The Ocute, later known as Altamaha, was a Native American paramount chiefdom in the Piedmont region of Georgia during the 16th and 17th centuries. Centered in the Oconee River valley, they were invaded by the Spanish conquistador Hernando de Soto in 1539 as they also warred with the rival chiefdom of Cofitachequi in South Carolina. The chiefdom remained a significant regional power into the 17th century, with Altamaha eventually eclipsing Ocute as the primary center. During the 1660s, the chiefdom fragmented due to slave raids by the English-allied Westo people, and many of their towns relocated to Spanish Florida and formed part of the Yamasee confederacy.