#ancient floridians

[the1beardedgent]

BREVARD HISTORY: Windover's Ancient 'Bog People' One of Most Significant Archaeological Finds In North America - Space Coast Daily

[failssafe]

First time my wife and I ever tried making a snowman and we accidentally ended up making a snow-Venus of Willendorf

[msburgundy]

excellent, it seems the ancient floridian remedies work on everything

[magicaguajiro]

Resources for Cuban and Caribbean Folk Magic 🇨🇺

Disclaimer: Cubans are not a monolith so when we say ‘Cuban Folk Magic’ its like saying ‘American Folk Magic’ in the sense that it is a BROAD term that includes multiple different cultural threads and traditions. Start by researching your ancestors and where they were from as a jumping off point.

Also, many of these resources are not Cuban themselves, but they either share the same practices or are academic or general sources. I have made it clear when a source isn’t Cuban. For this reason, I have expanded it to be the Cuban AND Caribbean Folk Magic List.

The List

Creators:

Irka Mateo - Taino - Insta 🇩🇴

Religion.Ancestral.Taino - Insta 🇵🇷

Sancista Brujo Luis - Espiritismo/Taino-Youtube | Blog 🇵🇷

OkaniLuna - Brujería/Taino - Youtube🇩🇴

Juliet Diaz - Brujería/Taino/Author - Instagram 🇨🇺

Sancista 7 Espadas - Espiritismo - Insta 🇵🇷

Odofemi - Regla de Ocha - Tumblr 🇺🇸

Eve the Medium - ATR/Espiritismo - Youtube 🇩🇴

Yeyeo Botanica - ATR/Espiritismo- youtube 🇺🇸

Botanica Candles & More - Great Podcast!! - youtube 🇨🇺 🇺🇸

Connecting w/ Guides and Goals by Adunola - youtube 🇺🇸

Hatuey Museum of Archaeology, Baracoa, Cuba - Taíno archaeologists photos and blog - Link

Florida Memory - Photos and Articles on Folk History of Florida and surrounding areas - Link

Articles

San Lazaro - Wikipedia - Novena - Yeyeo Botanica

Caridad del Cobre - Wikipedia

Orisha and Palo Herbs Directory- Website

Ewe (Herbs) Photo Guide - Website

Pueblo Originario Taino Section - Website

Taino and Agua Dulce essay by Jorge Estevez - Link

Memoir of Florida’s Indigenous People by Hernando Escalante de Fontaneda - Link

Tacachale: Essays on Indigenous Floridians by Milanich and Proctor - Link

Huellas Indigenas en Cuba - Taino Spirituality in Cuban Folk Magic Article - Link

Books:

Taino Library* - Amazing resource for books of all kinds, many books about Taino and Caribbean Spiritualities, Folklores and Songs! Multiple books on Cuban Myths and Folktales! Highly recommend - Website 🇵🇷

Espiritismo by Hector Silva🇩🇴

A Year in White by C Lynn Carr

The Modern Art of Brujería by Lou Florez(VERY BASIC just as a general introduction to what alot of modern Folk Practices look like)

American Brujeria by J. Allen Cross 🇲🇽🇺🇸

El Monte by Lydia Carbera 🇨🇺

Palmetto Country by Stetson Kennedy - Link

Movies and Videos:

Cecilia (1982) - Youtube

Las Profecias de Amanda - Youtube

Susie Jim Billie, Medicine Woman Interview - Link

Proyecto Cuba Indigena - Link

Miguel Sague, Taíno Spirituality - Link

**This list will grow as I find more resources that are reliable enough to share. If you have recommendations or would like to be added, please reach out.

Luz y Progreso 🕯️

(I also have included a Research Guide below the Cut!)

Guide to researching based on your ancestry:

If your family has African roots, you can seek Ocha/Lukumi, Palo, Arara, Cuban Vodou and other African Traditional Religions and Practices. Please approach elders within these respective practices to further your connection to them, rather than using books to create a practice for yourself. These are ancient, community based and are lifelong commitments, not just trendy powerful spells for you to get what you want.

