Xoxi was one of the villages located along the coast of the Carolinas, which was visited by Spanish explorer Lucas Vazquez de Ayllon (1475-1526) in 1520. Ayllon was the first European colonizer of what is now South Carolina. Although his attempt to settle the coast was unsuccessful it marked the beginning of the end for many of the Indians living there.
Cusabo Indians occupied the coastal region that Ayllon tried to settle in the 1500s. The tribe is now extinct but in their day they lived in circular homes made from bent poles and covered with bark from the cypress or white cedar trees. They were farmers, fishermen and hunters and wore clothing made of deerskin. Face and body painting as well as tattooing was important and the designs varied in times of war and peace.
Originally published by the Tattoo Archive © 2008
Updated 2017