Florida Lost Tribes & Artist Theodore Morris

Florida map showing the location of Florida's Lost Tribes by St. Augustine artist Theodore Morris

Theodore Morris
P.O. Box 431
St. Augustine, FL 32085
(904) 810-0381
morristheodore@hotmail.com

With painstakingly researched detail, Theodore Morris chronicles Native Americans who lived in Florida as many as 13,000 years ago, but who look, in his beautiful paintings, as if they might have just pulled their boat through the mangroves or come in from the pinewoods.

Some of Theodore Morris' paintings offer a glimpse at the everyday lives of Native Americans; in others, the subjects stand and look directly ahead as if watching the viewer. These direct, almost confrontational exchanges lead to a near-magical feeling in his paintings.

Morris spends many hours studying Native American records and artifacts. He has crisscrossed the State of Florida, going to universities, museums and libraries, talking to scholars, even joining in archaeological digs - all to make his paintings as authentic as possible.

Chief Outina - another of Theodore Morris beautiful artwork After years of successful work as a commercial illustrator and graphic design artist, Morris wanted more challenge and more time to paint. He was consumed with the idea of recording the region's lost tribes and started reading and studying voraciously.

In 1992, Theodore Morris painted his first Native American portrait - an Apalachee man performing a ritual bird dance - and now there's no stopping him (thank goodness!). Learn more about Theodore Morris.

Florida Lost Tribes

Native Americans have lived in Florida for more than 13,000 years. Hunting, gathering and fishing was a prevailing way of life. During the last 1,000 years, some tribes also adopted agriculture. As time passed, Florida's Native Americans grew in number, and their cultures became more complex. They lived mostly near water in villages or camps. Theodore Morris' artwork depicts in great detail the Native American culture.

In the 1500s, Native Americans were decimated by disease, warfare and slavery brought by Europeans, and also from wars with other tribes. By the 1700s their numbers were reduced to remnants. At this time, Creek Indians from Alabama and Georgia moved into Florida and became known as the Seminoles.

Theodore Morris
P.O. Box 431
St. Augustine, Florida 32085
(904) 810-0381
morristheodore@hotmail.com
Artwork Copyright©Theodore Morris

The music on the Florida Lost Tribes website was composed and performed by 8 time Emmy Award-winning and Grammy nominated composer and flautist, Kat Epple. Kat travels throughout the world, collecting and studying flutes from other cultures which she features in her original compositions and CD releases. She has performed at the Guggenheim Museums, Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the National Gallery, has released 15 CDs of original music, and composes and produces music for television, including "National Geographic," "Nova," and "Guiding Light." http://katepple.com/