America’s true history has been hidden for 425 years in the British archives.
Her Royal Highness, Queen Elizabeth, earlier this year, appointed Secretary of State Richard Hakluyt to head a Board of Inquiry to investigate the mysterious disappearance of 110 of her subjects in Virginia. Hakluyt is also a noted scholar, geographer and Church of England cleric. Previously, while on the staff of Her Majesty’s Embassy in Paris, Hakluyt interviewed for Her Majesty, some other survivors of the Fort Caroline massacre. Hakluyt has publicly stated his belief that the two incidents are connected. He blames terrorist activities by a foreign power.
The Board of Inquiry had a dual purpose. Hakluyt is a major stockholder in an international development corporation with ties to Virginia. While under oath, the witnesses provided descriptions of potential wealth to be gained overseas by English entrepreneurs.
Those interviewed include Captain René Goulane de Laudonniére, commander of ill-fated Fort Caroline; Pedro Morales, a Spanish subject captured by Sir Francis Drake; Nicholas Burgiognon, a French Huguenot, held captive by the Spanish for 22 years in Santa Elena, South Carolina, but is now living in exile in England; and Peter de Bry, also a French Huguenot exile living in England. The text below represents the actual words stated by the witnesses, as printed between 1572 and 1589.
Royal Surveyor Noble Jones, and Creek Indian leader, Mekko Chikolili, were actual historical figures from the early 1700s. They are introduced into the text as “fact checkers."
Depositions
Hakluyt: “Monsieur de Laundonnére, where actually was Fort Caroline? We understand that in the 20th century, members of the Flat Earth Society will place a scaled down version of Fort Caroline on the St. Johns River in Florida, which you said was too shallow to be entered by any sea-going ship.”
De Laudonniére: “Mais non! The May River bee 33 leagues Northe of the shallow rivere. The part toward the Cape of Florida was altogether a marish Countrey, and therefore unprofitable for our inhabitation. To reach the mountaines, my men paddled Northwestward up the May Rivere from Fort Caroline about twelve dayes, to the landes of the Apalatci, then walked two dayes more.”
Hakluyt: “Which men made contact with the Apalache Indians in the mountains?”
De Laudonniére: “One of my soldiers, whose name was Pierre Gambie, stayed a long space before in this countrey to learn the language and traffique with the Indiens. I sent two men, to wit La Roche Ferrare and another to discover more and more the Countrey : where hee was the space of five or six monthes, during which hee discovereth many small villages and among others one named Houstiqua. All tolde, there were sixe expeditiones that bringeth Golde, Redde Golde, Silvre, Coppre, Greenstone, Feathres and Cristalls.”
Hakluyt: “Where was the Indian village of Seloy? The Flat Earth Society will place it on Saint Augustine Bay, Florida. All French and English maps showed it on the Sapelo River in Georgia, which you called the River of Dolphins.”
De Laudonniére: “Mais non! Seloy was 12 leagues southe of the May Rivere on the Rivere of Dolfines.”
Hakluyt: “Monsieur de Bry, why were you not killed by the Spanish at Fort Caroline and where did the Tacatacuru Indians rendezvous with Captain Dominique de Gourgues on November 1, 1567? The Flat Earth Society will say that the French met with Timucua Indians near the shallow river. Also, in his report to the King of France, your commander in the attack on Fort San Mateo made no mention of where he was between November 1, 1567 and April 21, 1568. During this time Spanish Captain Juan Pardo built a chain of forts in the hinterland, only to watch them one by one be quickly massacred. Did your French army have anything to do with the attacks on Pardo's forts? ”
De Bry: “I feigned deeth then crauled into the woodes. The chefe of the Saratihe tooke me as his son. As tolde, the Tacatacuru meeted the Franchmen at the rivere Somme near their village. 15 leagues (37 miles) northe of the Rivere May. The Tacatacuru were enemies of the Thamigoa (Timucua.) The witness refused to answer the last question.
Hakluyt: “Royal Surveyor Jones, can you tell us where the Somme River and village of Tactacuru were?”
Jones: “Yes, the Somme River is now the Medway River that flows past the towns of Sunbury and Midway in St. John’s Parish . . . about 24 miles south of Savannah.”
