TITUBA
Tituba is one of the most widely known women of the Salem Witch Trials. Unfortunately, there is not much known about her, and it is possible that some information is untrue. Tituba was brought to Salem from Barbados by the Parris family. She was in charge of the children, and I believe that is where most of the stories stem from. It is suggested that she taught the young girls folk magic of her people. However, many scholars believe that the magic the girls were using was of English descent. When the girls became ill, she helped another local woman, Mary Sibley, make a witch cake to determine who was tormenting them (Hansen, 32).
When the girls were asked to reveal their attacker, they blamed Tituba. Tituba was examined on March 1, and March 2. She denied being a witch, at first. She then confessed and said that the Devil came to her as a man and an animal. She agreed to sign her mark in his book, and she was forced to hurt the children. She claimed that Sarah Good and Sarah Osburn were witches, and Sarah Good was tormenting the girls. At one point, she claimed that she could not see or speak, as if someone was preventing her (Hansen, 37-38). When Tituba talked about the marks in the Devil's Book, she mentioned that there were nine. Two of them belonged to Good and Osburn. However, that meant that there were seven unaccounted for. This made the people of the village paranoid (Hansen, 39). Her confession led the people to believe that there was an organized group of witches, as well (Hansen, 56).
Tituba was seen as an outsider, too. Her ethnicity, the fact that she was a slave, and her possible knowledge of the occult made her an easy target. Luckily, Tituba did not have it as rough. Tituba would never be brought to trial, and she was never executed. Nothing is known about where she ended up after she was released from prison.
When the girls were asked to reveal their attacker, they blamed Tituba. Tituba was examined on March 1, and March 2. She denied being a witch, at first. She then confessed and said that the Devil came to her as a man and an animal. She agreed to sign her mark in his book, and she was forced to hurt the children. She claimed that Sarah Good and Sarah Osburn were witches, and Sarah Good was tormenting the girls. At one point, she claimed that she could not see or speak, as if someone was preventing her (Hansen, 37-38). When Tituba talked about the marks in the Devil's Book, she mentioned that there were nine. Two of them belonged to Good and Osburn. However, that meant that there were seven unaccounted for. This made the people of the village paranoid (Hansen, 39). Her confession led the people to believe that there was an organized group of witches, as well (Hansen, 56).
Tituba was seen as an outsider, too. Her ethnicity, the fact that she was a slave, and her possible knowledge of the occult made her an easy target. Luckily, Tituba did not have it as rough. Tituba would never be brought to trial, and she was never executed. Nothing is known about where she ended up after she was released from prison.