European Contact
32b - evaluate the impact of European contact on Native American cultures including Spanish missions along the barrier islands, and the exploration of Hernando DeSoto
Spanish Missions |
Hernando de Soto |
Spanish sailors came to the Barrier Islands and Florida to make forts and to farm. However, unmarried male Indians were required to work in the cornfields of the Spanish and they were supposed to build or maintain fortifications in St. Augustine every year. Due to the lack of male villagers, they population of the Indian villages became offset and unbalanced. Indian populations declined by over 90 percent as a result. There were armed slave raids of the Indians who were allied with the English in Domingo de Talaje Mission at the mouth of the Altamaha River. As a result of these raids, the Spanish retreated all of their coastal missions to the Barrier Islands by 1685. In 1566, Spain established missions on Georgia’s Cumberland on St. Catherine’s Island called Santa Catalina. Posts were also established on 2 more Barrier Islands. They named these islands Valley, named after the Valley Indians in this region. A Guale is a North American Chiefdom on the coast of Georgia and the Barrier Islands. The Spanish made missionaries here in the 16th Century. An example is Santa Catalina de Guale.
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Hernando de Soto was born in Extremadura, Spain around 1500. The first time they visited Georgia, the Ichisi met them peacefully so Hernando and his men built a wooden cross across a mound in the town and they explained its significance to the Indians. They then left and crossed the Savannah River. The second time they visited Georgia was around July 15, 1540. On July 16 they came to the principal town of the chiefdom of Coosa at the Little Egypt archaeological site. Now it is submerged beneath Carters Lake. The chief of Coosa, was powerful just like the chief of Ocute. When Hernando and his army arrived the capital town, the chief told the crow to sing and play flutes and celebrated their arrival. On August 20, 1540, Hernando and his army departed from the Coosa's main town and traveled South. They crossed the Etowah River at the town of Itaba—the Etowah Mound site is located here—and proceeded onto the chiefdom of Ulibahali at present-day Rome. They then continued down the Coosa River to another town. On September 5, 1540, they crossed into what is now known as one of Georgia's bordering states to the West: Alabama.The expedition continued westward for three more years. During this time period of 3 years, half of the original army were either killed by Indians or they died of various causes, just like Hernando himself.
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