{{Infobox ethnic group
, group = Icafui
, native_name_lang = tjm
, image = Map of the Timucua Chiefdoms of Mainland Southeast Georgia.svg
, image_caption = A map of the Timucua chiefdoms of mainland southeast Georgia, including the Icafui (orange).
, population = Extinct as tribe
, regions = Southeastern inland
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States
Georgia may also refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Georgia (name), a list of pe ...
, pop1 =
, ref1 =
, languages =
Timucua language
Timucua is a language isolate formerly spoken in northern and central Florida and southern Georgia by the Timucua peoples. Timucua was the primary language used in the area at the time of Spanish colonization in Florida. Differences among the n ...
, Itafi dialect
, religions =
Southeastern Ceremonial Complex
Southeastern Ceremonial Complex (formerly Southern Cult, Southern Death Cult or Buzzard Cult), abbreviated S.E.C.C., is the name given by modern scholars to the regional stylistic similarity of artifacts, iconography, ceremonies, and mythology of ...
,
Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...
, related =
Timucua
The Timucua were a Native American people who lived in Northeast and North Central Florida and southeast Georgia. They were the largest indigenous group in that area and consisted of about 35 chiefdoms, many leading thousands of people. The va ...
The Icafui (also Ycafui, Icafi, Ycafi) people were a
Timucua
The Timucua were a Native American people who lived in Northeast and North Central Florida and southeast Georgia. They were the largest indigenous group in that area and consisted of about 35 chiefdoms, many leading thousands of people. The va ...
people of southeastern Georgia, who were closely related if not synonymous with the Cascangue people.John E Worth, ''The Timucuan Chiefdoms of Spanish Florida: Assimilation'', vol. 1 (University Press of Florida, 1998), 58–60.Kathleen A. Deegan, “Cultures in Transition: Fusion and Assimilation among the Eastern Timucua,” in ''Tacachale'' (University Press of Florida, 2017), 97–98. Exceptionally little is known about the Icafui, other than their general location and the fact that they spoke a dialect of
Timucua
The Timucua were a Native American people who lived in Northeast and North Central Florida and southeast Georgia. They were the largest indigenous group in that area and consisted of about 35 chiefdoms, many leading thousands of people. The va ...
called " Itafi" along with the Ibi.
The Icafui are described living on the mainland east of the Ibi, Yufera, and
Oconi
The Oconi or Ocone were a Timucua people that spoke a dialect of the Timucua language. They lived in a chiefdom on the margin of or in the Okefenokee Swamp in southeastern Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. The Oconi first appeared in Spanish records ...
, which would correspond to a homeland on or not far inland from the Georgia coast between the mouths of the Satilla and Altamaha Rivers.Jerald T. Milanich, “‘A Very Great Harvest of Souls’: Timucua Indians and the Impact of European Colonization,” in ''Anthropology, History, and American Indians: Essays in Honor of William Curtis Sturtevant'' (Smithsonian Institution Press, 2002), 116.John H. Hann, ''A History of the Timucua Indians and Missions'' (University Press of Florida, 1996), 11. This region is associated with Savannah-culture artifacts. Deagan specifically narrows this range to the mainland opposite to
Jekyll Island
Jekyll Island is an island located in Glynn County, Georgia, United States. It is one of the Sea Islands and one of the Golden Isles of Georgia barrier islands. The island is owned by the State of Georgia and run by a self-sustaining, self-g ...
, with a northern boundary in the vicinity of the Turtle River.
The villages of Xatalano, Heabono, Aytire, Lamale, Acahono, Tahupa, Punhuri, Talax, Panara, Utayne, and Huara are named as settlements "of the pine forests of the interior lands who are subjects of Doña Maria (of Tacatacuru on
Cumberland Island
Cumberland Island, in the southeastern United States, is the largest of the Sea Islands of Georgia. The long-staple Sea Island cotton was first grown here by a local family, the Millers, who helped Eli Whitney develop the cotton gin. With its ...
)" which may have been affiliated with the Icafui, but could also have been
Mocama
The Mocama were a Native American people who lived in the coastal areas of what are now northern Florida and southeastern Georgia. A Timucua group, they spoke the dialect known as Mocama, the best-attested dialect of the Timucua language. Their ...
.
During the Spanish colonial period, the Icafui did not receive a mission of their own, but interacted with Mocama missions such as
San Pedro de Mocama
Mission San Pedro de Mocama was a Spanish colonial Franciscan mission on Cumberland Island, on the coast of the present-day U.S. state of Georgia, from the late 16th century through the mid-17th century. It was built to serve the Tacatacuru, a Moc ...
. The tribe is not mentioned post 1604, and was likely destroyed or displaced by the
Yamasee
The Yamasees (also spelled Yamassees, Yemasees or Yemassees) were a multiethnic confederation of Native Americans who lived in the coastal region of present-day northern coastal Georgia near the Savannah River and later in northeastern Florida. ...