Tacatacuru
Encyclopedia
The Tacatacuru were a Timucua
chiefdom
located on Cumberland Island
in what is now the U.S. state of Georgia
in the 16th and 17th centuries. They were one of two chiefdoms of the Timucua subgroup known as the Mocama
, who spoke the Mocama dialect of Timucuan
and lived in the coastal areas of southeastern Georgia and northern Florida
.
The Tacatacuru were among the first native tribes to meet French
explorer Jean Ribault
's expedition in 1562, and appear to have interacted amicably with the French when they established Fort Caroline
in what is now Jacksonville, Florida
in 1564. They later became heavily involved in the Spanish mission system
, and one of the first missions in Spanish Florida
, San Pedro de Mocama
, was established in their territory. Like other tribes in the area, they were greatly affected by disease and war with other peoples through the 17th century. By 1675 they had abandoned Cumberland Island and relocated south, where they merged with other Timucua peoples and lost their independent identity.
and the adjacent coastal areas of mainland Georgia
. Their main village was located towards the southern end of the island. Spanish records indicate there were at least seven other villages on the island and eleven more on the mainland. Other Mocama
-speaking Timucua
lived in the area, including the Saturiwa
, who lived to the south around the mouth of the St. Johns River
(in present-day Jacksonville, Florida
). To the east of the Tacatacuru on the mainland were speakers of the Yufera and Itafi dialects of Timucua; named tribes include the Ibi
and the Cascangue or Icafui. The Guale
people lived to the north.
The Tacatacuru met the French
Huguenot
expedition of Jean Ribault
in 1562. The account by Ribault's lieutenant René Goulaine de Laudonnière
records a meeting with the natives of the "Seine River" (the St. Marys River
) and their chief, though they do not mention any names from this time. The Tacatacuru met the French again when they returned under Laudonnière to establish the colony of Fort Caroline
in 1564. The Chief Tacatacuru mentioned in records from this time may be the earlier leader who met the initial expedition, or his successor.
The Tacatacuru seem to have maintained friendly relations with the French, as well as with the Saturiwa, in whose territory Fort Caroline was established. Spanish forces from St. Augustine
destroyed the French outpost in 1565, after which the Tacatacuru, like the Saturiwa, were antagonistic towards them. Both groups were among those Native Americans who aided Dominique de Gourgue
in his raid on the Spanish in 1567.
After the Tacatacuru made peace with the Spanish, the latter established a fort and a mission, San Pedro de Mocama
, on Cumberland Island near the main Tacatacuru town. This was one of the earliest of the missions in Spanish Florida
, as well as one of the most prominent; the church eventually built there was as large as that in St. Augustine. For a time the garrison marked the northern extent of Spanish power, providing defense against the Guale
. In the late 16th century the chief, Don Juan, was a major supporter of cooperation with the Spanish, and joined them in pushing back the Guale in the revolt of 1597. Juan died three years later, and was succeeded by his niece, Doña Ana. Tacatacuru prominence continued in the early 17th century; in 1601 the Spanish noted that the Cascangue and the once-powerful Saturiwa were then vassals of the Tacatacuru.
San Pedro de Mocama was on the 1655 mission list, and the Tacatacuru do not appear to have taken part in the Timucua rebellion the following year. However, increased pressure from other tribes took its toll on the Tacatacuru, and all survivors abandoned Cumberland Island by 1675, relocating closer to St. Augustine. The island was subsequently occupied by the Yamasee
, and the Tacatacuru were absorbed into other tribes and lost their independent identity.
Timucua
The Timucua were a Native American people who lived in Northeast and North Central Florida and southeast Georgia. They were the largest indigenous group in that area and consisted of about 35 chiefdoms, many leading thousands of people. The various groups of Timucua spoke several dialects of the...
chiefdom
Chiefdom
A chiefdom is a political economy that organizes regional populations through a hierarchy of the chief.In anthropological theory, one model of human social development rooted in ideas of cultural evolution describes a chiefdom as a form of social organization more complex than a tribe or a band...
located on Cumberland Island
Cumberland Island
Cumberland Island is one of the Sea Islands. Cumberland is the largest in terms of continuously exposed land area of Georgia's barrier islands. It is located on the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of the U.S. state of Georgia and is part of Camden County...
in what is now the U.S. state of Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
in the 16th and 17th centuries. They were one of two chiefdoms of the Timucua subgroup known as the Mocama
Mocama
The Mocama were a Native American people who lived in the coastal areas of what are now northern Florida and southeastern Georgia. A Timucua group, they spoke the dialect known as Mocama, the best-attested dialect of the Timucua language. Their territory extended from about the Altamaha River in...
