Kateri Tekakwitha (1656 - April 17, 1680), the daughter of a Mohawk warrior, was born in Osserneon near present-day Auriesville, New York. At the age of 4, her mother died of smallpox. Tekakwitha was converted and baptized in 1676 by Father Jacques de Lamberville, a Jesuit. Because she was persecuted by her Indian ancestors, she moved to Caughnawaga, Canada where she lived a life dedicated to prayer, penitential practices, and care for the sick and aged. In 1679, she took a vow of chastity. A year later, Kateri Tekakwitha died at the age of 24. She was beatified June 22, 1980 by Pope John Paul II, and is currently awaiting canonization.

Kateri Tekakwitha figures prominently as a character in fictional writings by Leonard Cohen (Beautiful Losers) and William Vollmann (Fathers and Crows).