(Source of picture: Florida State Archives)

This Timucua group is going to war.  In front, two of the three men are heavily tattooed.  The body decorations probably denoted high status, as well as immense power & valor.  The men carry clubs, spears, and bows & arrows.

CLICK HERE FOR ANOTHER PIC OF TIMUCUA PREPARING FOR CONFLICT

THE TIMUCUA IN BATTLE -- Why would a Timucua group or village sometimes go to war with another?  Usually to avenge a wrong, such as when a neighboring village harbored a kidnapper or murderer.  The Indians fought over other issues too.  These could have included access to a riverbank with good clay or hunting rights to a deer herd that was roaming through. 

Some villages also raided others for food & young women.  Unlike today's people, however, the Timucua usually didn't fight for territorial gain.  And their conflicts normally left only a few dead.  A group would inflict just enough causalities to show that it was stronger than its enemy.  After achieving this, the victor would go home.

Battle also served as a right of passage for young Timucua men.  If they fought bravely, they received a war name, and they entered into adult male society.  Tattoos could be won for strength & bravery too. 

IMPLEMENTS OF WAR -- The Timucua relied on several types of weapons.  These included javelins, spears, wood clubs, and stone hatchets.  The most popular weapon for fighting and hunting, though, was probably the bow & arrow. 

HITTING THEIR MARKS -- Spanish conquistadors shook their heads in wonder of the Timucua skill in archery.  And their weapons proved no less remarkable: The bows could be seven feet long and as thick as an arm! 

According to the Spanish, a Timucua arrow could penetrate a horse lengthwise, almost from the chest to the tail.  Shot from a distance of 80 feet, an arrow also could also pierce two coats of chain steel (the armor worn by both soldiers & their horses).  And an arrow could drive six inches into a hardwood tree.  All in all, native archers proved quite effective in battle.

To add to Spanish woes, the braves could accurately shoot an arrow up to 200 paces.  They hid behind small trees, wrapping their arms around the trunks so that they could hold the bow and fire their projectiles. 

How did the Spanish respond to this threat?  Just as police officers today try to bulletproof themselves with special vests, the conquistadors tried to "arrowproof" themselves with special coverings.  They added cotton to their armor.  The best defense for both the combatants & their horses was quilted cotton fabric.  This measured three or four fingers thick, and it lay under the chain mail.  This protection was used against Mexico's native people too. 

The Spanish also changed their tactics in Florida:  They started using crossbows, for instance, against the Indians in the Tampa Bay area.

THE TEETH OF A SERPENT -- The Timucua Indians crafted their arrowheads from snake teeth, fish bones, flint stones, silver, or hardwood.

SCRATCHING PERMITTED -- Both Timucua men & women wore their fingernails long.  The men, though, wielded them as weapons.  They would rake their nails across an enemy's forehead, blinding him with flowing blood.