CULL. 301 



TEJUA TEKAKWITHA 



725 



Tejua. A branch of the Apache who in 

 the 18th century Uved in the sierras of 

 Salt r., Ariz. Probably the Tontos. 

 Fejuas.— Keane in Stanford, Compend., 464, 1878 

 (misprint). Tehua. — Bancroft, Ariz, and N. Mex., 

 393, 1889. Tejua.— Front map (1777) in Coues, 

 Garc^s Diary, 1900. Yabipais Tejua. — Garc^s 

 (1776), Diary, 308, 1900. Yavipaistejua.— Bancroft, 

 loc. cit. 



Tekakwitha, Catherine (called also the 

 "Indian Saint, " " La Saincte Sau vagesse, ' ' 

 and the "Lily of the Mohawks"). The 

 daughter of a Mohawk warrior by a Catho- 

 lic Christian Algonkin woman who had 

 been captured by the Iroquois at Three 

 Rivers, Quebec; borninl656atCaugnah- 

 waga, a palisaded town of the Turtle clan 

 of the Mohawk, on Mohawk r., near the 

 present Auriesville, N. Y. Tekakwitha 

 was about 4 years of age when the village 

 was ravaged by smallpox, among its vic- 

 tims being her mother, who left an infant 

 son that did not long survive. Tekak- 

 witha was about 10 years of age when De 

 Tracy burned the Mohawk villages, an act 

 resulting in the general peace of 1666. 

 After the destruction of their settlement, 

 the Turtle clan removed to the n. side 

 of Mohawk r., where Tekakwitha was 

 reared by her uncle, a bitter opponent of 

 the Christian faith. A couple of years 

 later, Fathers Bruyas, Fremin,and Fierron 

 visited her uncle for three days, during 

 which time she waited on them, thus gain- 

 ing her first knowledge of Christian faith 

 and practice. On Easter Sunday, 1675, 

 she was baptized by Father Lamberville, 

 and at once became the objectof contempt 

 and derision to many of her tribe, the per- 

 secution continuing for about two years. 

 By refusing to marry she had already in- 

 curred the displeasure and anger of her 

 aunt; for observing the Sabbath she was 

 denied food, and because she would not 

 labor in the corn-fields on that day, she 

 wasstoned; ayoungMohawk warrior went 

 so far as to raise his tomahawk menacingly 

 over her head, but she awaited the blow 

 with such calmness that her assailant de- 

 sisted and slunk away. 



When still quite young Tekakwitha 

 aided her mother in her domestic duties, 

 and when not thus occupied amused her- 

 self, like other Indian children, with her 

 toys. She dressed like other girls of her 

 age, and ornamented her person with neck- 

 laces, bracelets, finger- rings, and ear- bobs. 

 As a young woman she was well poised 

 and skilful in doing such work as Indian 

 girls were accustomed to do in elk-hair 

 and porcupine-quills, and from bark and 

 other fibers she made bands for carrying 

 burdens. She also became so adept in the 

 manufacture of wampum belts, such as 

 were used in public affairs, that she was 

 frequently employed in making them. 

 She could also sew well in the Caucasian 

 way, having learned the art from French 



prisoners among her tribe. She made 

 ribbons or band.s of eel-skins, sashes from 

 the fibers of bark, baskets and boxes of 

 willow bark and twigs, and bark buckets 

 for carrying water; she likewise learned 

 how to make pestles for pounding corn; 

 in short, she was ever busy with the 

 multiplicity of duties that fell to the lot 

 of Indian women generally. Although 

 frail, Tekakwitha was the first at work in 

 • the morning. The years before her bap- 

 tism passed in this manner, and she had 

 no other ideals set before her than those 

 current among her pagan relations. It is 

 said she was virtuous in every way, was 

 not attached to beliefs in visions or 

 dreams, had no desire to take part in 

 dances or games, and was not cruel, even 

 to prisoners, like other Indian girls — in 

 short, she was of a disposition unusual 

 among the girls of her time and people. 

 _ At this time a number of fervent Catho- 

 lic Christian Iroquois dwelt at the Sault 

 Saint Louis, some of whom were in the 

 habit of making visits to the villages of 

 the Iroquois in New York for the purpose 

 of proselyting their kindred to the new 

 faith. One of the most successful of 

 these, a former inhabitant and chief of 

 the Oneida village, was Ogenratarihen 

 ('Hot Ashes'), sometimes called Louis 

 Garonhiague. In 1677, while making a 

 tour of the Indian villages, on learning 

 that Tekakwitha was persecuted on ac- 

 count of her new faith, he, with two com- 

 panions, placed her in a canoe and started 

 for the Sault, where she arrived in the 

 autumn, bearing letters from Father 

 Lamberville extolling her virtues. Here 

 she grew in Christian knowledge and in 

 the exercises of a holy life, practising great 

 austerities. Visiting Montreal, she saw 

 the nuns of Marguerite Bourgeois at their 

 school work, and aware of the charity of 

 the Hospital Sisters of Ville-Marie shown 

 toward her people, she sought to found 

 a convent on Heron id., among the rapids 

 of Saint Lawrence r. This project was ridi- 

 culed by her friends, and even the father 

 was amused; he nevertheless permitted 

 her to make a vow of chastity, and thus 

 she became the first Indian nun among 

 her people. Among the means which 

 Tekakwitha undertook to mortify her 

 body was to engage a friend to flagellate 

 her every Sunday for a year, when she 

 became too weak to bear it longer. 



She died Apr. 17, 1680, and was buried 

 s. of La Chine rapids of the St Law- 

 rence, midway between La Prairie and 

 Caughnawaga, Quebec. Six days after 

 her death Father Chauchetiere, while at 

 prayer, "had a vision in which Catherine 

 arrayed in glory appeared to him. " Her 

 remarkable life so impressed the minds of 

 the faithful, both Indians and whites, 

 that many came to pray at her tomb. It is 



