St. Kateri was born around 1656 in the Mohawk village of Ossernenon near present-day Auriesville, New York. She was given the name Tekakwitha by her tribe. She was given this name because of her impaired vision because it translates to "She who bumps into things." Kateri is the Christian name that she took at the time of her baptism. She chose that name to honor St. Catherine of Siena. She was the daughter of a Mohawk chief, and Tagaskouita, a Roman Catholic Algonquin woman, who had been captured and then adopted into the Mohawk tribe. Tagaskouita had eventually married Kenneronkwa (Kateri's father) and Tekakwitha was the first of two children. The Mohawk tribe endured a severe smallpox epidemic from 1661 to 1663. When Tekakwitha was around four years old, her baby brother and both her parents died of smallpox.…show more content… The Jesuits’ records of St. Kateri said that she was a modest girl who avoided social gatherings. She covered much of her head with a blanket because she was very self conscious of her scars due to smallpox. They said that, as an orphan, Kateri was adopted by uninterested relatives. But, according to Mohawk practices, she was most likely well taken care of by her clan, her mother and uncle's extended family, with whom she lived in the longhouse. She became very talented at traditional women’s arts, which included making clothing and belts from animal skins; weaving mats, baskets and boxes from reeds and grasses; and preparing food from game, crops and gathered produce. She was pressured to consider marriage around age thirteen, but she refused because she had the wish to stay a virgin till death. She died April 17 (Holy Wednesday)1680 in Canada. Tradition tells us that St. Kateri's final words were, "Jesus, I love