If your family has indigenous roots, research Taino spirituality and modern practices , but also know that there were other tribes in the western and centeral parts of Cuba, with their own languages and traditions you can still learn about like the Guanahatabey. You may also consider joining a Yukayeke, but this isn’t required. Reconnecting and decolonizing is a separate and important topic that is not inherently witchcraft or folk magick-y… HOWEVER, researching and informing yourself with these practices can help you to see their influence within modern folk practices.

If your family has Asian roots, research the buddhist cults and folk practices throughout Cuba! Believe it or not, we also have people of Middle Eastern descent in Cuba who brought with them their own Hindu and Arabic Folk Traditions, which can be found throughout Cuba and the Caribbean as a whole.

If your family has Spanish roots, research some open practices like Espiritismo and Folk Catholicism! Look into the Patron Saints of Cuba, La Virgen de La Caridad del Cobre and San Lazaro. These also tie in to many of the other cultures who were forced to adopt certain elements to ensure survival of their traditions! You can also look into Brujería. Much like modern witchcraft, modern brujería has been commodified to hell and back, but there is still some great knowledge and power to be found there.

The fact of the matter is, that most of us can fit ourselves into two or more of these categories, and this crossover is where Folk Magic is often born. Its also important to note, in alot of these traditions you shouldn’t learn or share certain things at certain times, so some sources who share too much about Ocha and other ATRs should be avoided. Also, I can’t stress how important it is to talk to your family! Ask them about folklore or legends and stories! Also research history and folkore of the specific areas in Cuba your family is from. A-lot of folk magic is incorporated into stories.

Bendiciones, good luck on your Journey!🦎🐊

[canadianabroadvery]

Sleeping Hermaphroditus

The Statue of Sleeping Hermaphrodite (Sleeping Hermaphroditus) is an ancient marble sculpture depicting Hermaphroditus’s life-size. It has existed since the 2nd century AD and is made from Parian marble (length 145 cm). You can find it in Room V of the Borghese Gallery.

Should not be seen by Floridians.

[keiteay]

"Anything that doesn't have people, subdivisions, or strip malls must be paved over" - ancient Floridian proverb

[xxiamtiebrousxx]

This might be kind of an interesting request! :D

I’d like Scout and some fav merc/s of yours with a s/o that was born in other country than US and raised on another language than English, however, due to having relatives in Florida, they may have southern accent a little bit! :D basically kind of Floridian s/o if that counts ~

Sorry it took so long!

Certain! Mercs x Flordian(ish) Reader

Scout:

You were raised in France and spent most of your life there. Your parents moved there for your father’s job. Growing up in Paris was fun and exciting. You got to experience many things. You didn’t want to leave until you were forced to. For a while in your teen years, you lived with some relatives in Florida. You received education from them and got to visit Disney World every weekend. Living in America was fun, but you missed your home. Shortly after graduation, you returned to Paris and tried to finish college. You figured out you didn’t want to waste four years or more just studying a major you’d probably drop. So you packed your things and moved back to the United States, sending in your resume to Team Fortress Industries. You were hired as a mercenary and stationed in New Mexico shortly after arriving.

You and Scout immediately hit it off. You had a lot of things in common, like loving Tom Jones and his music. A few weeks into dating, you realized you had not taken Scout out. The two of you mostly had your time together fighting in the battlefield. For your first date outside of the base, you bought tickets to see Tom Jones, who was touring the state. Unfortunately, you bought the cheapest tickets for seats in the nosebleed. Somehow he managed to get backstage access without purchasing the VIP Backstage pass. You had to drag some security guards behind a dumpster. Luckily, you did not get in trouble. Scout was able to safely meet his hero. After that, it was safe to say that you began to take Scout out more often. And he enjoyed it.

