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Franciscans found Tama fertile and full of food and minerals
Source: Early History of the Creek Indians and Their Neighbors #121
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In a later letter, dated February, 1600, is given the testimony of a soldier named Gaspar de Salas, who had visited this town [Tama] in the year 1596. He undertook this expedition in company with the Franciscan fathers, Pedro Fernandez de Chosas and Francisco de Veras. He found the town to be farther off than the governor had supposed—"about 50 leagues, little more or less," from St. Augustine. They reached it from Guale—that is, from St. Catherines Island. De Salas states that, "It took them eight days to go from Guale to Tama, and seven of those eight days led through deserted land, which was very poor, and on arriving at Tama they found abundance of food, like corn, beans, and much venison and turkeys [Note: Oalllnas de papada] and other fowl, and a great abundance of fish, as, for instance sturgeon, which they call "sollo real" in Spain; and likewise much fruit, as big grapes of as nice a taste as in Spain, and [Note: Sollo- "pike."] white plums like the "siruelademonje, " and cherries and watermelons [Note: The watermelon was introduced from Africa; perhaps these were really pumpkins. The word used is "sandias."] and other fruit. "That all around the said village of Tama and neighbouring territory there is very good brown soil, which, when it rains, clings to one's feet like marl. There are in certain regions many barren hills where he saw many kinds of minerals. In several of these parts he and the two monks gathered of those stones those which seemed to them to contain metals and which were on the surface, because they did not have anything with which they could dig, and that he, the said witness, brought some of them, pulverised, to the governor and another part to a jeweler who at that time lived in the city, but who died in those days past, and that he made assays of them and told this witness that where those had been found there existed silver for they were the slags and scum of such a mine, and if they should find the vein of this mineral it would certainly prove to be a rich mine. About all this the said governor would certainly be better informed, for he, too, was told about it and made the experiment with the said jeweler. And near those mines grew an herb which is highly treasured by the Indians as a medicinal plant and to heal wounds, and they call it "guitamo real." On those same hills and on the banks of big streams they gathered many crystalisations and even fine crystals."4 Ocute was one day's journey beyond this place. On their return they took a more southerly route, better and not so devoid of human habitation, since they were only two days away from settlements. They came first to places called Yufera and Cascangue, and finally reached the coast at the island of San Pedro (Cumberland Island).5 (Swanton)
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