient rodent. Dire wolves, camels, saber toothed cats, giant sloth’s and beavers were well featured. Eckerd College brought the entire skeleton of a modern manatee. Manatee bones are an expected and common Auther, Robert Sinibaldi, signs his latest fossil in Florida. It book, FOSSIL DIVING for Billy Cale, (8) was fascinating to have a modern skeleton for combottoms. Florida is mainly limeparison. The team demonstrating stone, sandstone, or a mix. the manatee were full of energy Only in the last ten or fifteen and the excitement for their subyears have geologists made a little ject. Young people were encoursense out of the complex Florida aged to handle and explore the Plateau. Joining the students of bones. They were reminded that our prehistory, avocational exan understanding of the past is plorers have offered an incredible dependent on our comprehension insight to our States ancient past. The amateur is there through a deep calling for the subject. Many of them go into public school classrooms for nothing but the pure pleasure of sharing their insights and experiences. Unencumbered by the system, they are out in the environment every chance they can get. The Tampa Bay Fossil Club’s annual fossil fair is a feast Artist, Dean Quigley exhibits latest work, a Paleoindian flint workshop. of prehistory. Although Florida is the focus, these folks represent, fossils from all over the country and even
Enthuasist and 11 year old writer, Eric Lofland from Palm Harbor, admires the skeleton of a paleollama.
of the present. The exhibit was a powerful reminder of what extinction really means. The Eckerd College exhibit was an important out reach part of the Fossil Fair. Their interaction demonstrated the possibilities that educational facilities can bring to an avocational program. If you missed this year’s exhibit, be certain to look for it next year in March.•
If themeat sticks to the bottom of the pan, it means the beast was slaughtered at the wrong phase of the moon. -Florida Cracker advice.
Food of the Americas
11
Storyteller, artist, historian, Elizabeth Neily presents
Florida’s Amazing Women
In April 1528, five ships sailed into Boca Ceiga Bay to found the colony of La Cruz. Under the leadership of Panfilo de Narváez, this first official expedition to North America put ashore on Good Friday. Most of the expedition eventually perished from disease, starvation and shipwrecks. A brief account, left by one of its few survivors, Álvar Núñez de Cabeza de Vaca, was first published in 1542.
As, Maria Velasquez, Neily tells the story of the expedition through the eyes of a 16th century Spanish woman who endured the trials of a long sea voyage on a cramped and dreary ship and of how she pridicted that the expedition would be doomed•
Corn
The oldest foods known to be cultivated in North America are corn and beans.They have been grown here for as long as 7000 years . Quetzalcoatl (kèt-säl˝ko-ät´l), [Nahuatl, meaning feathered serpent], is an ancient deity and legendary ruler of the Toltec in Mexico. An early Toltec ruler credited with the discovery of corn, the arts, and science is also called Quetzalcoatl. As god of civilization, identified with the wind and the planet Venus, Quetzalcoatl represented the forces of good and light. The name was adopted by the Aztec and linked to their chief god; their emperor Montezuma mistook the invading Spanish for the hosts of Quetzalcoatl returning (as promised in legend) from travels over the sea. The Maya Kulkulcán, also represented by a feathered serpent, probably derived from the same historical figure as Quetzalcoatl. If it had not been for corn, the early Europeans who came to this land would have starved. They learned quickly of its usefulness and by the early 16th century it was being grown in Europe as a food to sustain thousands of hungry peasants. In 1528, when the Panifilo de narvaez expedition reached Tampa Bay, the first thing they looked for was corn. In the account, written by one of the few survivors of that expedition, Cabaseza de Vaca, corn was found at an Indian town at the head of the Tampa Bay. By 1529, vast fields of corn were grown in Turkey and when it was introduced to England it became known as “turkey corn”. In 1563 German-born artist Guiseppe Arcimboldo painted A personification of Summer that included an ear of maize. By then “turkey corn” was familiar throughout much of the Mediterranean).
Preserving Corn
Remove the outter husks, leaving the inner husks. The ears are boiled thoroughly. Pull husks back over the corn and tie it up in a bunch. Hang overslow fire until it is dried not smoked. It takes several days for this process. Remove and hang in a
dry place so as not to mold.When need for use, shell the corn and boil it over again. cooking will bring it out fresh and soft.
