When Europeans arrived in the Americas, there was an attempt by Europeans to convert the Indians to their religion and culture. Similarly, many Europeans were captured by the Indians and adopted into their society. Eunice Williams, daughter of Reverend John Williams, was captured by the Mohawks, and Kateri Tekakwitha was a Mohawk girl who was converted to Catholicism. These two women’s changes were motivated by different reasons like the cause for their initial switch, the major component of their change, and what motivated them to stay in their new community. First, Eunice’s initial change was forced upon her more than it was for Kateri. Eunice was captured when she was seven by the Mohawks during the French and Indian raid of Deerfield. …show more content…
When Eunice’s birth family attempted to repatriate her back into Protestant society, she resisted and remained with the Mohawk. Some speculation for why Eunice remained so committed to the Mohawk is that she enjoyed the larger role women have and the insubstantial relationship between a father and child in Mohawk society. In Mohawk society, Eunice would have been able to work in the fields and have some authority compared to a completely subordinate life she would have lived as a member of English society. Also, since Eunice grew up in Mohawk society she would be used to a matrilineal family structure. Because of this, Eunice would not have felt much attachment to her father especially after her mother died. Alternatively, Kateri was an extremely devout Catholic. Kateri would try to prevent herself from experiencing almost all pleasure that was not worshipping God. For example, she put ashes in her food, slept on a bed of nails, and whipped herself. Her motivation for doing these actions may be more than wanting to be a good Catholic. Kateri may have done some of these activities because in Iroquois society enduring torture and pain was very honorable. This is an example of how Kateri mixed the culture of the Iroquois with that of