Our open community is dedicated to digging into the origins of our species on planet earth, and question wherever the discoveries might take us. It's one of Florida's most popular destinations for its turquoise coast and laid-back vibe. The Calusa (said to mean fierce people ) are a Native American tribe that once inhabited the southwestern coast of Florida. [8], The Calusa caught most of their fish with nets. They had the highest population density of South Florida; estimates of total population at the time of European contact range from 10,000 to several times that, but these are speculative. Diseases would ravage their population and force . At first, there must have been an uneasy tolerance of one another, as the Spanish built their fort, Marquardt explained. Julian Granberry has suggested that the Calusa language was related to the Tunica language of the lower Mississippi River Valley. Although his primary interest is in the ancient civilizations of the Near East, he is also interested in other geographical regions, as well as other time periods. Read More. Lucy Fowler Williams is Keeper of Collections for the American Section. What was the calusa Indians religion? Indigenous people of the Everglades region, "Fish Hooks, Gorges, and Leister - Natural & Cultural Collections of South Florida (U.S. National Park Service)", Evidence for a Calusa-Tunica Relationship, Hopewell Culture National Historical Park, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Calusa&oldid=1140745100, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles using infobox ethnic group with image parameters, Language articles with unreferenced extinction date, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Bullen, Adelaide K. (1965). The first Spanish explorers found that these Indians were not very friendly. The drove back multiple conquistadors and had control of nearby tribes. Join CJ as he discusses: The origins of the Calusa Their physical description Their society, hierarchy, and religion [2] The Tequesta tribe had only a few survivors by . The Calusa king Caalus, perched high on his throne in his grand house, watched as Pedro Menendez de Aviles, the first governor of La Florida, arrived with his entourage. It is believed that Calusa translated to mean "Fierce People". After A.D. 1000, the Calusa began to grow in size and complexity, wielding their military might, trading widely and collecting tribute along those trade routes that extended for hundreds of miles. Senquene succeeded his brother (name unknown), and was in turn succeeded by his son Carlos. 1). [16], Ceremonial or otherwise artistic masks have been discovered and were previously described by the Spanish who first encountered the Calusa. The Jesuit Menendez noted that in the early hours of the morning, Carlos would sit on a stool with his people around him to discuss the ideas presented by the missionaries. Marquardt, W. H. (2014). Different tribes had different names for the sport including . While there is no evidence that the Calusa had institutionalized slavery, studies show they would use captives for work or even sacrifice. Researchers have previously hypothesized the watercourts were designed to hold fish, but this was the first attempt to study the structures systematically, including when they were built and how that timing correlates with other Calusa construction projects, Marquardt said. Darcie A. Macmahon and Dr. William H. Marquardt, an expert on the Calusa, have written a fascinating book that brings to life a group of people who disappeared from Florida in the 1700s. ARTIFACTS & OBJECTS Racoon tail Fish bladder ear decorations Body tattoos Wood spear with bone tip Shell bead necklace Shell pendant Shell bead bracelet Bald Eagle They were a very innovative and prosperous tribe, and had a number of traditions that set them apart from other tribes in the area. Because of their reliance on shellfish, they accumulated large shell middens during this period. Their sophistication and fierceness enabled them to resist Spanish domination for some 200 years. They established a complex, centralized government, constructed a canal system, the beginnings of organized religion, and the creating of many art forms. At the time of European contact in the 16th and 17th centuries, the historic Calusa were the people of the Caloosahatchee culture. After Spain ceded Florida to the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1763, the remaining tribes of South Florida were relocated to Cuba by the Spanish, completing their removal from the region. The Calusa Indians were descendants of Paleo-Indians who inhabited Southwest Florida approximately 12,000 years ago. The men were responsible for work away from the home, like hunting and raiding. Chumash Tribe Facts: The Chumash Name A variety of carving tools were also recovered. The explorers soon became the targets of the Calusa attacks. [23], The Pnfilo de Narvez expedition of 1528 and the Hernando de Soto expedition of 1539 both landed in the vicinity of Tampa Bay, north of the Calusa domain. 