Saturiwa (also spelled Saturioua, Satourioua and Saturiba) () ( fl. 16th century) was chief of the

Saturiwa The Saturiwa were a Timucua chiefdom centered on 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 ...

tribe, a

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 var ...

chiefdom A chiefdom is a form of hierarchical political organization in non-industrial societies usually based on kinship, and in which formal leadership is monopolized by the legitimate senior members of select families or 'houses'. These elites form a ...

centered at the mouth of the

St. Johns River The St. Johns River ( es, Río San Juan) is the longest river in the U.S. state of Florida and its most significant one for commercial and recreational use. At long, it flows north and winds through or borders twelve counties. The drop in eleva ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, during the 16th century. His main village, also known as Saturiwa, was located on the south bank of the river near its mouth, and according to

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

sources he was sovereign over thirty other village chiefs. Chief Saturiwa was a prominent figure in the early days of European settlement in Florida, forging friendly relations with the French

Huguenot The Huguenots ( , also , ) were a religious group of French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, the Genevan burgomaster Be ...

settlers, who founded

Fort Caroline Fort Caroline was an attempted French colonial settlement in Florida, located on the banks of the St. Johns River in present-day Duval County. It was established under the leadership of René Goulaine de Laudonnière on 22 June, 1564, followin ...

in his territory.

History

Chief Saturiwa led the

chiefdom in what is now

Jacksonville Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...

, when

Huguenots The Huguenots ( , also , ) were a Religious denomination, religious group of French people, French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss politica ...

under

Jean Ribault Jean Ribault (also spelled ''Ribaut'') (1520 – October 12, 1565) 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. A H ...

explored the area in 1562. His people came into direct contact with the French when

was built by

René Goulaine de Laudonnière Rene Goulaine de Laudonnière (c. 1529–1574) was a French Huguenot explorer and the founder of the French colony of Fort Caroline in what is now Jacksonville, Florida. Admiral Gaspard de Coligny, a Huguenot, sent Jean Ribault and Laudonnière ...

two years later. The largest and best attested of the Timucua subgroup known as the

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 t ...

, the Saturiwa occupied an area from the mouth of the St. Johns towards what is now downtown

, and up and down the adjacent

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

coast from St. Augustine north to the St. Marys River. According to the French, Saturiwa was sovereign over thirty other villages and their chiefs, ten of whom were said to be his 'brothers'. French sources also record the name of his son, Athore. Athore was also a chief of a village under his father Saturiwa. The Huguenots described Athore as handsome, prudent, and honorable. The Saturiwa chiefs practiced incestuous marriages to keep power within the family. Therefore, Saturiwa betrothed his eldest wife to their own son Athore, with whom she had many children. Though the Huguenots respected Athore, they were disgusted by his incestuous marriage to his own mother. The powerful Saturiwa quickly forged an alliance with the French, hoping to secure their aid against his enemies, the Utina up river. However, Laudonnière reneged on his deal to help Saturiwa against the Utina, as he also wanted to pursue an alliance with them. Relations between the Saturiwa and the French soured for a time, but soon cordial relations were restored.Hann, John H. (1996). ''A History of the Timucua Indians and Missions'', pp. 63–69. University Press of Florida. . When the

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

conquered Fort Caroline and ejected the French in 1565, Saturiwa and his people were hostile to the Spanish, who allied with the Utina. In 1567 Saturiwa joined a coalition with two other tribes, the

Potano The Potano (also Potanou or Potavou) tribe lived in north-central Florida at the time of first European contact. Their territory included what is now Alachua County, the northern half of Marion County and the western part of Putnam County. This ...

and the

Mayaca ''Mayaca'' is a genus of flowering plants, often placed in its own family, the Mayacaceae (or Mayaceae in earlier systems). In the APG II system of 2003, it is assigned to the order Poales in the clade commelinids. The Cronquist system, of 1981, ...

, against the Utina and their Spanish allies. The following year Saturiwa and his ally, Chief

Tacatacuru Tacatacuru was a Timucua chiefdom located on Cumberland Island in what is now the U.S. state of Georgia in the 16th and 17th centuries. It was one of two chiefdoms of the Timucua subgroup known as the Mocama, who spoke the Mocama dialect of Timuc ...

, joined the French soldier Dominique de Gourgue in an attack on Fort Caroline. It is not known when Saturiwa died, but his people remained hostile to the Spanish until well into the 1570s. Saturiwa and his family are depicted in several of

Theodor de Bry Theodor de Bry (also Theodorus de Bry) (152827 March 1598) was an engraver, goldsmith, Editing, editor and publisher, famous for his depictions of early European colonization of the Americas, European expeditions to the Americas. The Spanish Inq ...

's engravings reputedly based on original drawings by

Jacques le Moyne Jacques le Moyne de Morgues ( 1533–1588) was a French artist and member of Jean Ribault's expedition to the New World. His depictions of Native American life and culture, colonial life, and plants are of extraordinary historical importa ...

References

{{reflist 16th-century births 16th-century deaths History of Jacksonville, Florida 16th-century Native Americans Native American leaders People of Spanish Florida Timucua People of pre-statehood Florida