One of the many things Scout loved about you was the slight southern accent you developed while living in Florida. He didn’t want to say anything of course. Scout thought your accent made you cute. He knew it wasn’t common for you to take a compliment and you especially didn’t like it when someone calls you cute. He kept it to himself, muttering it under his breath when you did something that amazed him. Somehow, word got out he called you cute. Maybe it was because Pyro overheard Scout rambling about you, how he loved you and all that. Then Pyro mumbled it to Engineer, who told Demoman, who told Spy, who told Sniper, then he told Heavy who told Medic. It went all around. You eventually got word of the rumor that spread like a wildfire. Scout was terrified. He feared you would enter his room, enraged and ready to wipe the floor with his beat-up bum. You calmly entered his room to find Scout was shaking under his bed. You confronted him and you were actually kind about the situation. You told him you did not mind if he called you cute or even thought it. As long as he didn’t tell anyone, Scout would be fine. After everything was cleared up, you took your loving boyfriend to Florida to visit Universal Studios and Disney World.

Demoman:

Rome, also known as “The Eternal City,” was your home for as long as you could remember. You grew up surrounded by ancient architecture left behind by the Romans. Your mom ran a small cafe near the Colosseum to accommodate travelers and the locals. It was small but the cafe made enough to help your family get by. Your mother wanted the best things for you, especially when it came to your education. She knew that her cafe alone wouldn’t be able to help pay for your education. At age seventeen, your mother shipped you off to live with some relatives in Florida. Education really wasn’t your thing. Yes, you liked to learn, but not inside of a classroom. You were an explorer. You lived to go out and discover new things! You explored every inch of the Americas, both North and South. Then you visited Asia. For the next five years of your life, you spent every day researching anything you could research. You traveled from ruins to small villages in a matter of five years. This job was dangerous of course. There were a few times where you dangled off the edge of a cliff and almost died. Your doctor put you on orders to rest for a while before attempting to return to the field. This greatly saddened you. You were stuck alone in your room for days. A few days after your doctor’s appointment, you received a notice from a company. Team Fortress Industries was in need of someone who could brave the dangers. What your doctor didn’t know wouldn’t kill him.

What you signed up for had nothing to do with exploring or archeology. It was about revenge. You were partnered up with a man, who was called Demoman. It was his job. He knew how to create and handle explosions. He was the one who sent out the notice. None of his teammates wanted to take the journey with him to return to his homeland and defeat the Loch Ness monster. You later considered it the greatest adventure you ever took. You didn’t know how it happened, but somehow, you fell in love with Demoman. He showed bravery and strength when wrangling the Loch Ness monster. Nessie didn’t show a chance against his explosives. You had watched from the boat as the lake roared with excitement. Waves splashed everywhere. Your voice, with a small southern accent you picked up in Florida, managed to break through the explosions and splashing, cheering Demoman on. Your words of encouragement reached his ears. He smiled, closing his one eye and managed to bring down the tired Nessie. As a prize, Demoman took a photo with you, standing in front of the defeated monster. He allowed the beautiful creature to live on and to tell the story of the Demoman who defeated her.

On the way back home, you opened up to Demoman about your past. He did so as well, creating a bond with you. A plan was provided by Team Fortress Industries, piloted by a shady remote-controlled animatronic you did not trust. Demoman became quite intrigued by your profession. He requested some time off from work. It meant that the Administrator would dock money off his paycheck, but he didn’t mind. You showed him ruins and hidden tombs no one had yet to discover. Your doctor never found out you took Demoman to Mount Everest and climbed it with him, almost dying in the process. You both made it back safe and sound. Demoman began to take days off more often just to visit you.

Spy:

Mexico City was your home, your birthplace. You grew up around beautiful architecture and an amazing culture. Unfortunately, in 1985, a massive earthquake struck Mexico City and forced your family to flee the disaster. You found refuge in Florida with your family that had been living there already. Florida was slightly different from Mexico but you got used to it very quickly. The humidity reminded you of your old home. You were raised with the familiarity of the Everglades and Disney World. You missed your old home but Florida was now your new home, which you accepted. It wasn’t easy, but you quickly learned and adapted to your new environment. You were successful in school and loved by all. 