Potatoes
The next time you order french fries at your favorite fast food restaurant think about the potato. Where did it come from? The potato, which is one of the staples of our diet, came from the Andes where the Indians had been cultivating it for over four thousand years. Spanish patata, alteration (probably influenced by Quechua papa, white potato), of Taino batata, sweet potato.]
Tomatoes
Imagine the pasta dishes of Italy without tomatoes. The tomato was yet another contribution,to European food culture. its name came from the Nahuatl language spoken by the Aztecs as well as by other groups in Mexico and Central America. The Spanish, who conquered the area, brought back the tomato to Spain and, borrowing the Nahuatl word tomatl for it, named it tomate, a form shared in French, Portuguese, and early Modern English. Tomate, first recorded in 1604, gave way to tomato, a form created in English either because it was assumed to be Spanish or under the influence of the word potato. In any case, as is well known, people resisted eating this New World food at first because its membership in the Nightshade family was thought to make it poisonous. Now it is eaten throughout the world. Conquistadors return to Spain with other foods like avocados, papayas, vanilla, and turkeys. Some of the foods they also found the natives of New Spain eating such as algae, agave worms (maguey slugs), winged ants, tadpoles, water flies, larvae of various insects, white worms, and iguana never really caught on. In Mexico, Cortez also found several varieties of beans which the Mayans call avacotl, a word the Spanish will turn into habicuela and the French into haricot. Europeans settling to the New World were quick to adapt to the new crops. In 1588, Thomas Hariot an English mathematician visited Sir Walter Raleigh’s Roanoke colony. in A Briefe & True Report of the New Found Land in Virginia he wrote, “Virginia fields planted Indian fashion with corn, beans, squash, melons, and sunflowers yield “at the least two hundred London bushelles” per acre, whereas in England “fourtie bushelles of wheat [per acre]. . . is thought to be much.” •
Memaw Driggers— As a Florida Cracker, Neily spins mighty tall tales of the sturdy frontier men and women who moved down into Florida in the last century. Cracker Jack Goes Bear Huntin’ , Greed not Need, and The Mule Gets His Medicine are just a few of the hilarious stories which have emerged from the rich legacy of pioneer life in Florida.•
As Maria Velasquez
Miriam Payne Quay visited
Florida in the late 19th Century, an adverturous young woman intent on going “gator huntin”. As, Miss Quay, Neily sips tea and nonchalantly reminisces about how she convinced her Cracker guide to lead her into the wilds of Florida to win her prize.•
Tocobaga Woman, weaves a basket full of drama about life on the Gulf Coast before the Europeans came to turn her people’s lives upside down. Turtle Island, Dolphin Man, Grandmother Woodstork, tell of the people’s closeness to the land and sea they held in trust for their children•
Neily recreates the clothing styles of each of her characters and brings along some facinating hands-on articles for her audience to see.
As Miriam Payne Quay
Kathleen Blake Watkins,
a journalist from the Toronto Mail and Express, despite male prejudice, visited the Spanish American War military camps in Tampa. She relates true tales of the Buffalo Soldiers,the Rough Riders and other tidbits about Tampa and “proves herself one of the boys.”.•
To book a storytelling event, Phone (813) 321-7845 or E-mail tocobaga@gte.net Boyd Hill Nature Park’s NEW for 1998
PIONEER CAMP
Milk a Goat! Slop a Hog! Tend a garden! Make home-made Ice Cream! Kids will enjoy a hay-ride, visit the dusty sawmill andour smokey blacksmith shop. They will learn how to cook like our ancestors and to have fun the old fashioned way. 8 one week sessions June 22 - August 14, 1998. Register by June 5, 1998
Call 893-7326
for application forms
Pinellas Pioneer Settlement, 3130 31 Street So., St. Petersburg, FL
Food of the Ancient Ones
12
from a small-medium sized pumpkin. Dry in oven or over hot coals. Store by string it with cord or put in an airtight container.
Dried Pumpkin Seeds
Clean the pulp from pumpkin seeds Brown the pumpkin seeds on a shallow pan over hot coals or in oven. Add salt to taste. Good as a snack or sprinkle over bowl of soup.
One large chunk of mastadon meat chopped into bite size bits. Sear quickly over hot coals to seal in juices. Add to pot of boiling water to which Pepper Grass and Bay Leaves have been added for flavoring. Let simmer over a hot fire until meat is tender. Add cut up chunks of tubers and squash and cook till tender.
