Tituba
Tituba | |
|---|---|
Illustration of Tituba by John W. Ehninger, 1902 | |
| Other names | Tattuba (possibly) |
| Occupations | Slave, possibly a cook |
| Known for | Accused of witchcraft during the Salem Witch Trials |
| Criminal charge | Witchcraft |
| Criminal penalty | None (held for trial for over a year but never convicted) |
| Criminal status | Case dismissed |
| Spouse | John Indian |
Tituba (fl. 1692–1693) was an enslaved indigenous American woman who was one of the first to be accused of witchcraft during the Salem witch trials of 1692–1693.
She was enslaved by Samuel Parris, the minister of Salem Village, in the Province of Massachusetts Bay. She was pivotal in the trials because she confessed to witchcraft when examined by the authorities, giving credence to the accusations. She accused two other women, Sarah Good and Sarah Osborne, of the same crime. She was imprisoned for over a year but never tried. What happened to her after a grand jury dismissed the case against her in May 1693 is unknown.