Behind the Name: Tocobaga
St. Petersburg mural dedication, Tocobaga Tribute, by Daniel "R5" Barojas
We acknowledge and pay homage to the original coastal communities of the Pinellas peninsula that lived in the spirit of ecological balance. We thank the Seminole tribe for granting this project permission to use the Tocobaga name and recognize that further reparational work is required beyond our acknowledgment of the Indigenous keepers of this land.
Location of the Tocobaga/Safety Harbor site, Pluckhahn et al., 2023
Tocobaga refers to the Indigenous people of Tampa Bay, including smaller neighboring towns of the Mocoso, Pohoy, and Uzita people (De Soto National Memorial, 2022; Seminole Tribe of FL, THPO, 2024). Tocobaga also indicates the leader of the town (can also be referred to as Cacique) along with the name of the capital village of the towns which rested along the shore of current-day Old Tampa Bay (Bullen, 1978; Seminole Tribe of FL, THPO, 2024). The towns are thought to have spread from modern day Charlotte Harbor to Crystal Bay (USF St. Petersburg Library, n.d).
The Tocobaga culture dates back between 800-1000 C.E. and existed up until the early 1700’s when Old World disease ended their community (Pluckhahn et al., 2023). The Spanish first encountered the town in 1528 and after an unsuccessful attempt to convert the Indigenous people to Christianity, burned Tocobaga to the ground in 1572 (Pluckhahn et al., 2023). It is thought that the few remaining members of Tocobaga were displaced, and they are recognized as ancestors by the Seminole Tribe of Florida and the Miccosukee Tribe of Florida Indians. (National Park Service, 2007; Seminole Tribe of FL, THPO, 2024).
Mounds of earth were of significant cultural importance and served various purposes, whether for burial, displays of social standing, or for ceremony (Bullen, 1978). Traditional boats were called dugouts and were made by hollowing out a tree trunk and forming a canoe. Dugouts are considered to be the most original form of boat used by Indigenous people (De Soto National Memorial, 2022).
Unfortunately, due to the complete effacement of this tribe, very little is known about the Tocobaga. Notably, much of the information that is known has been derived from journals or accounts from colonizers, prisoners or explorers (Bullen, 1978). Thus, it must be acknowledged that the majority of historical accounts does not directly come from the Indigenous people.
Traditional dugout canoe, State Archives of Florida
Our Research Vessel: R/V Tocobaga
All correspondence related to the Indigenous people of Florida is through the Tribal Historic Preservation Office at the Seminole Tribe of Florida. With their support, the Tampa Bay Surveillance Project has named its new research vessel the R/V Tocobaga. This name was selected to honor and respect the native people and traditional wisdom of the region. Furthermore, the University of South Florida St. Petersburg Campus is located near many ceremonial and burial mounds of these communities (USF St. Petersburg Library, n.d.) and the members of TBS strive to act as current-day stewards of the land and water and acknowledge that this research takes place on original Tocobaga land.
The Tocobaga relied on a healthy and sustainable ecosystem; they ate fish and shellfish harvested in this region and drank from the freshwater springs in the area. The town lived in delicate balance with their environment (Bullen, 1978). Alongside companion studies, the TBS project aims to determine the impacts of pollutants on the natural resources of Tampa Bay and work with local organizations and communities to improve the ways in which the population can sustainably interact with the Bay.
USF St. Petersburg’s ‘Acknowledging the people who came before’. Click here to read more.
