Utinahica
Encyclopedia
The Utinahica were a Timucua
tribe and chiefdom
in the 17th century. They lived in what is now the southeastern part of the U.S. state
of Georgia
. Their descendants may include the Creek Indians.
A Spanish mission
, Santa Isabel de Utinahica
, was established in the chief town of the Utinahica on the Altamaha River
, near the present site of Jacksonville, Georgia
, in the first half of the 17th century.
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 various groups of Timucua spoke several dialects of the...
tribe and chiefdom
Chiefdom
A chiefdom is a political economy that organizes regional populations through a hierarchy of the chief.In anthropological theory, one model of human social development rooted in ideas of cultural evolution describes a chiefdom as a form of social organization more complex than a tribe or a band...
in the 17th century. They lived in what is now the southeastern part of the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
. Their descendants may include the Creek Indians.
A Spanish mission
Spanish missions in Florida
Beginning in the second half of the 16th century, the Kingdom of Spain established a number of missions throughout la Florida in order to convert the Indians to Christianity, to facilitate control of the area, and to prevent its colonization by other countries, in particular, England and France...
, Santa Isabel de Utinahica
Santa Isabel de Utinahica
Santa Isabel de Utinahica was a 17th-century Spanish mission believed by the Fernbank Museum of Natural History to be located in modern-day Telfair County, Georgia, near Jacksonville. It served the Utinahica tribe, who lived in the area...
, was established in the chief town of the Utinahica on the Altamaha River
Altamaha River
The Altamaha River is a major river of the American state of Georgia. It flows generally eastward for 137 miles from its origin at the confluence of the Oconee River and Ocmulgee River towards the Atlantic Ocean, where it empties into the ocean near Brunswick, Georgia. There are no dams...
, near the present site of Jacksonville, Georgia
Jacksonville, Georgia
Jacksonville is a town in Telfair County, Georgia, United States. The population was 118 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Jacksonville is located at ....
, in the first half of the 17th century.