Tituba: Enslaved Caribbean Woman at Center of Salem Witch Trials

Tituba, an enslaved woman of Caribbean (possibly Arawak or African) origin owned by Reverend Samuel Parris, was one of the first three people accused during the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. Her dramatic confession — describing a tall man in black, flying on sticks, and red cats — helped ignite the hysteria that led to 19 executions. Historians have examined how her race and enslaved status shaped her vulnerability, her confession strategy, and her ultimate survival; she was eventually sold rather than executed. Her story illuminates the intersection of race, gender, and colonial power.