citrifolia , a. Leafy branch with figs. Note stalked figs. b. Leaf outline, c to e. Development of growing branch tip; c. Resting bud, d. Growing bud. e. Growing bud with stipule removed, f. Young fig pair. g. Young pistillate flowers, one on left with expanded style, h. Long-styled pistillate flower, one on right longitudinally dissected, i to k. Staminate flowers, i. Same age as pistillate in g and h, j, ripe, k, in an thesis. 1. Fig in vertical section with wasp grubs hatching, seeds ripe. Drawn by Priscilla Fawcett. From Correll and Correll 1982.

ABSTRACT

Among the artifacts recovered was a bivalve molluscan shell (genus Macrocallista) with the figure of a male masked dancer drawn on the inner surface. That image is the only known self-portrait of the Calusa people, who had inhabited the site until about A.D. 1500. Studies done at the Smithsonian Institution Bureau of American Ethnology concluded that the image was created with the latex of a native fig (Gilliland 1975). Exactly how white latex became the black image of the dancer has not been explained, but presumably, the latex was used as an adhesive to retain black pigments (probably charcoal) on the shell surface. We do not know how much more the preEuropean Glades people used figs. However, judging from the uses by the Seminoles and other people within the range of the species, their utilization was considerably more diverse than just artwork.