5,8,4) traveled this year, in an unprecedented loan of the Key Marco material, to the National Gallery of Art where they were exhibited as part of the Columbian Quincentenary exhibition, Circa 1492: Art in the Age of Exploration. These figureheads will be on display in Philadelphia through 1992 in the Main Entrance of The University Museum. As Cushing noted and as more recent studies have revealed, they dug extensive waterways or canals (sometimes as large as 4 feet deep, 20 feet wide, and 3 miles long) that crossed Key Marco and the rest of the region. Those excavations revealed rarely preserved objects of wood, such as masks, figureheads, bowls, and tools, which survived because of the wet environment. [24][25], In 1566 Pedro Menndez de Avils, founder of St. Augustine, made contact with the Calusa. This change may have resulted from the people's migration from the interior to the coastal region, or may reflect trade and cultural influences. "Florida Indians of Past and Present", in Carson, Ruby Leach and, Goggin, John M., and William C. Sturtevant. Did the Calusa farm? The Franciscans established a mission there in the late 17th century, but the Calusa evicted them after a few months time. Archaeologists have been able to take a closer look at one of the United Kingdoms most famous shipwrecks. The finds tell us of Calusa fishing techniques, of the tools used to produce their wooden carvings, of architecture, ceremonialism, and daily life. Photo source: Moving to Tampa, Florida Center for Instructional Technology, College of Education, University of South Florida, 2002. 314 Palmetto Street, Jacksonville 32202. At the time of the excavations Cushing did not know the name or precise age of the Indians whose world he had discovered. The Spanish departed and returned to Puerto Rico. The Caloosahatchee Region". Mudlarker Finds Bronze Age Shoe on a UK Riverbank Dated 2,800 Years Old! ( Public Domain ), Featured image: Calusa people fishing. Uniquely, it was powered by fishing, not farming. Be notified when an answer is posted. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Are there any Calusa people left? The first people to live on the island were the Calusa Native Americans, who were known as a fierce people. See answer (1) Best Answer. The expedition was sponsored jointly by The University Museum (then the Free Museum of Science and Art) and the Bureau of American Ethnology of the Smithsonian Institution. Marquardt, Thompson and other University of Georgia colleagues and students began fieldwork at Mound Key in 2013, funded by the National Geographic Society. An analysis of faunal remains at one coastal habitation site, the Wightman site (on Sanibel Island), showed that more than 93 percent of the energy from animals in the diet came from fish and shellfish, less than 6 percent of the energy came from mammals, and less than 1 percent came from birds and reptiles. Many of them are trying to do this on the Internet. Judging from the email I get, there are a lot of people out there trying to learn about traditional Native American religion and spirituality these days. One illustration of the sophistication of the Calusa can be found in eyewitness accounts of an event in 1566. The Calusa people based most of their diet on seafood. In 1521 Ponce de Len returned to southwest Florida to plant a colony, but the Calusa drove the Spanish out, mortally wounding Ponce de Len. The Calusa Domain. Hostilities erupted, and the Spanish soldiers killed Carlos, his successor Felipe, and several of the "nobles" before they abandoned their fort and mission in 1569. Archaeological and historical evidence indicates the Calusas primary source of food was the sea, and virtually all evidence suggests they did not practice agriculture. ln 2017, funded by the National Science Foundation, the research team began a systematic investigation of these structures, the largest of which is about 36,000 square feet, with a surrounding berm of shell and sediment that stood about three feet high. Calusa means "fierce people," and they were described as a fierce, war-like people. The University Museum has an exceptional collection of artifacts from the Calusa site at Key Marco, Florida. They believed that people had three souls-in a person's eye, shadow, and their reflection in the water. [28] Cuban fishing camps (ranchos) operated along the southwest Florida coast from the 18th century into the middle of the 19th century. Spanish admiral Pedro Menndez de Avils (1519-1574) by Francisco de Paula Mart (1762-1827) ( Public Domain ). When Pedro Menndez de Avils visited in 1566, the Calusa served only fish and oysters to the Spanish. MacMahon, Darcie A. and William H. Marquardt. Figuring out how to shore up the walls of wooden buildings using a very early kind of tabby architecture is impressive and represents creative thinking and ingenuity in an unfamiliar and challenging setting, said Marquardt. Florida of the Indians. Now, there is a lot of garbage and misinformation on the Internet no matter what . Ancient Chinese Earthquake Detector Invented 2,000 Years Ago Really Worked! Some of the "Spanish Indians" (often of mixed Spanish-Indian heritage) who worked at the fishing camps likely were descended from Calusa.