Dr. Oronhyatekha: Security, Justice, and Equality by Keith Jamieson and Michelle A. Hamilton (review)

KEITH JAMIESON AND MICHELLE HAMILTON combined their respective expertise on the Haudenosaunee (Six Nations of Iroquois) and Canadian history to produce Dr. Oronhyatekha. The project, which examines the life of Dr. Peter Martin, or the titular "Dr. O," was twenty years in the making, formed from archival material, institutional records, and personal correspondence. The work is primarily biographical, showing that Dr. O was at the vanguard of several movements within Canada. As one of the first Native doctors, a representative of the Mohawk and the Haudenosaunee generally, and the head of the International Order of Foresters, Dr. O helped advance everything from medicine to fraternalism to social reform. During the latter half of the nineteenth century, a time when Native people were treated as wards by the Canadian government, Oronhyatekha defied stereotyped expectations to become an influential and wealthy member of Victorian society.

The book excels as a biography, following a thematic and chronological format across the span of Dr. O's life. It is a fascinating look at the life of a Mohawk man who left the Grand River Reserve in Ontario to graduate from the University of Toronto, becoming the second Native doctor in Canada. It is also the story of a man who cared deeply about his people and worked tirelessly to strengthen their sociocultural position. Dr. O defended Haudenosaunee lifeways but also "hoped to elevate his people both morally and intellectually" through his leadership (75–76). Thus, this exploration of Oronhyatekha's incredible journey—as the first Native student to attend Oxford, a liaison to the Prince of Wales in 1860, a soldier and rifle marks-man, and an innovator in medicine—covers a wide topical scope. The judicious use of images also illustrates the doctor's accomplishments.

The text additionally functions as a microhistorical narrative on the oppression Native nations faced in Canada. Amid Dr. O's work in the medical field, which he helped professionalize, as well as his stewardship in multiple fraternal organizations, he toiled to improve conditions for Indigenous people. He embodied the sovereign and independent mentality of the Haudenosaunee and exemplified their values, such as the gender equality evident through clan mothers (89). He was guided by the idea that "he could be a leader for change and survival of his people" (137). As such, when Canada passed the Enfranchisement Act of 1869, which presaged allotment in the United States, Oronhyatekha chaired the Grand General Indian Council, an alliance between the Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabeg. He believed that these Native nations already held their land in fee simple, and therefore the imposition of private titles infringed upon their rights. And while he initially supported citizenship because it provided First Nations with a political voice, he later viewed this policy as detrimental. Throughout, the authors portray Dr. O as a multifaceted and globetrotting spokesperson for First Nations, a role that often engendered controversy among the Haudenosaunee and racial tensions with prominent white Canadians.

Despite a meticulous utilization of primary sources and a compelling writing style, Dr. Oronhyatekha is not without its faults. Given the doctor's frequent travels between the United States and Canada, Jamieson and Hamilton do not assess any linkages between the Haudenosaunee on either side of the international border or how political relationships may have been rekindled by Oronhyatekha. This was a missed opportunity to compare the policies of both countries and the Haudenosaunee experiences therein. And while the authors tie many of his beliefs and actions back to Haudenosaunee culture, they infrequently develop their broader significance in relation to both historical and contemporary issues of sovereignty faced by the Six Nations. So while the book offers an intriguing look at a Mohawk physician who thrived in and perhaps transcended Haudenosaunee and Canadian worlds, it is occasionally inconsistent as a work of historical analysis. It is difficult to ascertain the usefulness of chapter 7, for example, which focuses on the evolving Canadian insurance industry and addresses Oronhyatekha tangentially. Overall, however, the book contributes...