Tituba Gold Nose Cuff

Tituba was an enslaved Amerindian woman who played a central role in the Salem witch trials of 1692 in colonial Massachusetts. Reverend Samuel Parris, the minister of Salem Village, enslaved her. Although she spent time in Barbados before being transported to Massachusetts, it remains unclear whether her origins were indigenous Caribbean or South American.

Tituba, along with two other women—Sarah Good and Sarah Osborne—was accused of practising witchcraft in Salem in 1692. Under intense pressure and likely coercion, Tituba confessed to practising witchcraft, claiming she had seen the devil and that there were other witches in the community. Her confession was detailed and vivid, fueling the hysteria and leading to further accusations.

Her testimony is considered pivotal in the escalation of the witch trials. Unlike many others accused, Tituba survived the trials, though her fate after release from jail is uncertain. Samuel Parris refused to pay the fees necessary to free her from prison, so she was sold to another English settler who agreed to cover them. Historians know nothing else about her life. Tituba has since become a figure of historical and cultural significance, often symbolising how marginalised people were scapegoated during times of fear and suspicion.