Dundurn Press is pleased to announce that Dr. Oronhyatekha: Security, Justice, and Equality by co-authors Keith Jamieson and Michelle A. Hamilton has been shortlisted for the 2017 Speaker’s Book Award. The book is one of 9 shortlisted titles, which can be viewed here.

Dr. Oronhyatekha (“Burning Sky”), born in the Mohawk nation on the Six Nations of the Grand River territory in 1841, led an extraordinary life, rising to prominence in medicine, sports, politics, fraternalism, and business. He was one of the first Indigenous physicians in Canada, the first to attend Oxford University, a Grand River representative to the Prince of Wales during the 1860 royal tour, a Wimbledon rifle champion, the chairman of the Grand General Indian Council of Ontario, and Grand Templar of the International Order of Good Templars. He counted among his friends some of the most powerful people of the day, including John A. Macdonald and Theodore Roosevelt. He successfully challenged the racial criteria of the Independent Order of Foresters to become its first non-white member and ultimately its supreme chief ranger.

Keith Jamieson, a Mohawk of the Six Nations of the Grand River, has worked extensively as an ethno-historian, a curator of museum exhibits, and an adjunct professor and guest lecturer internationally. He has written extensively, including exhibit catalogues and commentaries for news media. He lives in Ohsweken, Ontario.

Michelle A. Hamilton is director of public history at the University of Western Ontario and the award-winning author of Collections and Objections: Aboriginal Material Culture in Southern Ontario. Hamilton is a specialist in nineteenth-century Canada, including indigenous history and colonial relations. She lives in London, Ontario.

The Speaker’s Book Award recognizes works by Ontario authors reflecting the diverse culture and rich history of the province and of its residents. Topics include the history of the province and its many communities; prominent figures in Ontario from various fields including, but not limited to, politics, culture, arts, education and business; the history and achievements of women and minorities in Ontario; and the development of Ontario’s parliamentary system. The winning book will be announced at an annual awards reception held at the Ontario Legislature on March 5, 2018.