Our celebration of extraordinary women continues with Tituba, a name forever linked to the infamous Salem Witch Trials of 1692. Often misunderstood and misrepresented, Tituba was more than just an accused “witch”—she was a woman of deep spiritual knowledge, a practitioner of folk magic, and a survivor of enslavement whose story still resonates today.
Who Was Tituba?
Tituba’s early life is a mystery, but historians believe she was born in Barbados and brought to the Massachusetts Bay Colony as an enslaved woman in the household of Reverend Samuel Parris. She carried with her the spiritual traditions of her homeland, blending African, Indigenous, and Caribbean folk practices, which likely included herbal healing, divination, and storytelling.
The Salem Witch Trials & Tituba’s Role
In 1692, when young girls in Salem began exhibiting strange behavior, Tituba was accused of bewitching them. Under intense pressure and possible coercion, she confessed to practicing magic, spinning elaborate tales of animal familiars, spirits, and the Devil. Her testimony set off a chain reaction—leading to one of the darkest chapters in colonial American history.
But was Tituba really a “witch”? Or was she a woman trying to survive in a world where her voice held no power? Some scholars believe her confession was a strategy to protect herself from further punishment, while others see it as a reflection of the folk magic she may have actually practiced.
A Woman of Magic & Mystery
What’s clear is that Tituba was deeply connected to the spiritual and unseen realms. Folk magic and divination were common among enslaved and oppressed people, offering both healing and a sense of agency in an unjust world. Whether through herbs, charms, or scrying, Tituba likely practiced traditions that had been passed down for generations—ones that colonists did not understand and quickly labeled as “witchcraft.”
Why Tituba Still Matters
Tituba’s story is a reminder of resilience, cultural survival, and the power of spiritual practices that transcend oppression. Though history tried to paint her as a villain or a sorceress, modern scholars recognize her as a healer, an intuitive, and a woman forced into impossible circumstances.
Honoring Tituba Today
Want to bring a little Tituba magic into your life? Try one of these:
Learn about folk magic—study the healing traditions of different cultures. Explore divination—Tarot, scrying, or intuitive reading can connect us to ancient wisdom. Read her story—historical fiction and academic research are bringing Tituba’s voice back to life.
Tituba’s name may be tied to a dark moment in history, but her legacy as a spiritual woman, a survivor, and a symbol of intuitive wisdom lives on.
I, Tituba, Black Witch of Salem
$22.50
This wild and entertaining novel expands on the true story of the West Indian slave Tituba, who was accused of witchcraft in Salem, Massachusetts, arrested in 1692, and forgotten in jail until the general amnesty for witches two years later.