After graduating from Florida State University, you decided to take up a job in New Mexico as a secretary for Team Fortress Industries. It got tiresome working behind a desk. Papers came in, papers came out. It never ended. The workload was killing you. You needed fresh air. You applied for a station at one of the mercenary bases. Instead of overseeing the work that took place at the base, you were instead relocated to be the personal assistant of one of the team members. Spy had requested an assistant to keep track of his paperwork. The Administrator picked him to do side jobs Pauling was unable to do. He was not expecting you to appear. He was expecting a dislikable person, someone he could kill with ease and without remorse if something were to go wrong. With your likable personality, Spy found it hard to try and kill you. You had seen things that he wished to keep secret. There were many times when it was easy to push you into the river or shoot you, but Spy couldn’t. Your smile, your personality, the way you made him laugh. Oh it was hard. He actually found himself falling for you.

The first date wasn’t a fancy romantic dinner or a day at the beach. Instead, it was a mission to uncover missing crates stolen by an enemy company. After he disposed of the bodies, Spy attempted to make this mission a date. He set up everything from the candles to the seats. There wasn’t any food to serve and the crates served as a terrible table. Spy had only packed cigarettes and wine. The candles came from the crates. Spy was his charming self: Romantic and suave. It was a bit strange. You assumed he was going to poison the wine and bury your body among the other victims stashed behind the other crates. Spy was trying to be nice, you understood that. He revealed that he was trying to get closer to you, be more than just co-workers. He was fine if you friendzoned him, which you did, since Spy never talked about anything. You did. He let you ramble on missions about your life, your current mood, or about what happened that day. Spy tried to be more talkative and friendly. It took a while, but you finally unfriendzoned Spy when a mission took you back to your home in Florida.

[iotlorganicscompany]

So, here’s just an idea for a product I’m thinking of making and I’m trying to market it all before I launch so my content doesn’t miss any of my niche audience but, honestly I think I might be the only swampy Central Floridian witch obsessed with botany and sustainable aqua and agriculture aspiring for financial freedom attempting to acquire all that through business savvy… anyway this is a blog so let me tell you about the business I’m starting then afterwards I’ll shut up and go to bed.

Natural Alternatives to Mainstream Synthetics.

I’m not a fan of synthetic products, pollution or elitism and awhile back I started learning about how these things decay and affect the planet and people. Synthetic materials used in topicals, food, and cosmetics can disrupt the endocrine system, your metabolism and autoimmune system, and endanger our natural world. I believe synthetic fabrications can be formulated holistically however, until now, are not truly understood and should be replaced with sustainable organic materials that come to us from the natural world.

We’re using candles that are made with verifiably known carcinogens, the homes are being built and coated with harmful substances, inorganic plastics and breathable toxins …

I want to make something old …

I want to reach back into the ancient world and pull out a pristine and holy technology : creation for the sake of eternal benefit.

Too much harm has been done, and, now it is time- for the world’s healing. I believe that begins with our lifestyles.

Humans are meant to live in supreme seasons of harvest, hibernation, and, growth. I refuse to be driven mad in the fray of other people’s lives. Does the tortoise who flows with their intuition lose to the hustling hare?

Beauty should not come at the cost of your wealth, self, or, health and the aspiration of it should be an effect of the benefit of improving your health.

Infrastructure and culture should be in balance with the desires of the earth to sustain us. Do not build golf courses through a flood-plain. Stop developing without green space! If I see one more beer cooler full of cans when I’m kayaking in any of Florida’s beautiful rivers I will EMAIL EVERYONEEEEEE!!!

Donate to @thenatureconservancychina to aid the defense of the earth and our ecology.

