The Timucua Indians - After the Europeans Came (1562 - 1767)

When Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492, and "discovered" the Americas, he brought many changes. Over the next seventy years, the Spanish sent ships up the east coast of North America, but focused on Florida’s west coast and Central and South America. Although the Spanish did meet the Timucua, much of our information about these Native Americans comes from the French. The French explorers lived in the Jacksonville area, near Chief Saturiwa and his people, for a little over a year.

The Timucua villages ruled by Chief Saturiwa were east and north of the St. Johns River in Florida and south Georgia. In 1562, the French explorer Jean Ribault, met and exchanged presents with several Timucua chiefs, but did not stay. Two years later, the French returned to Florida and were well-received by the Timucua. These Saturiwan Timucua traded peacefully with the French until the French leader, Laudonniere, made a treaty with their enemies (other Timucua west of the river). The Saturiwan Timucua realized that their treaty didn’t mean much to the French. Jacques le Moyne, who drew many of the pictures we have of the Timucua today, was in Florida at this time (1564). Since the Timucua no longer trusted the French, they would not give them food. The French tried to steal food and even kidnapped a Timucua chief (Outina) and tried to ransom him for food.

Spain had claimed Florida as its territory, so Spanish soldiers burned down the French fort (Fort Caroline), to make the French leave. Some French escaped, but many were killed. Most of Jacques le Moyne’s drawings were destroyed. Later, he tried to redraw as many of these pictures as he could from memory. (Because no one’s memory is perfect, a number of errors were probably introduced. Later, a man named Theodore de Bry, who had never met the Timucua, engraved the pictures and made several changes. Today, we can’t always be sure which parts of the pictures are true and which parts aren’t.)  Click here to see de Bry’s engravings of the Timucua.

Before and after this short-lived French expedition, many Spaniards explored Florida, looking for gold and other trade goods. They never found gold, even though they marched all the way to Tennessee, stealing food from the Timucua, the Apalachee, the Guale, and many other Native American groups along the way. Everywhere the Spanish went, they left behind diseases like small pox, measles, and influenza. The Native Americans had no immunity against these diseases, and whole villages were wiped out.

The Spanish government gave their soldiers permission to steal from the native peoples, but the soldiers also had to make sure the Indians were taught about Christianity. Many missions were set up, with Franciscan friars to teach the Timucua. The friars brought good things and bad things. They taught some Timucua to read and write. This allowed Timucua people to send letters to others who lived far away. However, the friars also tried to get the Timucua to give up their own culture: their names, the way they lived, and how they thought about the world. In time, the Timucua settled in small villages near each mission. They grew crops to feed themselves and the friars. They also had to give part of the corn they grew each year to the Spanish government in St. Augustine. They began to live less and less like Timucua people, and more like Christian Spaniards.

Sometimes, the men were required to leave their villages and go to work in St. Augustine, building houses or carrying corn. Often, they were not even paid. But when they were paid, they could get very useful things like metal axes, hoes, and fishhooks. These tools made life much easier. The Timucua that lived close to the Spanish had better access to these tools.

Unfortunately, being close to Spanish cities also meant being closer to disease. Thousands of Timucua people died, and their villages were getting very small. The Spanish started moving their missions and the tiny villages into a line across Florida. This line made a road called the Camino Real (Ka-mee-no Reh-al), which connected St. Augustine with the Tallahassee area, where the Apalachee Indians lived. Since there weren’t enough Timucua people left to plant corn for the Spanish at St. Augustine, the Apalachee were required to do it. The Timucua villagers guarded the Camino Real, so corn could be carried from Apalachee to St. Augustine. Some Timucua also worked as servants to the Spanish in St. Augustine. Others worked on Spanish cattle ranches. Now that the Timucua all lived in a small area, there was plenty of land for the Spanish to use for raising cattle.

Meanwhile, the British had set up colonies in the Carolinas. They decided that they wanted to have Georgia and Florida too. So, they got the Yamasee Indians (who had lived in South Carolina before the British moved in) to raid the Spanish missions. The Yamasee destroyed the buildings and took thousands of native slaves, including Timucua, Apalachee, and Guale people. They attacked the Spanish ranches and the missions along the Camino Real, so no corn or beef could be taken to St. Augustine. Now that the Camino Real wasn’t safe, many of the mission villages moved close to the fort at St. Augustine for protection.

The Spanish knew their fort was going to be attacked by the British, so they ordered the Timucua to help them build a stronger one of stone and coquina. They also called for Timucua men to form a militia (army) to fight the British. When the British attacked, the fort stayed strong, and it is still here today. But most of the Indians in the militia were killed or taken as slaves to be sold in the British Carolinas.

Finally, in 1763, Spain decided to give Florida to the British. The Spanish left the fort at St. Augustine and took the 89 remaining Indians to Cuba where they would be safe from British slavers. No more than 12 of these people were Timucua. Juan Alonso Cabale was the very last Timucua Indian. He died in 1767, and the Timucua culture died with him.

Of Florida’s many historic period Indian cultures, only the Apalachee survive today.  They moved to Louisiana long ago to escape the slaving raids. Today, the Apalachee chief’s name is Gilmer Bennet.  The Seminole people living in Florida today were originally of Creek stock, from Georgia and Alabama. They began to move into Florida during the 1700’s, living in the spaces that Florida Indians had left behind.  After many years of conflict with settlers who were moving into Seminole lands, today the Seminole people are recognized as a rich native culture and an important part of modern Florida.

Provided by the Pelotes Island Nature Preserve
http://pelotes.jea.com