John Norton was born to a Cherokee man and a Scottish woman in 1770, and adopted by the Mohawks in the 1790s. He rose to important military and diplomatic leadership positions among the Haudenosaunee (or Iroquois) of the Grand River north of Lake Erie, wrote the most extensive Native-authored text of his generation, and strove to protect First Nations independence on a changing frontier. In this richly illustrated presentation, Dr. Carl Benn will explore the life of this important historical figure, particularly as Norton’s story relates to the Ohio war of the 1790s and the War of 1812.

John Norton – Teyoninhokarawen and the Indigenous Great Lakes 1780s – 1820s is presented by Dr. Carl Benn.  Preregistration is required to attend in-person. You can get your tickets on Eventbrite. The lecture will premiere both in-person at the Civic Museum, and online via our Facebook livestream. The recorded conversation is available on Facebook, YouTube, and our Museum Everywhere Portal. 

Guelph Museums’ Military Lecture series is presented in partnership with the Laurier Centre for the Study of Canada.

Watch The Recording:

About Dr. Carl Benn:

Before coming to Ryerson (now Toronto Metropolitan University) in 2008, Dr. Carl Benn worked in the museum field for 34 years, where he fulfilled senior curatorial and managerial duties, restored historical properties, curated exhibits, and produced other public resources. Carl has published extensively, including six history books, the most recent being A Mohawk Memoir from the War of 1812: John Norton – Teyoninhokarawen. His current book project is a history of the creation of the Royal Ontario Museum. Carl’s teaching at TMU focuses on museum history, curatorship, heritage management, material culture, and archaeology.