A People By The Sea

A People By The Sea. 3000 BCE - 1513 AD. , The inlet has always been a mosaic of freshwater, saltwater and upland ecosystems providing a rich diversity of aquatic life, animals and plants. The presence of pottery, food remains of seeds and animal bones, burnt charcoal and hunting and fishing tools reveals that the Jeaga and Jobe were expert hunters and gatherers relying on the surrounding abundance of natural resources. , As skillful fishermen, they hunted and fished from their dugout canoes in the ocean, coastal inlet, tidal lagoons and river systems. Eventually building shell mound villages, they established themselves along the coast and interior waterways, trading with the people living around Lake Okeechobee and to the north and south. ,

This morning the Casseekey … sent his sone with his striking staff to the inlet to strike fish for us; which was performed with great dexterity. Sometimes he would run swiftly pursuing a fish, and seldom missed when he darted at him. In two hours’ time he got as many fish as would serve twenty man… , - Jonathan Dickinson Journal

, Plants used extensively for food, medicine and crafts by local indigenous people were seagrape, wild coffee, coco plum, saw palmetto cabbage palm and sweetgrass. Although a few garden plots may have been planted for beans and gourds agriculture was minimal because natural food sources were so plentiful and sandy soil made farming difficult. , Despite the abundance of resources, the influx of Europeans brought disease, slavery and warfare that destroyed Florida's First People here and throughout the state by the mid-1700s.