The People of the Indian River

The Ais Indians — the people of the Indian River: The Ais (pronounced 'EYE-iss') were the Native people who lived along the Indian River Lagoon and the central Atlantic coast of Florida at the time of European contact. They were the direct descendants of the ancient lagoon cultures and had lived on the lagoon for thousands of years. Who the Ais were: The Ais occupied the central coast of Florida — roughly from Cape Canaveral south to the St. Lucie Inlet, and along the Indian River Lagoon. They were a maritime people, perfectly adapted to the lagoon environment. The name: The Spanish called the Indian River the 'Rio de Ais' — the River of the Ais — after the people who lived along it. The lagoon's identity is tied to the Ais. Power and population: Early Spanish accounts describe the Ais as numerous and powerful. They had a chief (a 'cacique') and several villages along the lagoon. They were respected, and sometimes feared, by neighboring peoples and by the Spanish. Their wealth: The Ais' wealth came from the lagoon — fish, oysters, clams, and manatees — and from a remarkable resource: treasure from Spanish shipwrecks. The Ais salvaged goods (including silver and gold) from ships that wrecked on the coast and traded them to other groups. The Ais were a complete, successful, ancient society — with their own language, leaders, villages, food, tools, and beliefs — built entirely around the Indian River Lagoon. Their story, from power to disappearance, is one of the most important in the lagoon's history.