Timucua Health, Environmental Ethics, and Common Sense
Health, environmental ethics, and common sense are historical relics that archaeologists can’t dig up from the ground. So how can we learn about these important parts of Timucua life? One Spanish priest gave us some good hints.
This priest, Francisco Pareja, arrived in
When studying these writings, we should remember that there are probably plenty of mistakes in the confessional. Pareja knew a great deal about the Timucua, but he still saw them from a Christian perspective. Because the Timucua culture was very different from Spanish Christian beliefs, some of Pareja’s interpretations were necessarily inaccurate. In fact, his writings sometimes say more about the Spanish culture than they do about the Timucua.
So, how can we learn about the Timucua? While Spanish priests taught the Timucua about Christian rules and beliefs, they also tried to stop them from practicing their own native culture. In the Confessionario, we can read about what the Spanish priests asked the Timucua in confession. Since they were asking about Timucua practices, we can learn which parts of Timucua culture the Spanish were trying to change.
At first glance, the modern reader might call many of the Timucua practices and beliefs “superstition.” We simply don’t know much about their culture, so we are tempted to make snap judgments. An outsider to modern western culture might think the following “beliefs” ridiculous: “Walking under a ladder or opening an umbrella inside brings bad luck.” Either of these beliefs in isolation seems a bit ridiculous. But if you think about it, a ladder could fall on your head, or an umbrella could poke someone in the eye. That would certainly be bad luck.
With some thought, many of the Timucua beliefs make good sense. They are accurate descriptions of the real world. In fact, many of them function as behavior guides for the people. Some serve to keep the people safe and healthy, while many more work towards preserving the environment around them. For the Timucua, the environment was not simply a part of their world. It was their home, their livelihood, and their future. The Timucua belief system helped keep their environment strong and healthy.
The text below looks at some quotes from the Confessionario. They show how the Timucua beliefs worked to improve their health, preserve their environment, or simply describe the way the world works. The interpretations of these quotes are from one educator’s perspective. When we analyze historical documents, we must always remember that there are many opportunities for error, and many different interpretations of the same data.
“Being ill, have you had to light a separate fire so that your meal can be cooked, because if you don’t, you will die, have you believed this?” and “Have you produced a new fire or made a fire apart to cure someone?” and “For someone who is sick, have you made a separate light or fire?”
Diseases like smallpox and the plague were passed from person to person. Raging epidemics sometimes wiped out whole villages. If a person were sick, it would be safer to move them to another house so they didn’t spread the illness to the rest of the household. A new fire would have to be lit so that nurses could care for them there. Without special care, these people would surely die, just as the “superstition” says.
If “…you have sneezed, and having come to the house, you have
taken a bath with water of the herb, and not doing this, have you believed for sure that
you will die, have you believed this?” and “Are you an herbalist?”
Many herbs and plants have medicinal uses, so it made sense for the Timucua to use these herbs when they were sick; the same way people take Echinacea or vitamin C today.
“Have you believed that with these prayers and superstitions a person can be cured?”
The Timucua probably did pray that their patients and loved ones would get well. Today, many people do the same thing.
“When collecting acorns or other fruits, did you consider it a sin to eat the first fruits that were cut?”
With as many as 200 people living in a village, the land nearby would be aggressively harvested. The people could easily collect and eat every acorn, blueberry, plum, and grape in the area. There would be nothing left for the animals to eat and no seeds left to grow plants for the following year. Perhaps by throwing the first fruits back into the woods, the Timucua were planting the next generation. This made sure these plant species would never die out.
“Have you considered it a sin to eat the first maize from a new
clearing?”
Some kernels had to be saved as seed corn for the following year. If the people were very hungry, they might eat all of the corn and have nothing to plant next year. This belief made sure the Timucua people would never eat all the corn. They would always have crops in the future because there would be enough seeds for spring planting.
“The first fish that enters the new fish traps, have you said not to put
them in hot water, otherwise no more would be caught?”
Releasing the first fish ensured that there would always be some fish left to breed and have more baby fish. This ensured that the Timucua would always have a good food source.
“…have you not wanted to eat that which was sowed in an old field?”
After planting in a field for several seasons, all of the minerals in the soil would be used up. The Timucua would probably stop using this field for a few years, letting it lie fallow, so the minerals could gradually return. Planting in an old field would just make the soil worse. So it would make sense not to eat food from an old field. That would be like wrecking your own food source. This belief prevented further soil degradation.
“When the winter comes, have you held it to be a sin to eat the small
chicken?”
This is probably talking about quail. If they chose not to eat baby quail, it gave these birds a chance to grow up and have more babies. By refusing to eat young quail, the Timucua made sure there would always be more quail in the future.
“The broth of the deer or the wild chicken, have you said not to spill it, otherwise the snare will not catch another?”
Broth, the water that meat and vegetables are cooked in, is full of vitamins. It is very healthy food that should not be wasted. We have a similar saying today: “Waste not; want not.” Our saying doesn’t mean that if you do waste, you’ll definitely run out of resources. It just says that you might. If the Timucua wasted food and had to hunt more animals to feed themselves, there might not be enough deer left to hunt next year.
“Have you said that the bones of what was hunted: do not throw them out,
otherwise more will not enter the trap, hang them by the ankles or put them in the
thatching of the house?”
Bones can serve many useful purposes. They can become structural parts of the hut. They can be cracked and boiled to get the marrow out for nutritious food. They can be used to make knives, needles, awls, and other tools. So it makes good sense to save them and not throw them away. If the Timucua did throw bones away, and then had to hunt more animals to get bones for tools, there might not be enough animals to hunt next year.
“When encountering any snake in the road, field, or in the house have you believed it to be a prognostication and omen of evil?”
If the snake you see bites you, most people would agree that it was really bad luck. This belief just says that seeing a snake can mean you might have bad luck. That’s common sense.
“When the fireplace fire pops, have you said this is a sign of
war?”
In the summertime, there is usually lots of rain
in
“Crossing with the canoe some sandbar or obstacles, and there being a
choppy area, have you whistled to it, believing that you would not turn over?”
Canoeing in a storm or in choppy water is probably a bit scary. Whistling probably made the person in the canoe feel more relaxed so they could handle the canoe better. Today, we have a similar saying called “whistling in the dark.” Trying to calm yourself down in a scary situation made good sense for them, and it makes good sense today.
“The ceremony of the laurel that is made to the Devil, have you made it?”
The ceremony of the laurel is probably the Black Drink Ceremony, made with yaupon holly. The leaves were roasted, and then boiled, to make a caffeinated drink called Cassina. Cassina was drunk by adult male hunters before a big hunt or battle. It gave them an extra caffeine boost. This was probably not a ceremony to the devil, because the pre-Spanish Timucua did not believe in the devil. Instead, this use of botanical technology improved their chances of having a successful hunt or battle. It made good sense.
“For the beginning of the sowing, have you had fixed a pot of gacha, and
that six old men eat from it, and etc.?
The older members of the village had the most wisdom about hunting, planting, and everything else. Giving these senior citizens a good meal right before planting helped them feel like valued members of the group. Their willing advice contributed to a more successful planting and harvest. It made good sense.
These are only a few of the items in Pareja’s
Confessionario. This book is currently out of print, but can be found in many
libraries, particularly at universities. Its full title is Francisco Pareja’s
1612 Confessionario – A Documentary Resource for Timucuan Ethnography, written and
edited by Jerald T. Milanich and William C. Sturtevant. It was published by the
Division of Archives, History and Records Management, Florida Department of State,
Provided by the Pelotes Island
Nature Preserve
http://pelotes.jea.com