, who spoke the Mocama dialect of Timucuan
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...
and lived in the coastal areas of southeastern Georgia and northern Florida
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...
.
The Tacatacuru were among the first native tribes to meet French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
explorer Jean Ribault
Jean Ribault
Jean Ribault was a French naval officer, navigator, and a colonizer of what would become the southeastern United States. He was a major figure in the French attempts to colonize Florida...
's expedition in 1562, and appear to have interacted amicably with the French when they 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...
in what is now Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
in 1564. They later became heavily involved in the Spanish mission system
Spanish missions in Georgia
The Spanish missions in Georgia comprise a series of religious outposts established by Spanish Catholics in order to spread the Christian doctrine among the local Native Americans. The Spanish chapter of Georgia's earliest colonial history is dominated by the lengthy mission era, extending from...
, and one of the first missions in Spanish Florida
Spanish Florida
Spanish Florida refers to the Spanish territory of Florida, which formed part of the Captaincy General of Cuba, the Viceroyalty of New Spain, and the Spanish Empire. Originally extending over what is now the southeastern United States, but with no defined boundaries, la Florida was a component of...
, San Pedro de Mocama
San Pedro de Mocama
San Pedro de Mocama was a Spanish Franciscan mission built in the mid-16th century on Cumberland Island in what is now the U.S. state of Georgia. It was part of the missions system of Spanish Florida, and was founded to serve the Tacatacuru, a chiefdom of the Timucua...
, was established in their territory. Like other tribes in the area, they were greatly affected by disease and war with other peoples through the 17th century. By 1675 they had abandoned Cumberland Island and relocated south, where they merged with other Timucua peoples and lost their independent identity.
Area
The Tacatacuru occupied Cumberland IslandCumberland Island
Cumberland Island is one of the Sea Islands. Cumberland is the largest in terms of continuously exposed land area of Georgia's barrier islands. It is located on the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of the U.S. state of Georgia and is part of Camden County...
and the adjacent coastal areas of mainland Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
. Their main village was located towards the southern end of the island. Spanish records indicate there were at least seven other villages on the island and eleven more on the mainland. Other Mocama
Mocama
The Mocama were a Native American people who lived in the coastal areas of what are now northern Florida and southeastern Georgia. A Timucua group, they spoke the dialect known as Mocama, the best-attested dialect of the Timucua language. Their territory extended from about the Altamaha River in...
-speaking Timucua
Timucua
The Timucua were a Native American people who lived in Northeast and North Central Florida and southeast Georgia. They were the largest indigenous group in that area and consisted of about 35 chiefdoms, many leading thousands of people. The various groups of Timucua spoke several dialects of the...
lived in the area, including the Saturiwa
Saturiwa
The Saturiwa were a Timucua chiefdom centered around the mouth of the St. Johns River in what is now Jacksonville, Florida. They were the largest and best attested chiefdom of the Timucua subgroup known as the Mocama, who spoke the Mocama dialect of Timucuan and lived in the coastal areas...
, who lived to the south around the mouth of the St. Johns River
St. Johns River
The St. Johns River is the longest river in the U.S. state of Florida and its most significant for commercial and recreational use. At long, it winds through or borders twelve counties, three of which are the state's largest. The drop in elevation from the headwaters to the mouth is less than ;...
(in present-day Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
). To the east of the Tacatacuru on the mainland were speakers of the Yufera and Itafi dialects of Timucua; named tribes include the Ibi
Ibi (tribe)
The Ibi, also known as the Yui or Ibihica, were a Timucua chiefdom in the present-day U.S. state of Georgia during the 16th and 17th centuries. They lived in southeastern Georgia, about 50 miles from the coast...
and the Cascangue or Icafui. The Guale
Guale
Guale was an historic Native American chiefdom along the coast of present-day Georgia and the Sea Islands. Spanish Florida established its Roman Catholic missionary system in the chiefdom in the late 16th century. During the late 17th century and early 18th century, Guale society was shattered...
people lived to the north.
