The Calusa, sometimes spelled Caloosa or Calosa, were a Native American group that lived on the coast and along the inner waterways of Florida's southwest coast. "Calusa" is pronounced "ka LOOS a" and means "fierce people". The Calusa tribe population may have once had as many as 50,000 people and controlled most of south Florida. The Calusa tribe is described as warlike. They were the first Native American tribe that Spanish explorers encountered in 1513. The Calusa built their homes on stilts without any walls and used woven palmetto leaves for the roofs.