Dear Conch-Lers,

The Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum’s newest exhibit, "Calusa: The Original
Shell People", opened April 14, 2003. The much-anticipated exhibit makes
the connection between an important part of the history of Southwest
Florida, that of the Calusa culture, with the main theme of the Shell
Museum, mollusks and their shells.

Calusa were masters at taking advantage of the area's natural resources,
and among those resources were shells. The relatively sophisticated Calusa
culture has been compared to those of the Aztecs and Mayans; shells played
an important role in the Calusa culture.

The exhibit was sponsored by Mrs. Anina Hills Glaize of Sanibel and
Winchester, Virginia. She has extensive knowledge about the Calusa, having
volunteered in field research on the Calusa led by the Florida Museum of
Natural History, including work in the Wightman Midden on Sanibel Island in
the 1970s.

Dr. Bill Marquardt, archaeologist at the Florida Museum of Natural History
in Gainesville, lent full scientific support to the exhibit. He provided
the accurate information displayed on the exhibit and enabled the authentic
artifacts from the FLMNH to be sent under a renewable loan to the Shell Museum.

Check the new exhibit in the Museum web site under "What's New?".

Best,

José

José H. Leal, Ph.D.
Director, The Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum
Editor, THE NAUTILUS
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www.shellmuseum.org
3075 Sanibel-Captiva Road
Sanibel, FL 33957 USA
(239) 395-2233; fax (239) 395-6706