Leon-Jefferson Culture
Encyclopedia
The Leon-Jefferson Culture was a mound-building prehistoric Native American
culture that flourished in southeastern North America, from approximately 1100–1550 CE. The locale is in present day Leon
and Jefferson
counties in northern Florida
of the Southeastern United States
and appeared to come about due to contact with the major Mississippian
centers to the north and west. The Leon-Jefferson has its own designation because of ceramic traditions associated with both Apalachee
Fort Walton and Lamar Phase (Eastern Georgian) cultures. Like other Mississippian people, Leon-Jefferson peoples practiced mound building and intensive agriculture, made pottery in a variety of vessel shapes and had hierarchical
settlement patterns that reflected other Mississippian societies. It appears that the Lamar Creek people moved south and assimilated with the Apalachee at some point.
, near Tallahassee's
city center, served as the capitol of Apalachee Province
and the Lake Jackson
site 3 miles to the north was a Southeastern Ceremonial Complex
and a major Fort Walton period site.
The northwest Florida region also encompasses the Letchworth Mounds
of Jefferson County as well as Tallahassee's Lake Jackson mound. It is generally defined as encompassing the Florida Panhandle east from the Ochlockonee River
to the Aucilla River
. Frequently, there are cultural differences between the inland groups who relied on the inland resources of what are now Leon and Jefferson counties and those who used coastal resources.
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
culture that flourished in southeastern North America, from approximately 1100–1550 CE. The locale is in present day Leon
Leon County, Florida
Leon County is a county located in the state of Florida, named after the Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León. At the 2010 Census, the population was 275,487. The county seat of Leon County is Tallahassee which also serves as the state capital. The county seat is home to two of Florida's major...
and Jefferson
Jefferson County, Florida
Jefferson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2000, the population is 12,902. The U.S. Census Bureau 2005 estimate for the county is 14,490 . Its county seat is Monticello, Florida....
counties in northern Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
of the Southeastern United States
Southeastern United States
The Southeastern United States, colloquially referred to as the Southeast, is the eastern portion of the Southern United States. It is one of the most populous regions in the United States of America....
History
The Leon-Jefferson Culture was a part of the Fort Walton CultureFort Walton Culture
Fort Walton Culture was a mound-building Native American culture that flourished in southeastern North America, from approximately 1100~1550 CE....
and appeared to come about due to contact with the major Mississippian
Mississippian culture
The Mississippian culture was a mound-building Native American culture that flourished in what is now the Midwestern, Eastern, and Southeastern United States from approximately 800 CE to 1500 CE, varying regionally....
centers to the north and west. The Leon-Jefferson has its own designation because of ceramic traditions associated with both Apalachee
Apalachee
The Apalachee are a Native American people who historically lived in the Florida Panhandle, and now live primarily in the U.S. state of Louisiana. Their historical territory was known to the Spanish colonists as the Apalachee Province...
Fort Walton and Lamar Phase (Eastern Georgian) cultures. Like other Mississippian people, Leon-Jefferson peoples practiced mound building and intensive agriculture, made pottery in a variety of vessel shapes and had hierarchical
Hierarchy
A hierarchy is an arrangement of items in which the items are represented as being "above," "below," or "at the same level as" one another...
settlement patterns that reflected other Mississippian societies. It appears that the Lamar Creek people moved south and assimilated with the Apalachee at some point.
Archaeological sites
AnhaicaAnhaica
.Anhaica was an Apalachee Indian town and capital of Apalachee Province located near Myers Park in the present-day city of Tallahassee, Florida. Anhaica's population was approximately 30,000. The province had an estimated population of around 60,000...
, near Tallahassee's
Tallahassee, Florida
Tallahassee is the capital of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County, and is the 128th largest city in the United States. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2010, the population recorded by...
city center, served as the capitol of Apalachee Province
Apalachee Province
Apalachee Province was the area in the Panhandle of the present-day U.S. state of Florida inhabited by the Native American peoples known as the Apalachee at the time of European contact. The southernmost extent of the Mississippian culture, the Apalachee lived in what is now Leon County, Wakulla...
and the Lake Jackson
Lake Jackson Mounds Archaeological State Park
Lake Jackson Mounds Archaeological State Park is one of the most important archaeological sites in Florida, a former chiefdom and ceremonial center of the Fort Walton Culture...
site 3 miles to the north was a Southeastern Ceremonial Complex
Southeastern Ceremonial Complex
The Southeastern Ceremonial Complex is the name given to the regional stylistic similarity of artifacts, iconography, ceremonies, and mythology of the Mississippian culture that coincided with their adoption of maize agriculture and chiefdom-level complex social organization from...
and a major Fort Walton period site.
The northwest Florida region also encompasses the Letchworth Mounds
Letchworth Mounds
Letchworth-Love Mounds is a Florida State Park that preserves the state's tallest prehistoric, Native American ceremonial earthwork mound, which is high. It is estimated to have been built 1100 to 1800 years ago. This is one of three major surviving mound complexes in the Florida Panhandle...
of Jefferson County as well as Tallahassee's Lake Jackson mound. It is generally defined as encompassing the Florida Panhandle east from the Ochlockonee River
Ochlockonee River
The Ochlockonee River is a fast running river originating in Georgia and flowing for before terminating in Florida.- Background :The Ochlockonee originates south of the town of Sylvester in Worth County in southwest Georgia emptying into Ochlockonee Bay, then into Apalachee Bay, in Florida...
to the Aucilla River
Aucilla River
The Aucilla River rises close to Thomasville, Georgia, USA, and passes through the Big Bend region of Florida, emptying into the Gulf of Mexico at Apalachee Bay. The river is long and has a drainage basin of . The Wacissa River is a tributary...
. Frequently, there are cultural differences between the inland groups who relied on the inland resources of what are now Leon and Jefferson counties and those who used coastal resources.
Sources
- Matthew E. Keith, Department of Anthropology, Florida State UniversityFlorida State UniversityThe Florida State University is a space-grant and sea-grant public university located in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a comprehensive doctoral research university with medical programs and significant research activity as determined by the Carnegie Foundation...
- Woodville Karst Plain Project