Potano
Encyclopedia
The Potano tribe lived in north-central Florida
at the time of first Europe
an contact. Their territory included what is now Alachua County
, the northern half of Marion County
and the western part of Putnam County
. This territory corresponds to that of the Alachua culture
, which preceded the formation of the Potano tribe. The Potano were among the many tribes of the Timucua people, and spoke a dialect of the Timucua language
.
.
The Pánfilo de Narváez
expedition passed to the west of Potano territory in 1528. While not engaging with the Potano, the Spanish
incursion spread new infectious disease
s and incited warfare by competing tribes in the area. In 1539 Hernando de Soto
led an army through Potano territory. There were 700 or more people in de Sotò's army. They forced villagers to give up stored food to them. By the time de Sotò's army reached Potano territory, he was intent on spending the winter in the Apalachee
domain, and the army passed through quickly. The army passed through the Potano towns of Itaraholata (or Ytara), Potano, Utinamochana (or Utinama), Cholupaha and Mala-Paz.
At the time the French
established Fort Caroline
, the Potano were at war with the Utina
, a chiefdom ruled Chief Utina or Outina. The French supported the Utina and helped defeat the Potano. After Spain expelled France from Florida, it also supported the Utina. In 1584 the Potano killed a Spanish captain leading an invasion into Potano territory. To punish them, a second Spanish expedition attacked and killed many Potano and drove the rest from their towns.
In the 1590s Spanish Franciscan
missionaries
reached the Potano, first with visits by an itinerant
missionary. In 1609 the Spanish established the mission
, San Francisco de Potano
. They soon established other missions, with five in Potano territory by 1633. The Franciscans reported to their order in 1602 that they were teaching the catechism
to more than 1,000 Potano.
In 1656 the Potano participated in the Timucuan rebellion against the Spanish authorities. The Spanish prevailed after eight months. During the fighting, they had burned most Timucuan towns and missions. After the rebellion, the Spanish re-established the Potano missions. In 1672 the Potano suffered many deaths from an unidentified disease. One colonial estimate figured the population of the Potano at 3,000 in 1650. By 1675, only 160 people were surviving at the two Potano missions.
Following the Timucuan rebellion, the Spanish made many land grants to their colonists in areas no longer used by the reduced Potano population. There is evidence of twenty-five Spanish-owned cattle
ranches in Timucuan territory, including several in Potano territory. Much of the evidence for these ranches was recorded as Potano complaints to Spanish officials that cattle were running loose and eating village crops.
By 1685, tribes from north of Florida, supplied with arms and often joined by English
settlers from the Province of Carolina
, were raiding Potano territory, burning villages, killing some Potano and carrying others away to be sold as slaves in Charles Towne
. These raids continued into the 18th century. The Spanish mission system across northern Florida collapsed after 1704. Some surviving Potano may have reached the mission at St. Augustine
as refugees, but the Potano effectively became extinct as a tribe at that time.
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
at the time of first Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an contact. Their territory included what is now Alachua County
Alachua County, Florida
Alachua County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. The U.S. Census Bureau 2006 estimate for the county is 227,120. Its county seat is Gainesville, Florida. Alachua County is the home of the University of Florida and is also known for its diverse culture, local music, and artisans...
, the northern half of Marion County
Marion County, Florida
Marion County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. The U.S. Census Bureau 2006 estimate for the county is 316,183. Its county seat is Ocala....
and the western part of Putnam County
Putnam County, Florida
Putnam County is a county located in the state of Florida. The entire county makes up the Palatka Micropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2000, the population was 70,423. The U.S. Census Bureau 2009 estimate for the county was 72,893 . Its county seat is Palatka, Florida. The county is centrally...
. This territory corresponds to that of the Alachua culture
Alachua culture
The Alachua culture is defined as a Late Woodland Southeast period archaeological culture in north-central Florida, dating from around AD700 to 1700. It is found in an area roughly corresponding to present-day Alachua County, the northern half of Marion County and the western part of Putnam County...
, which preceded the formation of the Potano tribe. The Potano were among the many tribes of the Timucua people, and spoke a dialect of the Timucua language
Timucua language
Timucua is a language isolate formerly spoken in northern and central Florida and southern Georgia by the Timucua people. Timucua was the primary language used in the area at the time of Spanish arrival in Florida. Linguistic and archaeological studies suggest that it may have been spoken from...
.
