Marie Rouensa: A Cultural Mediator

Currently, this online essay is under construction.

In the meantime, however, you can listen to University of Illinois History Professor Fred Hoxie give a classroom presentation on Marie Rouensa, the French presence in Illinois, and the "Middle Ground" between Native and European cultures by following the audio link below.

• Illinois in the French Empire
• Illinois: A State Made of Rivers
• What did Contact with Europeans mean for Native women? How could a woman like Maria Rouensa prosper during this tumultuous period?
• Why did family connections and intermarriage matter?
• Forest Diplomacy

To look at Marie Rouensa's will, follow this link.

To read another historian's perspective on this important woman, follow this link to Dr. Karl Ekberg's ?????????. Note: if you are currently enrolled in ANTH/HIST 288, you must read this article as part of your assigned reading for the course.

The Illinois State Museum also has a site on Marie Rouensa. Although it is intended primarily for children and young adults, you may want to take a look at it. Just follow the link below:

http://www.museum.state.il.us/exhibits/athome/1700/voices/marie/