History
Cumberland Island and the surrounding area were inhabited for thousands of years by indigenous peoples who preceded the Tacatacuru, often in seasonal fishing camps. As did other Mocama peoples, the Tacatacuru participated in the Savannah archaeological culture.The Tacatacuru met the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
Huguenot
Huguenot
The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France during the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the 17th century, people who formerly would have been called Huguenots have instead simply been called French Protestants, a title suggested by their German co-religionists, the...
expedition of Jean Ribault
Jean Ribault
Jean Ribault was a French naval officer, navigator, and a colonizer of what would become the southeastern United States. He was a major figure in the French attempts to colonize Florida...
in 1562. The account by Ribault's lieutenant René Goulaine de Laudonnière
René Goulaine de Laudonnière
René Goulaine de Laudonnière was a French Huguenot explorer and the founder of the French colony of Fort Caroline in what is now Jacksonville, Florida...
records a meeting with the natives of the "Seine River" (the St. Marys River
St. Marys River (Florida/Georgia)
The St. Marys River is a river in the southeastern United States. It is named after the Irish Saint Mary. From near its source in the Okefenokee Swamp, to its mouth at the Atlantic Ocean, it forms a portion of the border between the U.S. states of Georgia and Florida...
) and their chief, though they do not mention any names from this time. The Tacatacuru met the French again when they returned under Laudonnière to establish the colony of 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...
in 1564. The Chief Tacatacuru mentioned in records from this time may be the earlier leader who met the initial expedition, or his successor.
The Tacatacuru seem to have maintained friendly relations with the French, as well as with the Saturiwa, in whose territory Fort Caroline was established. Spanish forces from 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...
destroyed the French outpost in 1565, after which the Tacatacuru, like the Saturiwa, were antagonistic towards them. Both groups were among those Native Americans who aided Dominique de Gourgue
Dominique de Gourgue
Dominique de Gourgue was a French nobleman and soldier. He is best known for leading an attack against the Spanish in Florida in 1568, in response to the destruction of the French Fort Caroline. He was a captain in King Charles IX's army.-Youth:De Gourgue's early life is not well known...
in his raid on the Spanish in 1567.
After the Tacatacuru made peace with the Spanish, the latter established a fort and a mission, San Pedro de Mocama
San Pedro de Mocama
San Pedro de Mocama was a Spanish Franciscan mission built in the mid-16th century on Cumberland Island in what is now the U.S. state of Georgia. It was part of the missions system of Spanish Florida, and was founded to serve the Tacatacuru, a chiefdom of the Timucua...
, on Cumberland Island near the main Tacatacuru town. This was one of the earliest of the missions in Spanish Florida
Spanish missions in Florida
Beginning in the second half of the 16th century, the Kingdom of Spain established a number of missions throughout la Florida in order to convert the Indians to Christianity, to facilitate control of the area, and to prevent its colonization by other countries, in particular, England and France...
, as well as one of the most prominent; the church eventually built there was as large as that in St. Augustine. For a time the garrison marked the northern extent of Spanish power, providing defense against the Guale
Guale
Guale was an historic Native American chiefdom along the coast of present-day Georgia and the Sea Islands. Spanish Florida established its Roman Catholic missionary system in the chiefdom in the late 16th century. During the late 17th century and early 18th century, Guale society was shattered...
. In the late 16th century the chief, Don Juan, was a major supporter of cooperation with the Spanish, and joined them in pushing back the Guale in the revolt of 1597. Juan died three years later, and was succeeded by his niece, Doña Ana. Tacatacuru prominence continued in the early 17th century; in 1601 the Spanish noted that the Cascangue and the once-powerful Saturiwa were then vassals of the Tacatacuru.
San Pedro de Mocama was on the 1655 mission list, and the Tacatacuru do not appear to have taken part in the Timucua rebellion the following year. However, increased pressure from other tribes took its toll on the Tacatacuru, and all survivors abandoned Cumberland Island by 1675, relocating closer to St. Augustine. The island was subsequently occupied by the Yamasee
Yamasee
The Yamasee were a multiethnic confederation of Native Americans that lived in the coastal region of present-day northern coastal Georgia near the Savannah River and later in northeastern Florida.-History:...
, and the Tacatacuru were absorbed into other tribes and lost their independent identity.