Kitihawa Point Du Sable (also known by her Christian name, Catherine)[1] was a Potawatomi woman who, with her husband Jean Baptiste Point du Sable, established the first permanent settlement in what is now the city of Chicago.[2] By the late 1700s, Kitihawa and her husband had set up their farm and trading post near the mouth of the Chicago River and Lake Michigan.[2]
Biography
There are no known records of Kitihawa's life before her marriage to Jean Baptiste. Kitihawa and her husband were married in the 1770s in a Potawatomi ceremony, followed by a Catholic ceremony on October 27, 1788, in Cahokia, Illinois.[3] Kitihawa and Jean Baptiste had two children, Jean Baptiste Point du Sable Jr., and Suzanne.[3]
Representations in arts, entertainment, and media
- A December 2019 article in the Chicago Tribune mentions a proposal to rename Lake Shore Drive for Jean Baptiste Point du Sable.[4] The article suggests rethinking the history of the city and considering the centuries that Native American people used the area as a trading post -- and renaming Lake Shore Drive for Kitihawa instead.[4]
- In August 2019, Floating Museum created an art installation called "Founders," which features Kitihawa, her husband, Jean Baptiste, and a child.[5] The goal of the piece is to bring attention to the fact that Chicago was originally founded by a Haitian man and a Potawatomi woman.[5] As part of this installation, the poem "Kitihawa Speaks," written by Osage poet Elise Paschen, was displayed in CTA Greenline cars.
- A photographic art exhibit called "Kitihawa's Chandelier" by Nicholas Henry, "honors the historical, cultural and racial fusion of an African and Native American."[6]
References
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