Prepare for @iotlorganicscompany launch Spring 2025

[sad-scribble]

the true genders:

Male Female RAT Danish Venezuela K-Mart™️ Dick's Sporting Goods™️ Goggobite Hamburg Cheeseburg Borb Gorb Pay Less Shoes™️ Vampire Warewolf Thing™️ Clinically Insane but a Blorbo Clinically insane but Just Insane Kidney Donor 5 Gay Rats 7 and a Half Men Trans (Either) None Other Prefer Not to Say (Coward)

Other Genders Include: Home Owners Association of Vicksburg, Virginia Gaylord, Michigan Hell, Michigan Hell, Norway Wal-Mart Super Centers Ararcho-Anarchist 1800-588-2300 Empire Today™️ Bob Ross Chia Pet Red Beans and Rice Ikea Cafeteria Worker Indiana Resident Bermuda Triangle 5th Grader 6th grader High School Freshman High School Senior Mesothelioma Domino's App, Featuring, Hatsune Miku™️ Play-Doh Monstrosity Made of Origami Yucatan Peninsula Cuba Ancient Roman Norse Mythological Being It™️ Other Other.

Other Other Genders Include: Battle Cat 277 English Men named Gary 1 Child named Gerry 16 South African Children Home Owners Associations of Ottawa Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Louisiana Gumbo Mississippi North Texan Oklahoma Panhandle Native American God Cancer (Star Sign of Crab) Cancer (Disease) Lobster Shrimp Fried Rice Waddle Dee Amalgamation of the Fears of the Next Person you Meet Lusty Argonian Maid Köttbullar Chicken Noodle Soup Served Hot and Fresh on December 17th, 1942 Sheep Goat Goat Simulator Goat Simulation Skeleton Skeleton but Cooler David Shy Guy Secure Contain Protect Red Man™️ Omori Player Hard Boiled Egg Other Other Other

Other Other Other Genders Include: Me! :-) Green Man™️ Bangkok, Thailand Shay's Rebellion Alexander Hamilton's Husband Alexander Hamilton's Wife Scottish Dr. Pepper Dr. Bright Tumblr User Fly Swatter Pepsi Cola™️ Nestle™️ Swiss National Banks Federal Reserve Fallout 76 SCP-035 John Garfield (President of the United States) Garfield (Cat) Narrator from Stanley Parable™️ Every Kiss Begins with Kay™️ Everybody Wants to Rule the World Madagascar (Movie Series) Madagascar (Island) Elephant 2 Trucks Isle of Man Dos Islas Del Caribe French SCP-049 New South Wales Rochester, New York Swedish Meatballs Effects of Male Pattern Baldness on Italians 9Gag User Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 Floridian South Texan Black Beans and Rice Other Other Other Other

Other Other Other Other Genders Include: Pepperoni Shakespeare's Play, Macbeth Beowulf Homer (Simpson) Homer (Author) Political Candidate German Polish Femboy 67 Children with Knives A Hamster Spinning a Wheel in Someone's Head FemMAN Dos Amigos Restaurant Chains North Sentinel Island Odin Ice Giant Skylander Disney Infinity™️ Guitar Hero Nintendo Wii Spaghetti Tacos Jerusalem Crème Brule Humunculous Spanish At Least 31 Years Old MIT Graduate BenreyBenreyBenreyBenreyBenreyBenreyBenreyBenreyBenreyBenreyBenreyBenreyBenreyBenreyBenrey Hey! Listen!

YOLO

Celeste Flying Spaghetti Monster The Computer from Don't Hug Me I'm Scared Target™️ SCP-079 Oyster Pirate Ninja Robot from the Future Robot The Thing™️ Blob 1990's Rendered 3D Sphere Youtube Poop Mist Flying Chinchilla Gingi Robot Chicken

what you want more?

[amostdelectablescribbler]

i’m gonna add Gumbo Slice to my WIPs.

and he will become a trans-dimensional floridian fatman who wrestles alligators and bears, eats pizza and does ancient sumo and wrestling.

[theneondreamin-blog]

Hey, is this place a thing again? In that case, I'm dusting off this practically unused account to toss up this ancient classic: the day I peaked by getting checked out by a Floridian Skyrim NPC.

