The Calusa And Their Legacy: South Florida People And Their Environments (Native Peoples, Cultures, and Places of the Southeastern United States (Hardcover))

Rating:
Summary: Long Awaited Book Now Available!! Hooray!!!
Review: This is an excellent book. It's about a vanished people, the Calusa Indians of Southwest Florida. And it is written by two people who best know the Calusa story. From the Florida Natural History Museum, Darcie MacMahon (exhibits director) and William Marquardt (curator and archaeologist) have produced a book for general readership that is truly readable. Its few technical terms are well explained. Scientific names are there if you want them, but above all, THE CALUSA AND THEIR LEGACY tells, in clear language, the fascinating story of a fierce and powerful people who disappeard 200 years ago.

The book paints a broad picture. It starts with the bountiful estuary environment where these people lived, tells of the food they harvested, their religious beliefs, their weapons and their battles with the Spanish. Then, when the Calusa were no more, this remarkable book goes on to answer the question: "What happened next?"

Finally, the book gives us a look at what is happening to this land of plenty - a land that supported people for 6,000 years - today.

Excellent photos and illustrations bring the story to life. In addition to adult readers, the book is quite suitable for students grades nine and up.

What a great way to learn!