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A History of Columbia County Florida (1996) Edward F. Keuchel 4/340

A History of Columbia County, Florida
The Timucuans warred with the fierce Apalachees to the west
as well as among themselves. Elaborate rituals preceded battle.
First priests or shamans were consulted to predict the outcome of
the battle. The entire venture might be abandoned if the prophecy
was not favorable. Shortly before entering the field of battle the
Black Drink, a beverage brewed from the leaves of the cassina
plant (Ilex vomitoria), was taken. This drink had ritualistic sig­
nificance, but because it contained caffein it acted as a stimulant
as well. Weapons used by the Timucuans included bows and
arrows, spears and clubs. Fire arrows were sometimes used
against enemy villages instead of open warfare. Slain warriors
were scalped and mutilated by the victors. The scalps were dried
over fires and kept as trophies. Dismembered arms and legs were
dried and displayed on poles in the victors’ villages.
All of the tribes worshipped the sun. Every spring at dawn of a
certain day a stag’s head garlanded with flowers was set upon a
pole facing the rising sun. When the sun’s rays touched the antlers
the tribe bowed in prayer. Human sacrifice of captives and first­
born children were made in periods of adversity. Religious ritual
accompanied medical practice. Techniques of treatment involved
prayer, certain herbs and the use of ritual fires during the curing
ceremonies. A prescribed ritual was used during childbirth in­
cluding the use of special herbs to speed up or retard delivery.
Tobacco was frequently used during prayer, particularly by men
before the hunt. Animal movements or natural phenomena were
taken as omens. This included crying fawns, the popping of fire in
the hearth, or the twitching of eyes or mouths. The use of burial
mounds declined with the coming of the Spanish and Christianity,
although some rituals, such as burying goods with the body, were
continued even after the Indians were converted to Christianity.
The coming of the Spanish in the Sixteenth Century brought
about great changes in the lives of the Timucuans. The first
permanent settlement of the Spanish in Florida was at St.
Augustine in 1565, but its status was not secure.
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