[anumberofhobbies]

Off the coast of Florida, archaeologists are finding ancient sites hidden beneath the waves, tucked into the state’s sunken continental shelf. by Laura Trethewey June 27, 2023 | 2,200 words, about 11 minutes " ... The archaeologists find it hard to communicate just how much history is still out there buried on the continental shelf. Around 40 percent of the world’s population today lives within 100 kilometers of a coastline. In Florida, that statistic is nearly double, with 76 percent of its population, or around 15 million people, living by the coast. Throughout antiquity, people have always been drawn to water, whether a river, a sinkhole, or a coastline. “Put people on the coast, and watch the life just rev up: hunting, gathering, art, culture …” said Joy. “Get people inland, and it’s like, Well, shit, how am I going to live today?” He gave a rough Neanderthal shrug. If even a fraction of early Floridians liked the ocean as much as present-day ones do, there’s a whole world of human history waiting there to be uncovered. And the farther offshore you go, the farther back in time you travel. ..."

[grindpromotionrecords]

Back In Store! Burrowing through the mire of the endless Floridian swamps like an arcane travesty of nature, the shadow-bound entity more commonly known only as WORM present ‘Foreverglade’, a strange amalgam of things that ooze, things that crawl and some things that remain still for centuries before crumbling back into the dust and dirt unobserved by mortal eyes. Utterly ambitious while being steeped in the ancient practices of tradition and ritual observance, on ‘Foreverglade’ Worm finds its truest incarnation, where the catacombs of funereal and oppressively heavy Death Doom are further thrown open, letting drift out the lurking obscurity of Black Metal’s cemetery stench. And yet an adept virtuosity and ghostly ethereality invokes the grim dark beauty of the swamps as much as the veiled creeping horrors. What’s certain is ‘Foreverglade’ is suffocatingly heavy, filled with shimmering gloomy atmosphere and a reeking foul humidity that superbly embodies the mysteries and monstrosities of the murk. To that end Worm reach a new apex of creative sorcery while signaling it has only begun to unleash what lies beneath the mists. #wormgloom #20buckspin #metal #deathmetal #grindcore #vinyl #vinylrecords #vinyldecals #vinylshop #vinylwraps #vinyllife #vinyladdict #vinystore #vinyleveryday #vinylhoarder #vinylpress #vinylism #vinyldigging (presso Grindpromotion Records Hq) https://www.instagram.com/p/CoH0ZIDIGF9/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[magicaguajiro]

Swamp Witch Travels: The Everglades

The Seminole War that never ended, a charm to Split a Storm and an Ancient Island. For centuries, the Everglades has been the object of wonder of many influential Floridian figures who each recognized its immense beauty and power. This River of Grass is a major center of life and biodiversity, as well as mysteries and Spirits uncharted, but will it still be around for the Swamp Witches of tomorrow?

The Everglades is going to shatter all of your preconceived notions about Swamps. It is a place of great power and duality. On one hand, this aqueous Land is covered in sparkling, clear, MOVING water. This water is the Life and Blood of the state, flowing from the Heart of the Everglades, Okechobee (Big Lake) The health of this ecosystem in turn affects the entire country. On the other hand, a place of Danger, Death and Rot, but for the purpose of Cleansing and Purification (not just rot for rot’s sake). As the water flows through this vast ecosystem, it is cleared of pollutants by plants and limestone while washing away scars left by man on this Land, until all is returned anew. It is a multifaceted, firm but gentle Spirit.

The Everglades is a union, a pact almost, between the Land and the Water to form the Swamp we know and love.

I am no stranger to the Glades. I was born and raised in the western Everglades, in the Big Cypress water basin. Fakahatchee and Picayune Strand were favorites of my parents as I was growing up, and we lived way out in the woods anyways so I always feel at home in the Glades. Many of my Spirits who are intrinsically tied to me, one might call a Spirit Guide or Angel, feel connected to Swamps and places where Water and Land converge. The Everglades is my home, but it is also a Spirit Ally, and a sacred place to the modern Indigenous Peoples of Florida, including the recognized and unrecognized Seminole and Miccosukee.

(PSA: this post will likely be part of a series only scratch the surface of the intricacies related to the Glades.)

