SARASOTA, Fla. — Hidden beneath the waves of Sarasota Bay is, as the story goes, what has kept hurricanes away.
If you’ve lived in the area long enough, you’ve likely heard the folklore of a Native American blessing that has protected Sarasota from taking a direct hurricane hit since dependable records have existed.
It’s the legend of Sara de Soto – the daughter of Spanish conquistador Hernando de Soto – and her love-struck forbidden romance with captured Seminole prince Chichi Okobee, local anthropologist Uzi Baram explains.
When the captured prince got sick, it was Sara who nursed him back to health before she suddenly died herself.
Her body was buried in the bay, which would also wind up being Chichi’s final resting place, Baram explained.
“He's so heartbroken that he goes in a canoe with many of his warriors and they hatchet into the bottom of the canoe and they sink,” Baram said.
The Shakespearean tragedy is a myth, according to Baram and the Sarasota County Historical Center.
“We know the origins of the myth,” Baram said.
The fictional story was written by George F. Chapline in the early 1900s. Chapline claimed the area’s name was derived from Sara de Soto.
But Sara de Soto never existed. There’s no record of Hernando de Soto ever having a daughter or any children.
The local legend spawned an annual pageant at one point known as the Miss Sara de Soto pageant.
Baram said the tall tale has always raised a big question for him: “Why would the people who had been pushed out of this area want to protect the people who pushed them out?”
If the story accomplishes anything, Baram said he hopes it encourages residents and visitors to learn about the deep Native American history of the area.
Sarasota County is home to significant archaeological sites where evidence of human inhabitation dating back at least 5,000 years has been found, according to the Sarasota County Historical Center.
Paulsen Point and Myakkahatchee Creek at Indian Mound Park in North Port are two public sites where you can explore the history of the area’s prehistoric inhabitants.
“If the lesson of the legend of Sara de Soto is, we can just keep on building and building on the coast, then it's a real problem,” Baram said. “If people read that legend, go, 'Hey what is the story of the Seminoles?' If that is what comes out of reading the legend then wonderful.”