Catherine Tekawitha Character Analysis

In Allen Greer’s book, Mohawk Saint, he tells the life of Catherine Tekawitha, however, his work is done quite differently compared to the hagiographies that were written by two fellow Jesuits, Claude Chauchetiere and Pierre Cholenec. Greer wants to examine not only the culture and lifestyle of the Iroquois, but also examine those that colonized the Iroquois. As Greer stated, all the information that has been recorded about Catherine has been written and described through the perspective of these Jesuits. Greer’s goal is to question these statements and question if they accurately describe the life of Catherine.
For example, the Jesuits describe Tekawitha to have lived an isolated life constantly secluding herself from the other natives, but Greer questions the description of Tekawitha’s childhood and believes that this was not possible. Greer states that the Mohawk community and all the other members of the longhouse all work together and live in a very close community. Greer states that Tekawitha along with other native children had duties that must be followed and believes that solitude was highly impossible to accomplish in the Mohawk village. Claude Chauchetiere portrays …show more content…
Many Europeans had misconceptions of the natives, especially the native women. Native women were viewed to be weaker than men, both physically as well as sexually. Many native women were oversexualized and these Jesuits simply did not want their Christians colleagues to view Catherine with that mentality. To further ensure Catherine’s individuality and purity many referred to her as the “First Iroquois Virgin”, they wanted Catherine to be viewed differently, emphasizing her strong will power that she had accumulated over the rough years of her