Hakluyt: “Señor Morales, did the Spanish also trade with the Apalache in the mountains, like the French?
Morales: ”There is a great Citie, sixteene or twentie dayes journey from Santa Elena, Northwestward, which the Spanyards call La Grand Copal, which they thinke to bee very rich and exceedinglie great, and have been within sighte of it, some of them. They have offered in general to the King to take no wages of all of him, if he will leave to discover this citie, and the rich mountaines around it. I have have seen a diamonde which was brought from the mountaines that lye Northwestward from Santa Elena. These hils seem wholy to be the mountaines of Apalatci, whereof the Savages advertised of Laudonniere.”
Hakluyt: “Monsieur Burgiognon, this story of a great city in the mountains seems incredible. The Flat Earth Society is currently sending speakers around the region, saying that the Track Rock ruins were only a ceremonial site of the Cherokee Indians and that no Europeans entered these mountains until the late 1600s. What do you know?”
Burgiognon: “I affirmith that there is a citie Northwestward from Santa Helena in the mountains, which the Spanyards call La Grand Copal, and that in these mountaines there are great store of Christalls, Golde, Rubies and Diamondes : And that a Spanyard brought forth from thence a Diamonde which was worth 5,000 crownes. Pedro Melendes, the marques nephew to old Pedro Melendes that slew Ribault & is now governour of Florida, wear it. To make passage into these mountaines, it is necessary to have a store of Hatchets to give unto the Indians, and a store of Pickaxes to break the mountaines, Also gortletz of cotton, which Spaniards call Zacopitz, are necessary to bee had, against the arrows of the Savages. The Savages have killed many Spanyards, who attempted to reach Grand Copal without their leave.”
Hakluyt: “A few years ago, several American scholars searched the Spanish Colonial Archives in Seville and found no mention of any Spanish exploration of the Georgia Mountains. Why did they not find evidence of a great Native American city in the mountains or of many Spaniards mining gold in the mountains?”
Burgiognon: “The Spanyards have demaunded leave at their own costs, to discover the mountains, which the King of Spain denyth, for feare let the English or French would enter into the same action, once known. All the Spaniards would passe up by the river of Santa Elena unto the mountaines of Golde and Chrystall, but most were not allowed into La Grand Copal, for fear of pain of deathe.”
Hakluyt: Mikko Chikolili: “Your people, the true Apalache, are mentioned both by the French and Spanish witnesses. Do they have any knowledge of what has been discussed? “
Chikolili: “Before the time of the English, my people lived at the southern end of the Snowy Mountains. Our masters, the Itsate, lived in the high mountains to the north. They had magic powers. We called them the Snake People, because they worshipped a great snake that would sometimes come down from the sky. We also called them the Mooneyes, because their priests would watch the moon and stars at night.
The capital of the Snake People capital was a great town on the side of Georgia’s highest mountain. After much trouble was caused by the Spanyards, our job was to keep those buzzards from crossing over Blood Mountain to visit the capital.
At that time, the Snake People were also masters of the Kauche-te (Forested Mountain People) who lived on the Hiwasee (Children of the Snake) River. You call these people the Kashita. They were visited one day by the Spanyard, Juan Pardo, who wrote down their town’s name as Cauche.
Then a famine came. The Kauche-te begged the Snake People for food, but were refused. In anger, the Kauche-te attacked the great capital on the side of Georgia’s highest mountain. They tore down the buildings and killed everyone, except two old men and a white dog. The Kauche-te then came to dwell peacefully among us for awhile, Now, they live on the Chattahoochee River and are part of the Creek Confederacy. In 1735, the story I told you was written down on a buffalo calf vellum and given to Governor Oglethorpe in Savannah. It was then given to the Archbishop of Canterbury.”
Like so much that has been lost about America’s past, many people heard part of the history of the Southeast during early colonial times, but believed that it couldn’t be true. No scholar ever dug deeper into the evidence or linked together pieces of evidence. Over time a false history evolved, which put Europeans in a more positive light. It became so entrenched as to become a form of religion. The rest is history.
Those readers who wish to ask Richard Thornton questions about architecture, urban planning or Native American history may email him at Native Question@aol.com .
Comments