Pumpkin
We know that pumpkins grew in Florida in prehistic times from seeds taken from underwater sites where mastadons were found. It is believed this was a favorite food of the great beast. Cut up and removepulp and seeds
Cook pieces of dried pumpkin in boiling water until tender. You can use fresh pumpkin too. Mash into a smooth pulp. You can add sautéd onion, garlic and chopped fresh ginger for flavor.
Cream of Pumpkin Soup
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HOURS M-TH 11am to 9pm Fri & Sat. 11am to 11pm
Prepare as above Add a cup of fresh cream.
Winner!! Voted Best Cuban Food In 2nd Annual “Best of the Beaches” contest
Traditional hand Prepared Cuban Favorites Including:
Hickory Nut Soup.
Chicken Picata • Picadillo-Palomilla steak • Roast Pork Chicken & Yellow Rice • Cuban Sandwiches • Shrimp Ajillo shrimp Boracho • Grilled and Fried fish • Black Beans and Rice Salads and Many Freshly Prepared Desserts
Gather hickory nuts and dry on rack before fire OR if it is more All Entrees Include White Rice, Black Beans, Plantains & Cuban Bread convenient roast nuts in shallow Catering/Private Parties Beer/Wine/ Sangria/Liquor pan in the oven. Reservations & Take-Out Se Habla Espanol Totally Smoke free inside Welcome When nuts are dry, crack them and upstairs Dining in our locally sponsored Art Gallery remove nut meat. ✕✕✕✕✕✕✕✕✕✕✕✕✕✕✕✕✕✕✕✕✕✕✕✕✕✕✕✕✕✕✕ Mash nuts into a fine paste in a mortar and pestle (or food processor). Roll into balls and stor in tight container in cool place until ready to use. For soup desolve balls in boiling Fresh Organic Produce, Vitamins, Supplements, water. Strain off hulls. Juice bar, natural Dairy, groNatural Cosmetics and cery, and Frozen Foods, hot Skin care products, and cold deli featuring traCorn and Tomato Chowder Books and More. dional and vegan Selections, Dice up a medium sized onion and Salad Bar, soup Bar, NaturalCentral Avenue at 66th Street one green pepper. ly-Raised Beeef and Poultry, St. Petersburg, FL Add 1 - 2 cloves garlic Fresh Seafood, Sushi Bar (813) 347-5682 Saute in bacon fat, vegetable oil or butter until done. ✕✕✕✕✕✕✕✕✕✕✕✕✕✕✕✕✕✕✕✕✕✕✕✕✕✕✕✕✕✕ Stir in 2 cups sweet kernel corn. Add 4 cups chopped fresh tomatoes or two cans whole tomates. Stir in 1 cup tomato juice. Flavor with chopped parsley, chives, basil to taste. Simmer for 10-15 minutes.
Red Sumach Tea
Rub the Sumach berries gently between the hands being careful not to crush them. Drop into boiling water Strain. Sweeten to taste. Cool and serve.•
Society in America by English novelist-economist Harriet Martineau, says of corn on the cob, “The greatest drawback is the way in which it is necessary to eat it . . . It looks awkward enough: but what is to be done? Surrendering such a vegetable from considerations of grace is not to be thought of” (Martineau visited the United States from 1834 to 1836).
NATURE’S FINEST FOODS
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Mastadon Stew
Pumpkin Soup
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After the hunters brought down a mastadon and had completed the necessary ceremonial rites, it was the women’s turn to step in to butcher the great beast. Imagine women with large baskets strapped around their foreheads with tump lines approaching the awesome mass of flesh. Their status within the tribal group gave each woman her designated place along the carcuss. Carefully, with their chert blades, they stripped away the thick skin. They hacked at the flesh with determination, placing large chunks of meat in their baskets that would feed their families in the weeks to come. They worked quickly, racing against the time when the scavengers, hovering nearby, would move in to pick the bones. Organs were harvested for their rich nutrients. The intestines spilled out of their cavity to spread like entwined serpents over the ground. The women carried the meat in their baskets to the fires where they begin to process it. The meat was cut into thin strips and laid over a wooden rack above a layer of hot coals. As the juices dripped onto coals, the smoke permeated the meat. After a few hours the meat was dried and ready to be stored. In the days ahead, the strips of meat could be boiled with fresh herbs and plants gathered from the surrounding countryside or eaten like jerky on route to the next hunt. The feet were likely rendered down for fat and stored in gourds.