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Kateri Tekakwitha

Type Figure Region New France Time 1656–1680 Also known as Lily of the Mohawks

Kateri Tekakwitha (1656–1680), a Mohawk woman, was a Native American religious figure who converted to Catholicism during the New France colonial per…

Timeline

  1. 1656–1676Oneida · Mohawk ValleyTekakwitha was born in an Oneida Mohawk village; she lost her family to smallpox in childhood and was left disabled. Under the influence of French Jesuit missionaries, she gradually embraced the Catholic faith, was baptized in 1676 with the name Kateri, and faced pressure as her faith clashed with tribal traditions.
  2. 1677–1680Kahnawake · QuebecAfter moving in 1677 to Kahnawake on the St. Lawrence River, Kateri became known for prayer, asceticism, and caring for the sick and orphans; she vowed to keep her virginity and joined the Catholic Indigenous community. She died in 1680 on the eve of Easter and was immediately hailed as a holy person by her people and missionaries.

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