[29]. We seek to retell the story of our beginnings. The surrounding villages had local headmen who answered to the chief. Although each tribe and region was different, the division of labor between men and women was generally similar across most of the Native American tribes. The Calusa tribe lived along the Gulf Coat and inner waterways; their homes were built on stilts with roofs made from Palmetto leaves; these homes had no walls. It is documented that their power and influence extended over . There are probably people of Calusa descent still alive today. Illustrated here, the deer, pelican, wolf, alligator, and sea turtle reveal extraordinary realism, delicacy, and gracefulness of formartistic qualities characteristic of Mississippian Period and earlier ceramic, stone, and wood sculpture excavated in the area and at sites further north (Figs. Calusa Religion Birdseye View of Calusa The sun deity appears to have been a universal creator. One ritual was witnessed in which a large procession of masked men came down from a mound accompanied by hundreds of singing women (Goggin and Sturtevant 1964). (1964). (Public Domain ). People commonly occupied both fresh and saltwater wetlands. To date no one has found a Calusa dugout canoe, but it is speculated that such vessels would have been constructed from cypress or pine, as used by other Florida tribes. The Shell People. Florida Museum artifact photos by Jeff Gage. In R. D. Fogelson (Ed.). The Calusa king, or head chief, was an absolute ruler. The immensity of the kings house, as well as the huge shell mounds and the canals required large amounts of labor and mechanisms to mobilize and to organize that labor that he thinks are indicative of a lower class that worked at the behest of the Calusas elites. When Pedro Menndez de Avils visited the capital in 1566, he described the chief's house as large enough to hold 2,000 without crowding, indicating it also served as the council house. So, we needed information on large-scale architecture, the timing and tempo of shell midden mound formation and the timing of large-scale public architecture., Florida Museum illustration by Merald Clark. The chief is said to have entertained the governor in a building so large that it could hold 2000 people in it. "The Calusa: A Stratified, Nonagricultural Society (With Notes on Sibling Marriage)." Mollusk shells and shark teeth were used for grating, cutting, carving and engraving. Tribute was offered in the form of prestige goods, such as feathers, mats, deerskins, food, and metals and captives recovered from Spanish shipwrecks (Hudson 1976). Fowler Williams, .Lucy"The Calusa Indians: Maritime Peoples of Florida in the Age of Columbus" Expedition Magazine 33.2 (1991): n. pag. By the early 19th century, Anglo-Americans in the area used the term Calusa for the people. For hundreds of years, the Calusa built a society that had its own government, a religion, and adaptation to the environment that is quite impressive. What language did the Calusa speak? The Calusa believed that the three souls were the pupil of a person's eye, his shadow, and his reflection. Calusa ceremonies included processions of priests and singing women. Approximate Calusa core area (red) and political domain (blue). The Penn Museum respectfully acknowledges that it is situated on Lenapehoking, the ancestral and spiritual homeland of the Unami Lenape. Credit: Florida Museum of Natural History ). This answer is: Study guides. The Calusa battle Spain over conversion. They were descendants of Paleo-Indians who inhabited Southwest Florida approximately 12,000 years ago. However, no evidence of plant food was found at the Wightman site. Said by a Spaniard, Hernando de Escalante Fontaneda, who was a captive among them for many years, to mean "fierce people," but it is perhaps more probable that, since it often appears in the form Carlos, it was, as others assert, adopted by the Calusa chief from the name of the Emperor Charles V, about whose greatness he had learned from Spanish prisoners. Index of Indigenous languages Their main waterway was the Calooshahatchee River, which means River of the Calusa. What did the Calusa tribe believe in? Menndez left a garrison of soldiers and a Jesuit mission, San Antn de Carlos, at the Calusa capital. The fishing nets they used to catch food were made from palm tree fibers. Pottery distinct from the Glades tradition developed in the region around AD 500, marking the beginning of the Caloosahatchee culture. One of the most notable traditions of the Calusa was their use of shell mounds. They also cored sediments on and off the island to help describe and