Pohoy facts for kids

The Pohoy (also known as Pojoy, Pojoi, Pooy, Posoy, or Pujoy) were a group of Native American people. They lived in a chiefdom (a type of community led by a chief) along the shores of Tampa Bay in what is now Florida. This was during the late 1500s and all of the 1600s.

In the early 1700s, other Native American groups, like the Muscogee people (also called Lower Creek or Uchise), raided the Pohoy. The Pohoy who survived these attacks moved to different places in Florida. After 1739, the Pohoy people are no longer mentioned in historical records.

Life in the 1500s

The Tampa Bay area was the center of the Safety Harbor culture. People in this culture lived in chiefdoms. Each chiefdom had a main town and several smaller communities nearby. These groups controlled about 15 miles (24 km) of shoreline and stretched about 20 miles (32 km) inland.

They built large ceremonial earth mounds in their main towns. Sometimes, old towns were left behind, and new ones were built. We know of more than fifteen Safety Harbor chief towns, and most of them are located near the water.

Chiefdoms of Tampa Bay

When the Spanish explorers arrived in Tampa Bay in the early 1500s, they found three or four main chiefdoms.

• The town of Tocobaga was at the northern end of Old Tampa Bay.
• Uzita controlled the southern shore of Tampa Bay. This area went from the Little Manatee River to Sarasota Bay.
• Mocoso was on the east side of Tampa Bay, near the Alafia River. It might have also included the Hillsborough River.

There might have been a fourth independent chiefdom called Capaloey. This group was likely on Hillsborough Bay. Some experts believe the name Pohoy is a different way of saying Capaloey.

Early Spanish Encounters

The Narváez expedition arrived at Tampa Bay in 1528. This group had conflicts with the Uzita people. Then they traveled inland through Tocobaga land.

The de Soto expedition landed in Uzita territory in 1539. They then moved through Mocoso land and further north along the Withlacoochee River. This expedition noted inland towns like Guacozo, Luca, Vicela, and Tocaste. These were likely settlements of the Safety Harbor culture.

Neither of these Spanish expeditions seems to have entered Capaloey territory. The Uzita and Mocoso chiefdoms disappeared within 35 years after meeting de Soto. By 1567, when Pedro Menéndez de Avilés visited, Tocobaga was the main power in Tampa Bay.

The 1600s and Pohoy Power

The name Pohoy first appeared in historical records in the early 1600s. In 1608, the Pohoy and Tocobaga people may have formed an alliance. They might have threatened the Potano people who had become Christian.

In 1611, a raiding party from Pohoy and Tocobaga killed several Christian Native Americans. These people were carrying supplies to a Spanish mission near the Suwannee River.

Spanish Attacks and Pohoy Dominance

In 1612, the Spanish launched an attack down the Suwannee River and along the Gulf coast. They attacked both Tocobaga and Pohoy. Many Native Americans were killed, including both chiefs. The Spanish from this expedition called Tampa Bay the "Bay of Espiritu Santo and Pojoy." Espiritu Santo was the name Hernando de Soto gave it in 1539. The "Bay of Pohoy" or "Bay of Pooy" likely referred to the southern part of Tampa Bay.

The Tocobaga were weakened by the Spanish attack. Because of this, the Pohoy became the most powerful group in Tampa Bay for a while.

Alliances and Locations

By 1634, the Pohoy were allied with or under the control of the Calusa chiefdom. The Spanish records from that year mentioned the "province of Carlos, Posoy, and Matecumbe." This referred to the Calusa, Pohoy, and the Florida Keys.

In 1675, the Pohoy and Calusa were described as unfriendly towards the Spanish. At that time, the town of Pohoy was said to be on a river. It was about six leagues (around 18 miles or 29 km) from Tocobaga. This river might have been the Hillsborough River or the Alafia River.

A Spanish expedition in 1680 traveled down the coast from the Suwannee River. They wanted to reach the Calusa area. However, the Pohoy chief warned the Spanish to turn back. As they continued, warnings from other villages became stronger, so the Spanish retreated. This expedition described the Pohoy as "docile," meaning peaceful.

In 1699, another Spanish expedition traveled overland from San Francisco de Potano (near modern-day Gainesville). They found the Tampa Bay area mostly empty. The Spanish were told there were many people in villages there, but they didn't see them. The expedition's report mentioned Pohoy several times, but the Spanish didn't seem to visit the town itself.

The Alafay People

The Alafay people (also known as Alafaes, Alafaia, and Elafay) were connected to the Pohoy. They were probably a smaller group within the Pohoy. In the 1600s, Pohoy territory included the area along what is now called the Alafia River.

The Spanish expedition of 1680 reported that Elafay was the next town after Pohoy. Pohoy had about 300 people, and Elafay had 40. The 1699 Spanish expedition passed through an abandoned village named Elafay near Tampa Bay. In 1734, a leader named Don Antonio Pojoi was identified as the chief of the Alafaias Costas nation.

The 1700s and Disappearance

In the early 1700s, Pohoy and Tocobaga people lived together in a village near the Spanish town of St. Augustine. Alafae people were also recorded living with other refugee groups there by 1717. Between 1718 and 1723, 162 Alafae people were baptized there.

In 1718, Pohoy people attacked a Tocobaga village near the Wacissa River. In the 1720s and 1730s, Pohoy people lived with Jororo, Amacapira (possibly related to Pohoy), and later, Alafae people. These villages were south of St. Augustine.

Challenges and Movements

Many Native American people reportedly died in an epidemic (a widespread disease) in 1727. The survivors left the area. By 1731, a new village of Pohoy, Alfaya, and Amacapira was established. There was also a neighboring village of Jororo.

Most of the Pohoy, Alafae, Amacapira, and Jororo people moved away again in 1734. This happened because the new governor of Florida tried to make Native Americans live closer to St. Augustine. He also tried to force them to work without pay.

Final Conflicts

By the early 1700s, all the Native American groups in Florida were seeking protection from the Spanish. They needed protection from Uchise raiders. The Uchise were the Muscogee people known as "Lower Creeks" by the British. The Spanish hoped these Native Americans would help protect St. Augustine from British colonists.

However, in 1738, fighting broke out among several groups. In the 1730s, the Pohoy held several Jororo people as slaves. They also received payments from the Bomto (or Bonito) people, who were connected to the Mayaca and Jororo.

In 1739, the Bomto attacked a camp of Pohoy and Amacapira people. More than 20 people were killed. Only one Pohoy man escaped. The Bomto spared the Jororo slaves in the camp.

The Pohoy were still allies or subjects of the Calusa. The Calusa got revenge for the attack on the Pohoy. They attacked the Bomto-allied Mayaca people living near Lake Okeechobee. The Spanish heard that over 300 people died in that battle. Surviving Pohoy people then ambushed a Bomto group heading to St. Augustine, killing several. In turn, several of those Pohoy were killed or captured by Uchise warriors. The Pohoy and Amacapira (and the Bomto) disappeared from history after these events.

The Pohoy are one of three mound-building tribes from the Tampa Bay area. They have been honored with a bronze statue installed along the Tampa Riverwalk in the 2000s.