Pa-Hay-Okee, “Grassy Waters”

Pa-Hay-Okee is the Seminole-Mikasuki name for the Everglades. I was blessed to be able to take a trip to see the Real Florida when I took an airboat ride with Buffalo Tiger Airboats, owned and operated by Betty Osceola. Betty is a conservationist and member of the Miccosukee tribe, located in the Eastern Everglades. The Seminole and Miccosukee are the descendants of various groups of Florida’s Original People from all over the state. The relationships and history of Florida’s Indigenous groups is complex. Before colonization and to this day we have had multiple groups who all have different beliefs, cultures, origins, and relationships. Today, we have various groups who are federally recognized as well as both Traditional and Reconstructionist groups who don’t seek recognition from the government, the most well-known being the Traditional Seminoles in Big Cypress.

Certain aspects of Seminole culture predate colonization, like the Chickee and some hunting techniques, while others, mainly linguistic and spiritual, are the result of groups joining together or adapting to new circumstances, such as patchwork. Many of the Seminole can trace their ancestry to groups in North Florida and surrounding states. These groups would live in various parts of the State, including the Everglades, at different times of the year following routes taken by seasonal migrations of game and water.

These people were forcibly removed, pushed South or murdered so their land could be taken in a conflict known to the United States as the First, Second and Third Seminole Wars. As they were pushed South, they encountered and assimilated various remaining populations of Pre-Columbian groups like the Calusa and Tequesta.

If you ask the modern members of these tribes, they will tell you it was a single war that is still being fought to this day, although with lawyers instead of weapons. You see, the Seminole and Miccosukee still have never signed a treaty with the US, and continue to have to fight for their Sovereignty and Land to this day. This has earned the Indigenous People of Florida the title of the Unconquered Peoples. Today, the tribes maintain traditional ways while also dealing with ever-encroaching settler beliefs and people. They still live off the land, but through the lens of eco-tourism most often rather than through subsistence living like many elders lived in their youth.

On my airboat trip, I got to stop and walk around Tear Island, a place where two Indigenous families began living in the 1800s and then abandoned in the 1920s. Being on these far off Islands, surrounded by the swamp and only accessible by boat, is where I feel most connected to my own Indigenous Taino ancestors, who would have traversed this same place but in a dugout canoe rather than an Airboat. The spirits of generations of people who lived and passed on are still here, within the water and trees, but also gathering around the cooking chickee when a fire is lit by their descendants.

High Tide at Chokoloskee

Known as the Western Gateway to the Everglades, we have Everglades City. It borders the Big Cypress Preserve and is a great place to stop to visit the Museum of the Everglades. The first settlers came here in the 1800s, it was incorporated in 1923. Past Everglades though, lies Chokoloskee. An Island with a Seminole name meaning ‘Old House’. This Island was only reachable by boat until 1956 when the bridge was built. John Weeks, the first permanent settler of Naples was one of the first settlers here as well. Before that, it was inhabited by the Calusa for more than 1,500 years.

Stop by HavAnnA Cafe on your way to the southern tip of the Island where you’ll find a large red building on stilts. This is the Smallwood Store. Founded in 1906 by Ted Smallwood, this store was one of the only places Indigenous and White Floridians could go to trade for necessities. Ted Smallwood was a well-known ally of the Seminole and Miccosukee peoples, even learning to speak the language. Today, his granddaughter runs the store which is a museum and gift shop. There is even a replica of Ted himself, pictured above.

This history of this store and island is long, and tragic. A nearby massacre during the ‘Third Seminole War’ caused the remaining Indigenous people here to flee the Island. Later on, a famous murder of a well known criminal happened right outside the Smallwood Store. You can read more about both, and the 100 year anniversary of the building being raised here.

This is also a great spot to see where the fresh water of the Everglades meets the saltwater of the Florida Bay. Definitely give this place a visit.

Splitting Storms: An Indigenous Folk Protection Charm

For some time now, I have noted the striking similarities between Seminole and Taíno beliefs around Twins and Weather. We even share a simple protection charm to ward off a bad storm I will share to you all.

