Calendar of Events

"NATIVE AMERICANS IN THE FLORIDA KEYS: Similar or Different from Mainland Cultures

October 21 2019 Time: Monday 6:30 pm FREE & OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
Island Community Church, 83250 Overseas Hwy, Islamorada

Guest speaker Ryan Harke will give an audio-visual presentation on "Native Americans in the Florida Keys: Similar or Different from Mainland Cultures?" After decades of research in the Florida Keys, archaeologists are still uncertain whether the archipelago's prehistoric natives lived year-round in the islands as separate culture groups from mainland south Florida. In this presentation, Ryan will discuss the evidence for and against this hypothesis that natives lived in sedentary villages throughout the Keys prior to the arrival of Europeans. He will also speak about his ongoing dissertation research at the Stock Island site, which was excavated by Irving Eyster, and represents a case study to examine this question. Ryan Harke is a registered professional archaeologist (RPA) who has worked for contract archaeology firms across the Midwest and southeastern United States. He also spent two years serving as a public archaeologist at Flagler College in St. Augustine. Ryan specializes in the study of coastal and island archaeological sites, where he uses mollusk shells to reconstruct past environments and answer questions about prehistoric human settlements. He is a Ph.D. Candidate in the Department of Anthropology at University of South Florida. The presentation is free and open to the public. For more information contact Barbara at 305-393-0940.