Okeechobee

Three Moons of the Shell People

A Calusa family’s journey through ritual, survival, and transformation beside the living waters of Lake Okeechobee
Around 1300–1500 CE, at the height of Calusa influence. The story unfolds over a three-month lunar cycle near the western edge of Lake Okeechobee, where a Calusa outpost village balances fishing, trade, and sacred responsibilities.

Read Introduction of Three Moons of the Shell People

  1. Month One: Moon of Abundant Rain
  2. Month Two: Moon of Waning Heat
  3. Month Three: Moon of Shell Fires

Voices From The Lake

Below is a summary of what you will find on Voices From The Lake

“Voices From The Lake” blends scholarly history, ecological critique, and creative storytelling. It offers a layered portrait of Lake Okeechobee, Florida, as ancient landscape, contested resource, and source of cultural resilience, with grounded insights and no false optimism. Read Voices From The Lake

Part I: The Story of the Big Water

  1. The Ancient Waters – Chronicles the lake’s geological origins.
  2. The First People – Profiles early Indigenous inhabitants.
  3. The Settler Surge – Examines colonial displacement.
  • Interludes such as The Seminole Refuge, Labor, Land, and Exploitation, and Recreation and Conservation offer personal, cultural, and environmental insights.
  1. The Big Water Reclaimed – Discusses efforts to manage and reshape the lake.
  2. Nature’s Fury – Recalls floods and hurricanes that battered the region.
  3. A Fragile Balance – Explores the current ecological vulnerabilities.
  4. The Lake Today – States its present condition, highlighting the push for restoration.
  5. Visions for the Future – Projects paths forward for conservation, sustainability, and community.
  • Concludes with Closing Reflections emphasizing the lake’s enduring cultural soul.

Part II: Legacy and Lessons

  • Surveys the Calusa kingdom, exploring its rich cultural history tied to the lake.
  • Features “Sprayed to Death”, a sharp exposé on how prolonged herbicide use devastated wildlife, fueled toxic algae blooms, and eroded public trust—urging the halt of chemical spraying ClubKnowledge.

Part III: The Water Roads of the Ancestors

A deep dive into historical waterways linked to Lake Okeechobee across Florida:

  • Belle Glade Canals, Calusa Waterway Empire, Kissimmee River, Tequesta networks, Tamiami flowways, and Timucua/Dugout trails.
    These sections reveal ancestral engineering, trade routes, and spiritual connections mediated through water.

Part IV: Waterborne Lives (Fiction Rooted in Truth)

This collection of historically informed fiction frames life around Okeechobee:

  • Bridge Between Eras: The Echoes of Okeechobee
  • Chapters 1–7 trace eras from 8000 BCE hunter-gatherers, through Belle Glade and Calusa civilizations, Seminole survival during 1837 resistance, a 1920s migrant labor-meets-Seminole elder tale, up through a present‑day teen connecting with the lake amid an algal bloom.
  • Fictional interludes highlight art, ritual, trade, resilience, and environmental awareness.
  • The Epilogue — “What the Lake Remembers” — closes with reflection on memory, myth, and a living future bound to “Big Water.”

Tone & Takeaway

  • Historical and ecological realism steer the narrative.
  • Cultural nuance emerges through interwoven histories of Indigenous, settler, and migrant communities.
  • Environmental urgency pulses throughout: from chemical spraying scandals to conservation efforts.
  • Reflective fiction personalizes the lake’s story, making it feel lived-in across millennia.

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