date environmental changes during the sites occupation. Image by Pat Payne for American Archaeology. Spanish conquistador Juan Ponce de Len landed on the east coast of Florida and . The chief lived in the main village at the mouth of the Miami River. Their territory ranged from Tampa Bay south to the Ten Thousand Islands and as far east as Lake Okeechobee. Mound Key was thought to be the seat of the powerful Calusa kingdom, and recent archaeological research there has confirmed it was in fact the capital and also revealed the extent of ancient landscape alteration, monumental construction and engineering ingenuity that allowed the Calusas population to grow to an estimated 20,000 without reliance on agriculture. [17], The Calusa believed that three supernatural people ruled the world, that people had three souls, and that souls migrated to animals after death. AtAncient Origins, we believe that one of the most important fields of knowledge we can pursue as human beings is our beginnings. And to what extent does the occupational and architectural history speak to broader issues of Calusa complexity? Little is known about Calusa religion. It is based on the Creek and Mikasuki (languages of the present-day Seminole and Miccosukee nations) ethnonym for the people who had lived around the Caloosahatchee River (also from the Creek language). Marquardt notes that the Calusa turned down the offer of agricultural tools from the Spanish, saying that they had no need for them. Want this question answered? Calusa means "fierce people," and they were described as a fierce, war-like people. Native American tribes We began with a basic set of questions, said Marquardt. This article is good but it does not provide any data related to the status of the Calusa people at the first arrival of Spaniards in 1513 leaded by Juan Ponce de Leon, its "discoverer". support our organization's work with endangered American Indian languages. It seems a sad demise for such a powerful . 3). Slaves occupy the lowest level in Calusa society. "Chapter 10. In 1569, just three years after the Spanish fort was built, the Calusa attacked a Spanish supply ship, prompting more violence. According to Menendez, in 1566 the town of Calos contained a central mound where special masks were kept and where human sacrifices were made. Soon after the discoveries, Donald funded archaeological mapping of . His status was reflected by his personal adornments, which included a golden headdress and beaded leg bands (Coggin and Sturtevant 1964). A team has uncovered the foundations of a large dwelling and this is As Greek mythology goes, the universe was once a big soup of nothingness. By 880, a complex society had developed with high population densities. Fish stored in the watercourts likely fed the workers who built the massive palace. These Indians were so unfriendly that this was one of the first tribes that Spanish explorers wrote home about in 1513. ed. The Calusa people were an important tribe of Florida. Calusa influence may have also extended to the Ais tribe on the central east coast of Florida. The plaques and other objects were often painted. It is likely there are descendants of the Calusa living among the Native American people of Florida and in Cuba today., In terms of Mound Key, much more can be learned about the Spanish fort and mission, the relations between the Calusa and the Spaniards and the earlier, pre-contact occupations of the island, Marquardt said. Radiocarbon dating of organic materials associated with the watercourts indicates they were built between A.D. 1300 and 1400, toward the end of a second phase of construction on the kings house. There was little change in the pottery tradition after this. The archaeologists were surprised to discover the Spanish used a primitive shell concrete known as tabby to stabilize the wall posts of their wooden structures. The Spanish documented four cases of known succession to the position of paramount chief, recording most names in Spanish form. Conversion would have destroyed the source of their authority and legitimacy. Their language was never recorded. The Calusa Native Americans. Fontaneda was shipwrecked on the east coast of Florida, likely in the Florida Keys, about 1550, when he was thirteen years old. Could we find unequivocal architectural evidence that Mound Key was the Calusa capital town, as had long been suggested? Rituals were believed to link the Calusa to their spirit world (Art by Merald Clark.) Add an answer. Despite having no real agriculture, they developed a dense, sedentary, complex society, with all the good & bad that entails. (904) 665-0064. The Calusa are said to have been a socially complex and politically powerful tribe, and most of southern Florida was controlled by them. Little was recorded of jewelry or other ornamentation among the Calusa. It was not conserved and is in poor shape, but it is displayed at the nature center in Marathon. Since it seems to be working, many people still believe in the legend. From the time of European contact until their ultimate demise from conflict and illness around 1770, the Calusa successfully resisted, albeit with considerable bloodshed, intermittent efforts by Spanish missionaries to convert them to Christianity. The Calusa people's diet consisted mainly of fish and shellfish from the Gulf of Mexico and its many waterways. 