In Seminole belief, Twins are intrinsically tied to the weather. Many elders believed that keeping twins together can be dangerous, and they should be raised separately. To them, one is Thunder and the other is Lightning, even going as far to saying that having two twins in the same chickee can cause it to be struck.

In Taíno myth, we have two sets of twins associated with weather. Boinayel and Marohu are the Cemi related to the Wet and Dry seasons, Boinayel being the Raingiver and Marohu literally meaning “Without Clouds”. Then we have the ones who I would say share similarities to the Seminole Twins, Coatrisque and Gautaubá. These are Twin sons of the violent aspect of Atabey, known as Guabancex, Cacique of winds. Coatrisque is torrential rains, while Guatauba is Thunder and Lightning himself.

The charm is very well documented in both groups, as well as many others, and very straightforward. It’s the underlying belief that makes these two charms so similar. The linked article from earlier even includes a brief explanation of it.

Basically, when you know a big storm is coming, you want to place an axe in a spot on the front of your house, usually on a piling or piece of the roof that extends below the ground. Tie it down if you wish, for the winds. If you can, do it so the blade looks like it is coming down on the storm. The goal is to split the storm so it goes around the house. If we look at the myths, it’s clear the axe is there to split the Twins from each other, forcing them to go around the house, leaving it protected.

In the Caribbean, in practices like Lúcúmí and Palo Monte, we see the use of Matari, ‘Thunder Stones’. Genuine thunder stones from the Caribbean are actually said to be relics of Taíno axes, shaped like a tear drop almost, either passed down or found and used for various purposes, one being to ward off Lightning and Thunder!

Will Your Kids Know the Glades?

The Everglades are vital to my spiritual practice and lifestyle, as well as that of thousands of other Floridians. Even if you don’t live in the Swamp, its health affects the entire country.

Today, the dangers facing the Everglades are almost as abundant as the dangers inside it. Overdevelopment threatens the entire state. Just like we saw with Split Oak Forest recently. Environmental Protections seem to mean less and less because they don’t have the teeth to defend themselves. Included in these threatened protections is the sovereignty of the Seminole and Miccosukee Tribes, who just had to fight to keep Big Cypress as a preserve so they can continue their traditional use. They are fighting to hold onto their Land to this day.

All while threatening the Traditional Use by Indigenous Peoples, they continue to allow oil drilling even approving new projects within Big Cypress. The Army Corps of Engineers also heavily harms the environment every year through mismanagement of Okechobee and of the water levels within the Glades. It is up to everyday Floridians to fight to protect and better manage this precious natural resource before its gone forever. It is up to Witches all over to be stewards of our Lands, wherever that is. For us Florida Witches, we need to organize, donate and hex our politicians.

Luz 🕯️

[charliecharles017]

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it was not so sonny day in May. Caroline and her camel were tracking through the Mongolian mountain ranges. I was on foot since my wagon from 1849 broke down. I had been sweating like a soldier in Vietnam, but I dealt with it because with every step I could feel the free-flowing grass seep into my toes. As we were coming closer to our destination of the hidden ancient art chambers of Genghis khan the stench of Floridian swamps and natural high rises came in and out the soul. Musty and rustic, we arrived and wow it was phenomenal.

Ever since I could remember Caroline was the woman for me. Blonde hair, blue eyes, relaxed yet passionate and fiery. In class we could talk about going on an advantage for our gap year before college. We told our parents about it and they thought we were crazy and wed never do it. On weekends we would look at the stars at nighttime after the party and talk about our plans. I told her she could do anything wanted. She heard of this place in Mongolia from her grandfather who was a biologist. She said he used to go on expeditions for University of Hawaii all over the world. He would tell stories and give her artifacts from his trips but every time he talked about Mongolia he cried. She never found out why, so we decided on that night that we would go by ourselves. The work of the detectives led us to the assumption that this place was a chamber of art that belonged to Genghis khan during his reign as emperor. All we had to do was wait.