Florida's Lost Tribes by Jerald T. Milanich

With an artist's sense of wonder and a historian's respect for accuracy, the 58 rich and colorful images in this book present a fascinating and thoroughly researched glimpse into the lifestyles and cultures of Florida's ancient Indians.
            Theodore Morris's sensitive rendering of Florida's vanished heritage reflects his passion to create a pictorial record of the state's pre-Columbian peoples, the tribes who have been forgotten through the centuries. The artist's detailed paintings and drawings are based on historical evidence and his own careful research, conducted side-by-side with archaeologists and anthropologists at excavation sites throughout the state. Morris re-creates the appearance of the ancient peoples, portraying them at work and at play, and discusses the archaeological significance of each work and the creative muse that inspired it.
            An accompanying essay by noted author and archaeologist Jerald Milanich provides an overview of the various tribes represented in the paintings. Milanich questions the ethnographic veracity of Theodore de Bry’s famous 16th-century engravings depicting Florida Indians and the settlement of Fort Caroline northeast of modern Jacksonville, which have long been thought to be based on lost paintings by the cartographer Jacques Le Moyne. Milanich argues that de Bry instead borrowed heavily from images of other New World Indians, including Amazonian tribes, and that Le Moyne's Florida paintings in fact may never have existed. If Milanich's assertion is true, the informed images of Theodore Morris take on added significance as an educational tool.
            The book also brings the story of Florida's Indians up to the present and includes a website address with links to museums and archaeological sites open to the public, where visitors can learn and experience more about Florida's lost tribes. This arresting journey back through time will be welcomed by general readers and everyone interested in Florida's past.