Early European contact
The Pánfilo de Narváez
Pánfilo de Narváez
Pánfilo de Narváez was a Spanish conqueror and soldier in the Americas. He is most remembered as the leader of two expeditions, one to Mexico in 1520 to oppose Hernán Cortés, and the disastrous Narváez expedition to Florida in 1527....
expedition passed to the west of Potano territory in 1528. While not engaging with the Potano, the Spanish
Spanish people
The Spanish are citizens of the Kingdom of Spain. Within Spain, there are also a number of vigorous nationalisms and regionalisms, reflecting the country's complex history....
incursion spread new infectious disease
Infectious disease
Infectious diseases, also known as communicable diseases, contagious diseases or transmissible diseases comprise clinically evident illness resulting from the infection, presence and growth of pathogenic biological agents in an individual host organism...
s and incited warfare by competing tribes in the area. In 1539 Hernando de Soto
Hernando de Soto (explorer)
Hernando de Soto was a Spanish explorer and conquistador who, while leading the first European expedition deep into the territory of the modern-day United States, was the first European documented to have crossed the Mississippi River....
led an army through Potano territory. There were 700 or more people in de Sotò's army. They forced villagers to give up stored food to them. By the time de Sotò's army reached Potano territory, he was intent on spending the winter in the Apalachee
Apalachee
The Apalachee are a Native American people who historically lived in the Florida Panhandle, and now live primarily in the U.S. state of Louisiana. Their historical territory was known to the Spanish colonists as the Apalachee Province...
domain, and the army passed through quickly. The army passed through the Potano towns of Itaraholata (or Ytara), Potano, Utinamochana (or Utinama), Cholupaha and Mala-Paz.
At the time the French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
established Fort Caroline
Fort Caroline
Fort Caroline was the first French colony in the present-day United States. Established in what is now Jacksonville, Florida, on June 22, 1564, under the leadership of René Goulaine de Laudonnière, it was intended as a refuge for the Huguenots. It lasted one year before being obliterated by the...
, the Potano were at war with the Utina
Utina
The Utina, also known as the Agua Dulce or Agua Fresca tribe, were a Timucua chiefdom in northern Florida during the 16th century. The name given to them by their enemies, Thimogona, may be the origin of the word Timucua, now applied to the whole group of related tribes who lived in northern...
, a chiefdom ruled Chief Utina or Outina. The French supported the Utina and helped defeat the Potano. After Spain expelled France from Florida, it also supported the Utina. In 1584 the Potano killed a Spanish captain leading an invasion into Potano territory. To punish them, a second Spanish expedition attacked and killed many Potano and drove the rest from their towns.
In the 1590s Spanish Franciscan
Franciscan
Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....
missionaries
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
reached the Potano, first with visits by an itinerant
Itinerant
An itinerant is a person who travels from place to place with no fixed home. The term comes from the late 16th century: from late Latin itinerant , from the verb itinerari, from Latin iter, itiner ....
missionary. In 1609 the Spanish established the mission
Mission (station)
A religious mission or mission station is a location for missionary work.While primarily a Christian term, the concept of the religious "mission" is also used prominently by the Church of Scientology and their Scientology Missions International....
, San Francisco de Potano
Mission San Francisco de Potano
Mission San Francisco de Potano was a Spanish mission near Gainesville, Florida, United States. In 2007, evidence of Spanish-built post remnants provided structural evidence of the former mission's location. On April 30, 2009, it was added to the U.S...
. They soon established other missions, with five in Potano territory by 1633. The Franciscans reported to their order in 1602 that they were teaching the catechism
Catechism
A catechism , i.e. to indoctrinate) is a summary or exposition of doctrine, traditionally used in Christian religious teaching from New Testament times to the present...
to more than 1,000 Potano.
In 1656 the Potano participated in the Timucuan rebellion against the Spanish authorities. The Spanish prevailed after eight months. During the fighting, they had burned most Timucuan towns and missions. After the rebellion, the Spanish re-established the Potano missions. In 1672 the Potano suffered many deaths from an unidentified disease. One colonial estimate figured the population of the Potano at 3,000 in 1650. By 1675, only 160 people were surviving at the two Potano missions.
Following the Timucuan rebellion, the Spanish made many land grants to their colonists in areas no longer used by the reduced Potano population. There is evidence of twenty-five Spanish-owned cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
ranches in Timucuan territory, including several in Potano territory. Much of the evidence for these ranches was recorded as Potano complaints to Spanish officials that cattle were running loose and eating village crops.
By 1685, tribes from north of Florida, supplied with arms and often joined by English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
settlers from the Province of Carolina
Province of Carolina
The Province of Carolina, originally chartered in 1629, was an English and later British colony of North America. Because the original Heath charter was unrealized and was ruled invalid, a new charter was issued to a group of eight English noblemen, the Lords Proprietors, in 1663...
, were raiding Potano territory, burning villages, killing some Potano and carrying others away to be sold as slaves in Charles Towne
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
. These raids continued into the 18th century. The Spanish mission system across northern Florida collapsed after 1704. Some surviving Potano may have reached the mission at St. Augustine
St. Augustine, Florida
St. Augustine is a city in the northeast section of Florida and the county seat of St. Johns County, Florida, United States. Founded in 1565 by Spanish explorer and admiral Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, it is the oldest continuously occupied European-established city and port in the continental United...
as refugees, but the Potano effectively became extinct as a tribe at that time.
See also
- List of sites and peoples visited by the Hernando de Soto Expedition
- OlotoracaOlotoracaOlotoraca was subchief of a Florida tribe.-Biography:...