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"Just up the road, quick left, and you're at the bayou shack of the beautifully odd Tia Dalma."
"I'm no fool, Jack Sparrow. I know the mystic is not so easy to find.
"
Jack Sparrow and Royce[src]

Tia Dalma's shack was a sprawling wooden shack that served as the home to the voodoo priestess, Tia Dalma, perched in a treetop by the mouth of the Pantano River located in Cuba. A damp and gloomy world where nothing is quite what it seems to be, Tia Dalma kept various trinkets and spells inside her shack. The journey to the tumbledown shack was not an easy one, as adventurers had to cautiously paddle up the still water of a steamy bayou, located in a spooky cypress forest, where fireflies flickered in the heavy air. Jack Sparrow visited Tia's shack through most of his many adventures.

History[]

Tia Dalma's home[]

"The woman of power...I found her in a strange house on the Pantano River...swamp...so many candles..."
Taharka to Jack Sparrow[src]
DMCShackinBayou

Tia Dalma's shack in the Pantano River bayou.

Not much is known about the shack, except that the voodoo mystic Tia Dalma resided in there at some point after the First Brethren Court. The journey to Tia's shack was not an easy one, as adventurers had to cautiously paddle up the still water of the Pantano River and find their way through a steamy bayou, where fireflies flickered in the heavy air of the spooky cypress forest. Tia Dalma's sprawling shack clings to the branches of a tree in a distant part of the swamp.[3] However, some believe it would be a mistake judging Tia Dalma by her humble home. She had uncanny powers to foretell the future, to summon up demons, and to look deep into men's souls. With a clatter of crab claws on a rough wooden table, the voodoo mystic could see what ordinary mortals cannot by gently throw the claws on the table and "reads" their positions. Tia Dalma used her amazing abilities to help her allies, most notably her old friend Jack Sparrow.[4] Through most of his adventures, Jack Sparrow went to visit the tumbledown shack many times for Tia Dalma's help. His father, Captain Teague, also visited the shack on one occasion.[5]

Search for the Dead Man's Chest[]

"And the key will spare him that?"
"Now that's the very question Jack wants answered. Bad enough, even, to go visit...her."
"Her?"
"...Aye.
"
Will Turner and Joshamee Gibbs[src]
DMCTiaShackbeforeJackenters

Jack Sparrow before entering Tia's shack.

During the search for the Dead Man's Chest, Jack Sparrow and his crew had to navigate through the Pantano River to reach Tia Dalma's shack, so that the mysterious priestess could help Jack find a key to spare him a fate of servitude under Davy Jones. Though Jack seemed to know where he was going, he kept a tight grip on the rope, and glanced around himself nervously the whole time, as he didn't like the journey through the forest at all. At Tia Dalma's shack, a ladder led up from the water, and Jack climbed to it. "Tia Dalma I go way back," he bragged. "Thick as thieves. Nigh inseparable, we were. I'll handle this."[4] Though he put on a brave face, he wasn't sure of himself, after which Gibbs told Jack he'd watch his back. Although Jack had flattered Tia Dalma, she beamed an inviting smile at Will Turner as soon as he entered the shack.[2]

After being given Jack the Monkey as payment, Tia Dalma told Jack what he wanted to know about the key from the drawing Will presented. She briefly told the story about Davy Jones and his love who was said to be "untameable as the sea". Upon revealing that Jack was marked with the Black Spot, Tia Dalma gave a jar of dirt to Jack, so that he would always be near land and safety. She then helped Jack and Will find Jones' ship, the Flying Dutchman, by leading them to an archipelago where a scuttled ship ran aground. During their time in the shack, Jack examined an old black hat and stole an amethyst ring; the crew also saw Jack the Monkey with a pair of boots. When the meeting with Tia Dalma was over, Jack's crew followed him down the shack's ladder and clambers gratefully into their longboats. They had an uncanny feeling that this wouldn't be their last visit to the cypress forest[3], which was later evidenced by their return to Tia's shack after losing Jack Sparrow and the Black Pearl to the Kraken.[2]

DMCWhatwouldanyofyoubewillingtodo

Tia Dalma proposing a voyage to World's End.

To lament the apparent death of Jack Sparrow, the swamp people held candlelight while leading a spooky procession as Jack's crew arrived in the bayou to find refuge in Tia's shack. Will Turner, Elizabeth Swann, Joshamee Gibbs and several other members of Jack's crew mourned their loss until Tia Dalma stated there was a way to save Jack, by a journey to World's End. It was then that Hector Barbossa revealed himself, having been resurrected by Tia Dalma, as the one who would lead the crew in their venture.[2] The fate of the shack following the Fourth Brethren Court, where Calypso was released from Tia Dalma's body is unknown.

Layout[]

Tia Dalma shack

Tia Dalma in her shack.

Perched in a treetop by the mouth of the Pantano River, this shack belonged to the voodoo mystic, Tia Dalma. It was a damp and gloomy world where nothing is quite what it seems to be. However, it was believed that judging Tia Dalma by her humble home was a mistake, as she had uncanny abilities. The tumbledown shack clung to the branches of a tree in a distant part of the swamp. Though it glows brightly, the hut seems to suck the light out of the surrounding forest. Every kind of lumber was used in its construction making up the walls and roof. In between the forest logs are nailed planks from coffins, and parts of discarded canoes patch the roof.[4] A ladder led up from a small jetty onto the shack's porch.

The inside of Tia's shack was teeming with a clutter of mysterious and magical objects; jars of herbs and spices, caged animals, bones,[6] and mummified bats.[2] Among her other possessions, Tia Dalma had dried plants that were ground down to make potions, swamp toad spawn used to heal many ailments, a preserved sea snake, and vials filled with spider venom. She also had at least one jar known to hold a lock of sirens' hair, while another, iron-bound jar was filled with dozens of staring eyeballs, which in particular had Ragetti transfixed.[4] Tia Dalma had a small, rough wooden table situated in the center of the room, on which the mystic used the divined power of her crab claws to see what ordinary mortals cannot. Calypso's locket was also commonly found here. Further into the shack, Tia Dalma kept the Sword of Cortés, held for safe-keeping following the defeat of the spirit of Hernán Cortés[7], and a jar of dirt, which she would give to Jack Sparrow as protection against Davy Jones so that he'll always be near land and safety.[2]

Behind the scenes[]

Appearances[]

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