Description
At the time of the Spanish discovery of Florida, the Jeaga (“hay-gwa”) lived along Florida’s east coast in the modern St. Lucie County area. They utilized the rich coastal resources as well as the flatlands inland from the coast for 10 -20 miles, possibly further. The Jaega (also Jega, Xega, Geiga) were Native Americans living in a chiefdom of the same name, which included the coastal parts of present-day Martin County and northern Palm Beach County, Florida at the time of initial European contact, and until the 18th century. The name Jobe, or Jove, has been identified as a synonym of Jaega, a sub-group of the Jaega, or a town of the Jaega. Throughout the 16th and 17th centuries, the Jeaga, particularly those in Jobe, gained power and influence by salvaging materials from ships wrecked along the coast of Palm Beach County.
Language
The Ais and Jaega languages have been tentatively assigned by some authors to the Muskogean language family, and by others to the Arawakan language family.
Culture
The Jeagas foraged for coco plums, sea grapes and palm berries, They also drank a frothy, ceremonial tea made from the roasted leaves of the cassina plant. Known as the "black drink", it was high in caffeine and obviously made quite an impression on the Europeans. The Jeaga were masters at carving dugout canoes from cypress trees and expertly navigated Florida’s waterways to Lake Okeechobee and throughout South Florida to trade with other tribes. Sharks, manatees, deer, squirrel, sea turtles, mullet, snapper, sea grapes, coco plums, and saw palmetto berries were some of nature’s resources that fed the early people. They lived in wigwam-style homes consisting of wooden poles stuck into the ground and covered with palmetto leaves.