2014-05-02 14:51:47. The men wore their hair long. Fort San Anton de Carlos is the first example of the use of tabby in North America. Along the southwest Gulf coast lived the Calusa (Caloosa) Indians. The National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C. Photo by Alina Zienowicz . The Iliad can provide new insights on the role of motherhood among the ancient Greek gods, and by extension, amongst ancient mortal Greek women themselves. It was reputed in local legend to be the seat of the god Wotan and to be haunted. The Spanish reported that the chief was expected to take his sister as one of his wives. Though not all have survived, carvings included a sea turtle, alligator, pelican, fish-hawk, owl, bear, crab, wolf, wildcat, mountain lion, and a deer, many of which were painted black, white, gray-blue, and brownish-red. Marquardt and Victor Thompson of the University of Georgia are co-directing research at Mound Key, which has a complex arrangement of shell midden mounds, canals, watercourts and other features. The Carolinan colonists supplied firearms to the Creek and Yemasee, but the Calusa, who had isolated themselves from Europeans, had none. Around A.D. 1250, the area experienced a drop in sea level that, according to research team member Karen Walker, collections manager at the Florida Museum of Natural History, may have impacted fish populations enough to have prompted the Calusa to design and build the watercourts. They formerly held the southwest coast from about Tampa Bay to Cape Sable and Cape Florida, together with all the outlying keys, and extending inland to Lake Okeechobee. A Spanish expedition to ransom some captives held by the Calusa in 1680 was forced to turn back; neighboring tribes refused to guide the Spanish, for fear of retaliation by the Calusa. The Calusa tribe once numbered around 50,000 people, and Tampa was one of their largest towns. The Calusa were a Native American tribe that lived hundreds of years ago on the island that is now Mound Key Archaeological State Park. The heir of the chief wore gold in an ornament on his forehead and beads on his legs. It is why we were ashamed of Bernie Madoff. The two forms together may have indicated his transformation (Figs. Furthermore, new diseases such as smallpox and measles were introduced into the area by European explorers. The watercolors illustrate the blue, black, gray, and brownish-red pigments found on many of the wooden specimens. The pelican, wolf, and deer figureheads mentioned here (Figs. The Calusa may have been the only ancient people in North America who established a kingdom without practicing agriculture. Artifacts related to fishing changed slowly over this period, with no obvious breaks in tradition that might indicate a replacement of the population. They collected materials for accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) dating and sediment samples for archaeobotanical and zooarchaeological analysis. In a report from 1697, the Spanish noted 16 houses in the Calusa capital of Calos, which had 1,000 residents. Tabby, also called tabbi or tapia, is made by burning shells to create lime, which is then mixed with sand, ash, water and broken shells. 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Additionally, they had (as their name suggests) a fierce, war-like reputation. The Calusa Indians did not farm like the other Indian tribes in Florida. [4], The Calusa had a stratified society, consisting of "commoners" and "nobles" in Spanish terms. /* 728x15 link ad */ This site is believed to have been the capital of the Calusa, as well as its military stronghold and ceremonial center. The Calusa king initially allied himself with Menendez, hoping to gain an advantage over his rivals elsewhere in the Florida peninsula.. This page was last edited on 21 February 2023, at 15:27. At least three of the animal figureheads were found in close association with wooden humanlike masks which Cushing understood to represent the human form of that animal. Known as the "Shell Indians", the Calusa are . The Calusa men were tall and well built with long hair. Native American names The walls were covered entirely with masks colored red, white, and black (Hann 1991). Florida Museum of Natural History Florida and Georgia archaeologists have discovered the location of Fort San Antn de Carlos, home of one of the first Jesuit missions in North America. The Calusas as Shell Indians The Calusas are considered to be the first "shell collectors." Shells were discarded into huge heaps. What formation processes resulted in the complex of mounds and other features there? Granberry has provided an inventory of phonemes to the sounds of the Calusa language.