Finding Angola: A Visual Tour of the Manatee Mineral Spring Site in Bradenton, Florida
Uzi Baram, Professor of Anthropology, New College of Florida

Freedom-seeking people found a haven of liberty on the Manatee River from the 1770s until 1821. The maroon community known as Angola, destroyed just as Spain transferred Florida to the United States, had its memory nearly lost. Looking for Angola launched a public anthropology program in 2004 involving local and descendant communities culminating in a Network to Freedom designation, recognizing the place now known as Bradenton as part of the southern route of the underground railroad. This presentation offers a 2021 hour-long film following the lead archaeologist on a tour of the Manatee Mineral Spring, the location of January 2020 excavations revealing details for the daily life of the maroons, also known as Black Seminoles or African Seminoles. Questions and discussion with the archaeologist after the film.

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International Archaeology Day at Weedon Island

Visitors enjoyed examining ancient artifacts and discovering the rich history of Tampa Bay at our celebration of International Archaeology Day at the Weedon Island Preserve, Saturday, October 16, 2021.

AWIARE and Central Florida Gulf Coast Archaeological Society (CGCAS) were on-site showcasing a diverse collection of pre-Columbian artifacts from the Tampa Bay region and illustrating the use of these tools and their importance to native populations.

Visitors were also able to view the 1,100 year old dugout canoe on display in the Center and visit the museum exhibit "Connecting People and Place" that tells the story of Weedon Island and its earliest inhabitants. Additional information on the day can be viewed on this link.

The Ancient Mound-Builders of Tomoka: Ecology, Migration, and Ritual
Jon Endonino, Ph.D, Eastern Kentucky University
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Dr. Endonino will present excavation and analyses results from Phase 2 of the Tomoka Archaeology project where ecological data was collected in order to determine the environmental conditions that existed when Mount Taylor hunter-gathers settled and constructed the mounds, earth- and shell-works, and the attending rituals during the Thornhill Lake phase (5600-4700 cal BP). Environmental data are combined with radiocarbon dates and analyses of artifacts in order to situate mound-building in time and in relation to other people across Florida and beyond.

The Weedon Island Archaeological Site (8PI1) is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Use of the AWIARE Research Station is open to qualified researchers and graduate students who wish to conduct archaeological research related to Weedon Island and associated regional cultures.

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The Weedon Island Canoe is featured in a new book by University Press of Florida, Iconography and Wetsite Archaeology of Florida’s Watery Realms. The book includes a chapter written by Phyllis Kolianos and titled, “Wood Preservation Dilemmas of Florida’s Prehistoric Saltwater Sites: Key Marco and Weedon Island” which details the preservation of the canoe. This book edited by Ryan Wheeler and Joanna Ostapkowicz is part of the Ripley P. Bullen series, and explores new discoveries and reexamines existing artifacts to reveal the influential role of water in the daily lives of Florida’s early inhabitants.

To order a copy visit: www.upf.com