"Indian" Princess or Daughter of the King?

This is about one of our 8x great grandmothers, Catherine Pillard (Pilliat or La Plat), a *First Nations woman who lived from 1651 to 1717.

Who was the real “Catherine Pillard”, wife of Pierre Charon? What were her origins and who were her parents? Until recently, it was presumed that Catherine Pillard, daughter of Pierre Pillard and Marguerite Moulinet, was baptized 30 March 1646 at La Rochelle, France, and confirmed in Montréal in 1664 under the name of Catherine Plate; that this same Catherine, future wife of Pierre Charon, was also part of the contingent of King’s Daughters (Filles du Roi) who arrived in Canada in 1663.

The results from mtDNA genetic testing, which is the analysis of genes transmitted from mother to daughter, providing genetic information on our distant ancestors, have led to questions. The answers to which no longer let us assume “facts”. The results obtained through eight descendants of three of Catherine’s daughters indicate that Catherine’s maternal line was not of European origin. [See full article]

Atsena, Huron Chief of the Bear Nation

It is now believed that Catherine Pilliat or La Plat is the daughter of Atsena, the Huron Chief of the Bear Nation. She was born Oenta, written as 8enta, (meaning the color red) and given the name Catherine at her baptism by her godmother, Catherine La Vaux. Atsena would be our 9x great grandfather. There is a strong resemblance in that face . . .

*Within Canada, "First Nations" (most often used in the plural) has come into general use—replacing the deprecated term "Indians"—for the indigenous peoples of the Americas [Wikipedia]