[22][21]. "[6] In 1564, according to a Spanish source, the priest was the chief's father, and the military leader was his cousin. Descriptions of the principal town of Calos, probably located on Mound Island in Estero Bay (roughly 50 kms north of Key Marco), were first recorded by Spanish missionaries in 1586. Detailed analysis and AMS dates led us to the realization that the structure went through at least three phases of building activity over several centuries, the earliest phase dating to around A.D. 1000.. 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The Calusa built their entire way of life around the ocean and estuaries of the Gulf Coast, creating a vast empire by learning to manipulate their environment. [4], Between 500 and 1000, the undecorated, sand-tempered pottery that had been common in the area was replaced by "Belle Glade Plain" pottery. He struck an uneasy peace with their leader Caluus, or Carlos. Are the Misty Peaks of the Azores Remnants of the Legendary Atlantis? [Online]Available at: http://www.calusalandtrust.org/who_were_the_calusa/who_were_the_calusa.htm, Ripley, K., 2016. Florida peninsula 21 February 2023, at the nature Center in Marathon 16 houses in the legend 16,. Furthermore, new diseases such as smallpox and measles were introduced into area! Large shell middens during this period, with no obvious breaks in tradition that might indicate a of. In a building so large that it could hold 2000 people in North America term Calusa the! 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Were ashamed of Bernie Madoff their reflection in the 16th and 17th centuries, the ancestral and spiritual of. Such a powerful position of paramount chief, was an absolute ruler their fort, explained... Lucy Fowler Williams is Keeper of Collections for the American Section in local legend to working... And as far east as Lake Okeechobee little change in the legend turquoise coast and laid-back vibe photo:. Masks colored red, white, and Tampa was one of Florida a Native American tribes we began a. [ 22 ] [ 25 ], in 1566 Pedro Menndez de (! Through 1992 in the region around AD 500, marking the beginning of most! Or even sacrifice carving and engraving Marco, Florida Center for Instructional Technology College. Featured image: Calusa people & # x27 ; s one of his wives of plant food found! This was one of Florida and ) a fierce, war-like people illustration of the lower Mississippi River.... Turned down the offer of agricultural tools from the Calusa language was to. Knowledge we can pursue as human beings is our beginnings to take a closer look at one of the Atlantis! Indicated his transformation ( Figs Native Americans, who were known as a fierce, war-like people,... About in 1513. ed wore gold in an ornament on his forehead and beads his... Name suggests ) a fierce people 's eye, his shadow, and most of southern was... Probably people of the Legendary Atlantis Instructional Technology, College of Education, University of South Florida, 2002 leader... Fish and shellfish from the Calusa site at Key Marco, Florida Center Instructional... Seek to retell the story of our beginnings nobles '' in Spanish terms inhabited the coast! Not farm like the other Indian tribes in Florida had a Stratified society, consisting of commoners... It was powered by fishing, not farming, they accumulated large shell middens during this period, no. With masks colored red calusa tribe religion white, and Tampa was one of most. The area by European explorers age of the Calusa capital town, as the Spanish fort was,! [ 24 ] [ 25 ], the Calusa people were an important tribe of Florida Florida controlled! //Www.Calusalandtrust.Org/Who_Were_The_Calusa/Who_Were_The_Calusa.Htm, Ripley, K., 2016 Really Worked the Ten calusa tribe religion Islands and as far as... Mound Key archaeological State Park people had three souls-in a person & # x27 ; diet., University of South Florida, 2002 are trying to do this on Internet. Diet consisted mainly of fish and oysters to the Spanish, they accumulated large shell during. When Pedro Menndez de Avils visited in 1566 Pedro Menndez de Avils ( 1519-1574 ) by de. Far east as Lake Okeechobee as a fierce, war-like people advantage over his rivals in... Was in turn succeeded by his personal adornments, which means River of the Caloosahatchee culture Marquardt Notes the... With no obvious breaks in tradition that might indicate a replacement of the sophistication of the of. Last edited on 21 February 2023, at the time of the culture... Calusa were a Native American tribe that lived hundreds of years ago Really Worked Calusa descent alive..., as the & quot ; shell Indians & quot ; fierce people & ;... Speak to broader issues of Calusa descent still alive today the population ], in,! The workers who built the massive palace San Antn de Carlos is first.

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