Teyoninhokarawen (John Norton) (1770–1827) National Historic Person

Educated in Scotland, Norton enlisted with the 65th Foot and arrived at Québec with the regiment in 1785. In 1790, he became a schoolmaster in the Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk) settlement of Tyendinaga, at the Bay of Quinte, and four years later an interpreter in the Indian Department at Niagara, Upper Canada. There, he was befriended by Kanien’kehá:ka chief Thayendanegea who adopted him as his nephew and successor in the Haudenosaunee’s struggles for independence and prosperity. Upon adoption, Norton was given the name Dowwisdowwis (“the Snipe”). In 1799, chiefs of his clan gave him the name Teyoninhokarawen (“It keeps the door open”), a rank conferring the powers of emissary in diplomatic affairs and chieftain in war. In 1804, Teyoninhokarawen journeyed to London, England, to convince the Privy Council to support Haudenosaunee land rights, in opposition to the Indian Department. After Thayendanegea’s death in 1807, Teyoninhokarawen was appointed as his successor. Frustrated by continuing tensions with the Indian Department and internal political struggles at Grand River, he set out on a long journey to the land of the Ani-Yunwiya in Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Georgia.

Upon the outbreak of the War of 1812, Teyoninhokarawen convinced many First Nations chiefs, clan mothers, and warriors to ally with the British. He led an Indigenous force at Detroit and in numerous battles in the Niagara campaign. His great military achievement was at Queenston Heights in October 1812 when he and his men climbed the escarpment and engaged the enemy, allowing for the recapture of the position. He also led a force at Fort George, covered the British retreat towards Burlington Heights, and fought at Stoney Creek and in the Action at Butler’s Farm. He retrieved British medical supplies hidden near Fort George and led warriors in the battles of Chippawa and Lundy’s Lane and the siege of Fort Erie. Distinguishing himself in battle, he received the title of “Captain of the Confederate Indians” from the British. After the War of 1812, Teyoninhokarawen and his wife Karighwaycagh (Catherine) moved to Grand River, taking up farming and advocating for First Nations veterans, widows, and orphans.

Teyoninhokarawen also left a rich literary legacy. He translated the Gospels of St. John and St. Matthew into Kanien’kéha (the Mohawk language), wrote a remarkable account of his 3,000 km journey to Ani-Yunwiya country, detailing the customs, mythology, and history of the Nation, completed a rare history of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, and produced a narrative of the War of 1812. According to an Ani-Yunwiya Mission Diary entry at Oochgeelogy, Georgia, he died in 1827.

This press backgrounder was prepared at the time of the plaque unveiling in 2024.