🌿 1. Ceremonial Version (full, formal, relational)

Ceremonial Land‑Relationship Statement

“We recognize that this is the ancestral homeland of the First Nations, and that with this comes a shared duty of stewardship for the land, the waters, and the generations yet to be born. We are all here now—Indigenous and non‑Indigenous—to live our lives, raise our families, and prepare the ground for those who will follow.

The governments of the land we now call Canada have made decisions that shaped all of us, often without honouring the original relationships and responsibilities. We commit to walking a path forward that includes everyone in the responsible care of this land—past, present, and future.

We reconcile the harms that have been done, and we reconcile our actions going forward. Through respect we will build trust, and through trust we will build friendship that may one day become kinship. The White Roots of Peace must grow in all directions. Let us bind ourselves together so that we become unbreakable.

We are walking toward the clearing. We now sit, ready to be invited in.”

🌱 2. Short Public‑Meeting Version

Short Version

“We acknowledge that we gather on the ancestral homelands of the First Nations, and we accept our shared responsibility to care for this land and for the generations yet to come. We commit to a path of reconciliation—repairing past harms and shaping a future built on respect, trust, and shared stewardship. May the White Roots of Peace guide us as we work together toward a clearing where all peoples can stand as partners.”

🪶 3. Haudenosaunee‑Specific Version (for Ohsweken and the Confederacy)

Haudenosaunee‑Context Version

“We recognize that we stand within the homelands of the Haudenosaunee, where the Great Law of Peace has guided relationships for generations beyond counting. With this recognition comes a shared duty to care for the land, the waters, and the faces yet to come.

We acknowledge that the governments of the land now called Canada have often acted without honouring the treaties and relationships that were meant to bind our peoples together. Today, we commit to walking a path that restores balance, responsibility, and shared stewardship.

Through respect we build trust; through trust we build friendship; through friendship we may one day become kin. May the White Roots of Peace extend in all directions, drawing us toward the clearing where we can sit together in good mind. We come forward with humility, ready to be invited in.”