New Smyrna Beach, Florida's Timucuan Indians

New Smyrna Beach has a thriving ecosystem. In the past, the Volusia County areas of New Smyrna Beach and Edgewater yielded abundant crops and seafood for its indigenous peoples. There were a variety of Indian tribes native to Florida, most notably the still functional Seminole Indians and past Timucuans. The Timucuans are known as a northern Florida tribe, but they were also located centrally, and along the east coast in New Smyrna Beach, to St. Augustine. The vast ecosystem of Edgewater, which borders New Smyrna Beach, provided the Timucuan with a rich resource of seafood, consisting of freshwater oysters and clams, plentiful in parts of the Indian River.

At Menard-May Park in Edgewater, along the Indian River lagoon embankment, there are lots of empty oyster shells and clams. What is now Riverside Drive, the scenic route from Edgewater and through New Smyrna Beach, was one of the routes the Seminoles and Timucuans traveled.

Before the park was built, the stretch of road was sand, and the water's edge was wild; saltwater plants and trees, stretches of sand barriers that yielded opportunistic spots for the Timucuans to fish. The water is very shallow, and there are oysters all along the sand beds close to the shoreline. The Timucuans were known to hunt marine life as well, even manatees, which could easily be captured in the shallow waters. The park area has dolphins, manatees and today there are safety and speed zones to protect these gentle giants.

What is fascinating about the native Indians of Florida, regardless of tribe, is how they lived off the land, which in spots of New Smyrna Beach, have remained untouched. Ignoring the distant views of the condo's at the Atlantic Ocean Shoreline, when at the park and looking out across the river, its as if time has gone in rewind and one can see firsthand what life was like being a naturalist.

The Indian River lagoon yielded forth a bounty of nutritious fish, hundreds of species, including king-sized tarpon. The Timucuans were hunter/gatherers, cultivated their own crops, including tobacco and corn, yet the rich marine life from the Indian River lagoon was an important part of their diet, aside from gator and deer meat, as well as breads made from Florida arrowroot, and plant life. The Timucuans even used fish scales as part of their wardrobe, adorning their hair and clothes, and wearing jewelry made from shells as well. They also wore the Spanish moss that hangs lazily from the area's majestic oak trees, though one wonders just how they could tolerate wearing the itchy vines!

Sources:

Downs, Dorothy. Art of the Florida Seminole and Miccosukee Indians. Gainsville, Florida: University Press of Florida, 1995.
Hann, John.A History of the Timucua Indians and Missions. University Press of Florida, 1996.
Meisel, Tony and Frank Appel. Edited Tales of Old Florida. Secaucus, New Jersey: Castle, 1987.
Milanich, Jerald T. Florida Indians and the Invasion from Europe. The University Press of Florida, 1998.
Tebeau, Charlton W. A History of Florida. Miami, Florida: University of Miami Press, 1971.