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Heritage of the Ancient Ones. The story of Florida's first native peoples and the 12,000 plus years that they cared for this land is largely untold. Even more frightening, they have begun to fade from our memories entirely. Due to Florida's geographic location in North America, these natives bore the brunt of the invading armies of the Spanish, French and English in the 16th century. They were, therefore, first to succumb to warfare, slavery and diseases introduced from Europe. In less than 2 centuries the Timucua, Apalachee, Calusa, Tocobaga, Ais, Mayaca, Hororo, and many other ancient chiefdoms had perished. Only their shell mounds, along with a few personal artifacts, are left to mark their passing. Each of us has ancestors that, at some time in history, lived in a "primitive" society; a world where their survival depended on extensive knowledge of the natural environment and their ability to adapt themselves to it. No matter how advanced our technology is today, we are still dependent on our environment for our air, water, food, clothing and shelter. You don't need to be of Native American descent to appreciate and respect our Mother Earth.
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