The Florida peninsula's true
native people, the Timucuan, lived in an area from southeast Georgia - to Cape Canaveral -
over to the Tampa Bay area - then north to Perry, Florida. This highly civilized culture
had towns and villages which were surrounded by fortress walls made of upright wooden
poles. Inside the protection of the fortress walls the round shaped village lodges stood.
The hut style lodges were made of small diameter wooden logs with roofs made of palm
branches. In the center of the village was the chief's large rectangular lodge which
housed his family and the food and grain storage for the tribe.
The first 15th Century Europeans in America, which averaged a height of 5 feet, may have
felt that they had discovered a race of tawny colored giants when they encountered the 6
to 7 foot tall Timucuans. The men wore loin covers made of animal skins and fastened their
long hair on top of their heads with bone pins. The women wore skirts of moss or animal
skins and wore their hair tied behind their heads. Timucuan people adorned their bodies
with colorful tattoos, and wore ornaments of shell, pearls, seeds,nuts, bones and clay. It
was traditional for the Cacique (chief) and other high ranking men to be tattooed and
adorned from head to toe.
 The Timucuan depended on their
farming skills for the main foods of their diet. They cultivated the soil and planted
maize, beans, squash, and grains. They also harvested some of Florida's indigenous plant
roots, nuts, seeds, and fruits. Fish were caught in wiers made of reeds or harpooned.
Small game animals such as rabbit, raccoon, lizards, and turtle were also taken and
nothing was discarded. Bison, bear, and deer were not eaten although the skins were used
for clothing and the bones fashioned into utensils and tools.
The Moore's Timucuan village
Join Reese and Jeanne Moore as they present a living history of Timucuan village life in
pre- columbian Florida. Step back in time through the "hands on" exhibits.
Discover the mystery of this ancient culture through recreations of original artifacts
such as dug-out canoes, totems, ceramic pottery, shell implements, bone tools, stone
tools, projectile points (arrow & spear heads), jewelry, and children's toys.
The tools used in the exhibit are fashioned from the same materials that were discovered
at numerous archaeological digs since the 1950's. Stone napping techniques, tool making,
tool demonstrations, and other informative seminars are conducted by Reese
"Moss" Moore.
Foods on display in the exhibit are the grains, native beans, vegetables, fruits, herbs,
fish, shell fish, and indigenous edible plants that were the diet of Timucuan. There are
dried gourd vessels, ceramic pottery bowls, shell bowls, wooden grinders and a fire pit
with a wooden grille that is used to demonstrate the food preparation techniques.
Over 30 years research and planning has gone into the making of this educational exhibit
and program. What is presented is only a small slice of what we know about a very complex
culture. Reese and Jeanne Moore hope that you enjoy spending a few hours with "A Step
Back In Time" to discover a very special place in Florida's exciting pre-history.
The Moore's Timucuan village is mobile and can be set up for your special group, school,
club, park, festival, or museum functions at a site of your choosing. The flexibility of
the site location allows your group more time to see the village and demonstrations.
For more information about living history exhibits, knapping demonstrations, or seminars,
call "Moss" at:
http://volusia.com/livinghistory
"A Step Back In Time"
c/o Reese and Jeanne Moore
704 Tangelo Avenue
Orange City, FL 32763
Phone: 386-774-7202
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