Mathieu Da Costa was a navigator and interpreter of African descent who likely travelled extensively throughout the Atlantic world in the late 1500s and early 1600s.

 

As an interpreter, he was sought after by the French and the Dutch to help in their trade with Aboriginal people. Mathiru Da Costa likely spoke French, Dutch, Portuguese and Pidgin Basque. This language was a common trade dialect used in dealing with Aboriginal peoples in teh era of early contact.