About

The first inhabitants of Melbourne Beach were most likely the Ais, or Ays, a tribe of Native Americans who inhabited the Atlantic Coast of Florida in pre-Columbian times. The Ais lived in villages and towns along the shores of the great lagoon called Rio de Ais by the Spanish, and now called the Indian River. [Observations on the appearance, diet and customs of the Ais at the end of the 17th century are found in Jonathan Dickinson’s Journal.