Oronhyatekha (10 August 1841 – 3 March 1907), ("Burning Sky" or "Burning Cloud" in the Mohawk language, also carried the baptismal name Peter Martin), was a Mohawk physician, scholar, and a unique figure in the history of British colonialism. He was the first known Indigenous scholar at Oxford University and earned his Doctor of Medicine degree in 1866 from the University of Toronto. He later served for twenty-six years as Supreme Chief Ranger of the Independent Order of Foresters, overseeing its expansion into a major international fraternal financial institution and the construction of Toronto’s Foresters’ Temple. He also founded a museum and an orphanage in Ontario and was active in Indigenous governance and national athletics.

Early life and education

Born 10 August 1841 on the Six Nations of the Grand River near Brantford, Ontario, he was the sixth son of Peter Martin and Lydia Loft (from Tyendinaga).

Medical training and missionary oversight

Oronhyatekha's early education was never intended to prepare him for a career in medicine. As a boy, he attended the Mohawk Institute, an Anglican residential school run by the New England Company, a British missionary organization based in London, England.

The Institute's mandate was vocational and evangelical. Boys were trained in manual trades and Christian discipline; in Oronhyatekha's case, his assigned trade was shoemaking. He was licensed to practise medicine on 22 May 1867. The position carried an annual salary of $500. Such posts were subject to oversight from the Department of Indian Affairs (Canada), which regulated both reporting and expenditures. As his involvement with the Independent Order of Foresters expanded, he gradually reduced full-time clinical practice while retaining the title of chief medical examiner within the organization. and served as County Grand Master of Middlesex Country Orange Lodge. Oronhyatekha also belonged to the International Order of Good Templars, several branches of the Masonic Order, the Ancient Order of United Workmen, the Knights of the Maccabees, and the Orange Order. He was the Worshipful Master of Richardson Masonic Lodge in Stouffville, Ontario in 1894.

Independent Order of Foresters

Membership and rise to leadership

In 1878, while living in London, Oronhyatekha applied to become a member of the Independent Order of Foresters, a fraternal and financial institution that combined mutual aid, life insurance, and social fellowship, typical of nineteenth-century voluntary associations.

During this period, the Foresters' statutes explicitly limited its membership to white men and Orangemen, but Oronhyatekha was an Orangeman and he was granted entry.

By 1881, he had become Supreme Chief Ranger of Foresters, the highest executive role within the order, responsible for overseeing its administration, finances, and international expansion. He held for a record 27 years. created by a Native individual. It was housed in the Foresters' Temple, which once stood at the corner of Bay and Richmond in Toronto, until shortly after his death. It contained natural history artifacts, items from Canadian Native groups, and from cultures around the world. The artifacts were transferred to the Royal Ontario Museum in 1911. For its time, the Temple was the tallest office building in the British empire and incorporated the latest technology, such as electric elevators and lights, both of which were powered by an electrical plant in the basement; a chilled drinking water system; and extensive fireproofing. The Temple also featured many amenities for its staff, including its own newsstand, cafe and dining room, smoking room, meeting rooms, and bicycle storage.

Foresters' Island

In the 1890s, Oronhyatekha purchased an island from his wife's family in the Bay of Quinte, across from Deseronto, which he renamed as Foresters' Island. Here, he built a second family residence known as "The Wigwam," a meeting and dining hall, a bandstand, the Isle Hotel and cottages for guests, and a wharf at which boats from the mainland could dock. While the hotel seems to have been open for all guests, not just members, Martin hosted huge gatherings each summer to celebrate Foresters anniversaries and events.

Orphanage

thumb|Colour postcard of "Orphans' Home, Foresters Island near Deseronto, Ont.", published by Valentine & Sons Co. Ltd. Oronhyatekha was most proud of an orphanage he established in 1904 on the Bay of Quinte, Ontario. It opened for operations in 1906, and Oronhyatekha described it as his life's crowning achievement. But he died the next year, and the orphanage was sold in 1908. She was also known by her Mohawk name Karakwineh, meaning "moving sun". A commemorative plaque was erected at Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory near his burial site in recognition of his contributions as a physician, fraternal leader, and philanthropist.

His residence at 209 Carlton Street is listed in the Cabbagetown Heritage Conservation District and appears in the City of Toronto's heritage inventory.

His former residence in London, Ontario, located at 172 Central Avenue (formerly Litchfield Avenue), has been identified in the City of London's Register of Cultural Heritage Resources.

Sculpture

A sculpture of Oronhyatekha by Canadian sculptor Walter Seymour Allward is displayed at the headquarters of the Independent Order of Foresters at 789 Don Mills Road in Toronto.

Museum and exhibition

In 2002, the Royal Ontario Museum and the Woodland Cultural Centre jointly curated the exhibition Mohawk Ideals, Victorian Values: Oronhyatekha, M.D., which featured objects from the museum collection he established at the Foresters' Temple in Toronto.

Scholarly recognition

A full-length biography, Dr. Oronhyatekha: Security, Justice, and Equality, co-authored by Keith Jamieson and Michelle A. Hamilton, was published by Dundurn Press in 2016. The biography received the Ontario Historical Society's Joseph Brant Award in 2017.

Hall of Honour

In 2007, Oronhyatekha was inducted into the Loyal Americans Hall of Honour (Bay of Quinte Branch) by the United Empire Loyalists' Association of Canada.

References

  • Dr. Oronhyatekha: Security, Justice, and Equality, Jamieson, Keith and Michelle A. Hamilton. Dundurn Press, 2014
  • Foresters. Historical Mosaic.