Tituba
First Salem accused
Tituba was an enslaved woman in colonial Massachusetts whose testimony helped ignite the Salem witch trials of 1692.
Accused of witchcraft, she confessed and named others, setting off a chain of accusations that led to twenty executions.
Her origins are disputed—variously described as Indigenous American, African, or of mixed heritage.
She appears frequently in literature about Salem, most notably in Arthur Miller's *The Crucible*.
Legal proceedings against alleged sorcerers
- accusationClaim someone did wrong
- testimonySworn statement as evidence
- confessionAdmission of wrongdoing
- interrogationFormal, probing examination
spectral evidence · servant · court · magistrate · fits · possessed · scapegoat · condemned
Caribbean island country
- West IndiesCaribbean island chain
- islandWater-bounded land mass
- CreoleFused language, stabilized
- sugarcaneSucrose-yielding tropical grass
plantation · colonial · tropics · Antilles · maroon · indigenous · Arawak · transplanted
Practice of supernatural magic
- fortune-tellingClaiming to predict futures
- divinationForetelling through mystical means
- voodooFolk magic, often Caribbean
- folk magicTraditional supernatural practices
spells · charms · hexes · sorcery · occult · conjuring · palmistry · supernatural
Drama about witch accusations
- Arthur MillerAmerican dramatist, mid-century
- historical fictionNovels set in actual pasts
- dramatic characterFictional person performed
- reimaginedConceived again differently
symbol · voice · agency · protagonist · narrative
Involuntary subjugation to another
- servitudeCompulsory labor under masters
- domestic laborWork maintaining a home
- propertySomething owned or inherent
- kidnappedTaken captive illegally
Middle Passage · forced conversion · survival · resistance · powerlessness · voiceless · coerced confession · vulnerability
witch trials
Legal proceedings against alleged sorcerers
- accusationClaim someone did wrong
- testimonySworn statement as evidence
- confessionAdmission of wrongdoing
interrogation · spectral evidence · servant · court · magistrate · fits · possessed · scapegoat · condemned · jailed
Barbados
Caribbean island country
- West IndiesCaribbean island chain
- islandWater-bounded land mass
- CreoleFused language, stabilized
sugarcane · plantation · colonial · tropics · Antilles · maroon · indigenous · Arawak · transplanted · uprooted
witchcraft
Practice of supernatural magic
- fortune-tellingClaiming to predict futures
- divinationForetelling through mystical means
- voodooFolk magic, often Caribbean
folk magic · spells · charms · hexes · sorcery · occult · conjuring · palmistry · supernatural · spiritual practices
The Crucible
Drama about witch accusations
- Arthur MillerAmerican dramatist, mid-century
- historical fictionNovels set in actual pasts
- dramatic characterFictional person performed
reimagined · symbol · voice · agency · protagonist · narrative
bondage
Involuntary subjugation to another
- servitudeCompulsory labor under masters
- domestic laborWork maintaining a home
- propertySomething owned or inherent
kidnapped · Middle Passage · forced conversion · survival · resistance · powerlessness · voiceless · coerced confession · vulnerability · exploitation
Titubaaccuser
One who alleges wrongdoing
witch hunter · inquisitor · persecutor · prosecutor · denouncer