Location of the Iroquois Nations from 1656 - 1677

Some time around 1570, the five nations of Cayuga, Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga and Seneca united in a league, and was called by the French with a word taken from the Algonquin language, Iroquois. The name Iroquois was to designate a linguistic group whose structure was similar but different vocally.

The Mohawk Nation was comprised of, as known to the French as, Anniehronnons, Annies and then Agniés (and to the English as Macquas and later known as the Mohawks in the 1800’s. The population estimate was not over 17,000 (and the Native population was estimated to be less than one million in Canada and in the United States at the time of the first European contact. These first inhabitants, whose ancestors had migrated over the Bering Land Bridge about 15,000 years ago. Then, about 14,000 years ago rising sea levels submerged the Bering Land Bridge. The last migration settled on the Artic coasts. Migration with boats from Asia reached the Pacific coasts of Mexico, Central and South America).

The Mohawk Nation was further divided into three nations. They were from the east, the Turtle (Lower Iroquois), the Bear (Middle Iroquois) and the Wolf (Upper Iroquois). Tekakwitha dwelt in the Turtle or lower Iroquois, which was the nearest to Fort Orange (today Albany, New York).

1660 Smallpox epidemic in Ossernenon, birthplace of Catherine Tekakwitha.

1662 The village of Ossernenon moves west and became known as Caughnawaga (Gandaouague in Old French and today Auriesville, New York).

1666 After October 15 and before November 5 the Governor of New France, Daniel de Rémy escorted Alexandre de Prouville with 600 soldiers of the Carignan-Salières Regiment and 600 French settlers, and about 100 Huron and Algonquin allies to burn the villages of the Mohawks.

1667 After the burning of the village of Caughnawaga, the village moved north of the Mohawk River and this is where Catherine Tekakwitha was baptized in Saint Peter’s Chapel on Sunday April 5, 1676. The village is presently indicated across Fonda, New York with the water springs “Tekakwitha Springs,” which was the village water source of spring water.

On July 5, a Mohawk and Oneida delegation arrived in Québec for a peace treaty and three days later offered presents to the governor of New France, including the request of three Jesuit missionaries (two Jesuits for the Mohawks and one Jesuit for the Oneidas). The Jesuits missionaries sent were Jacques Frémin, S.J., Jean Pierron, S.J. and Jacques Bruyas, S.J. with two lay assistants, Charles Boquet and François Poisson. And after

In July, The Jesuit missionaries with the lay assistants arrived in Caughnawaga. Tekakwitha was eleven years old when she had seen them in her uncle’s longhouse, where she then dwelt.

Missions in the Iroquois Nations

Mission Sainte-Marie in Tionnontaguen (the largest of the Mohawk villages), and with the Mission de Saint-Pierre in Caughnawaga Mission Saint-François-Xavier in the Oneida lands, Mission Saint-Joseph in the Cayuga lands, Mission Saint-Jean-Baptiste in the Onondaga lands and Mission Saint-Michel in the Seneca lands. After in 1667, in Caughnawaga was built Saint Peter’s Chapel.