Kitihawa Point du Sable facts for kids
Kitihawa Point Du Sable, also known as Catherine, was a brave Potawatomi woman. She and her husband, Jean Baptiste, started the very first lasting settlement in what is now the big city of Chicago. By the late 1700s, Kitihawa and Jean Baptiste had built their farm and trading post right on the Chicago River. This was a very important step in Chicago's history!
Her Life Story
We don't have many records about Kitihawa's early life before she married Jean Baptiste. She and her husband were married twice! First, they had a traditional Potawatomi ceremony in the 1770s. Later, they had a Catholic ceremony on October 27, 1788, in a place called Cahokia, Illinois. Kitihawa and Jean Baptiste had two children together: a son named Jean Baptiste Point du Sable Jr., and a daughter named Suzanne.
How Kitihawa is Remembered
Kitihawa's important role in history is being recognized more and more.
- In December 2019, an article in the Chicago Tribune newspaper talked about renaming a big road called Lake Shore Drive. It suggested thinking about the long history of Native American people using the Chicago area. The article even proposed renaming the road for Kitihawa!
- In August 2019, a group called Floating Museum created an art project called "Founders." This art showed Kitihawa, her husband Jean Baptiste, and a child. The art wanted to show that Chicago was started by a Haitian man and a Potawatomi woman. As part of this project, a poem called "Kitihawa Speaks" was displayed. It was written by Osage poet Elise Paschen.
- Another art show, "Kitihawa's Chandelier" by Nicholas Henry, also honored Kitihawa. It celebrated the mix of African and Native American cultures through her story.
