<< 1 >>
Rating: 
Summary: A tragic history seen through an archaeological filter
Review: Many years ago I happened to visit the Florida Museum of Natural History in Gainesville. As an anthropologist who worked in Asia and taught in Australia, I wasn't extremely familiar with Florida history, but I thought I knew something about the Indians. I had even spent a couple days on the Mikasuki reservation many years before then. Florida's native Americans were the Seminoles and Mikasuki, right ? Wrong ! I was stunned to learn of the true pattern on that fortuitous visit. By the 1760s, Florida's original population of some 350,000 had totally disappeared, the last few survivors dying as refugees in Cuba. On a subsequent visit to Gainesville, a couple years ago, I bought Jerald Milanich's book, planning to get a more complete picture. I am very glad I did. This is a most excellent book, written for people who may not have professional backgrounds in archaeology, anthropology or history. The author hits just the right note. Everything is explained most clearly and readably. The twelve thousand year history that came to an end in the 18th century is traced through archeological discoveries. The great number of maps is a delight, while he includes some interesting photographs too. Milanich describes Florida as it must have been when the Spaniards arrived in the early 1500s. He tells of their efforts at exploration, colonization, at conversion, and their brutal repression of resistance, which coupled with wave upon wave of new diseases, almost completely wiped out Florida's native population. The French attempted briefly to colonize the area too. You will learn that "Florida" once extended up the Georgia coast into South Carolina. This area was known as Guale. For those of us reared on Anglo-centric American history, Milanich's book is an eyeopener. The life around the Spanish missions is depicted, the life that was destroyed finally by raids from the north by Carolina colonists, English forces, and allied Indians. These violent incursions, which brought thousands of Indian slaves to the Carolinas or sent them to be sold in the West Indies, finished the awful job of genocide. Florida is a land of ghosts. Today, amidst the urban sprawl and commercial mess of much of that state, nobody gives a thought to the Calusa, the Apalachee, the Timucua, the Jororo, the Tocobaga, the Mayaca, the Tequesta, and so many others, some whose very names may not survive. But when you paddle down one of those palmetto-lined rivers, past turtles and alligators, thrilled to see deer or otter, herons and ducks, or when you visit the former capital of Spanish Florida, St. Augustine, you might give a thought to the original Floridians. Florida is still dotted with archaeological reminders of them. Milanich has not neglected to tell us where. I suspect this is THE book on Florida Indian history.
Rating:
Summary: A tragic history seen through an archaeological filter
Review: Many years ago I happened to visit the Florida Museum of Natural History in Gainesville. As an anthropologist who worked in Asia and taught in Australia, I wasn't extremely familiar with Florida history, but I thought I knew something about the Indians. I had even spent a couple days on the Mikasuki reservation many years before then. Florida's native Americans were the Seminoles and Mikasuki, right ? Wrong ! I was stunned to learn of the true pattern on that fortuitous visit. By the 1760s, Florida's original population of some 350,000 had totally disappeared, the last few survivors dying as refugees in Cuba. On a subsequent visit to Gainesville, a couple years ago, I bought Jerald Milanich's book, planning to get a more complete picture. I am very glad I did. This is a most excellent book, written for people who may not have professional backgrounds in archaeology, anthropology or history. The author hits just the right note. Everything is explained most clearly and readably. The twelve thousand year history that came to an end in the 18th century is traced through archeological discoveries. The great number of maps is a delight, while he includes some interesting photographs too. Milanich describes Florida as it must have been when the Spaniards arrived in the early 1500s. He tells of their efforts at exploration, colonization, at conversion, and their brutal repression of resistance, which coupled with wave upon wave of new diseases, almost completely wiped out Florida's native population. The French attempted briefly to colonize the area too. You will learn that "Florida" once extended up the Georgia coast into South Carolina. This area was known as Guale. For those of us reared on Anglo-centric American history, Milanich's book is an eyeopener. The life around the Spanish missions is depicted, the life that was destroyed finally by raids from the north by Carolina colonists, English forces, and allied Indians. These violent incursions, which brought thousands of Indian slaves to the Carolinas or sent them to be sold in the West Indies, finished the awful job of genocide. Florida is a land of ghosts. Today, amidst the urban sprawl and commercial mess of much of that state, nobody gives a thought to the Calusa, the Apalachee, the Timucua, the Jororo, the Tocobaga, the Mayaca, the Tequesta, and so many others, some whose very names may not survive. But when you paddle down one of those palmetto-lined rivers, past turtles and alligators, thrilled to see deer or otter, herons and ducks, or when you visit the former capital of Spanish Florida, St. Augustine, you might give a thought to the original Floridians. Florida is still dotted with archaeological reminders of them. Milanich has not neglected to tell us where. I suspect this is THE book on Florida Indian history.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful History Of Florida's Indigenous People
Review: Mr. Milanich has really outdone himself. His descriptions of the native Floridians and their interactions with Europeans is forthright, honest, and most of all backed with excellent research. This book is a great addition to anyone's library, especially if you're from Florida.
<< 1 >>
|
