First Nations Peace Monument, 2350 Decew Road, Thorold, ON
Excerpt from gncc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/First-Nations-Peace-Mo...:
Many are aware that First Nations peoples were present when European settlers arrived, but few recognize the important role that they played in the forging of the nation we now know as Canada. The relationships amongst these groups were often fractious and unfair, but First Nations still made enormous sacrifices alongside the British and their allies, successfully defending our collective borders at huge cost. These battles, often fought in allegiance with First Nations warriors, produced enormous benefits for settlers sympathetic to the Crown.
Though these important partnerships were initially recognized in the form of covenants and treaties, the spirit of these agreements was not always respected in the long term, and the pivotal roles of First Nations in the building of Canada were diminished in our collective conscience. Written narratives and built monuments of the settlers supplanted the oral histories and nature-based symbolism of the native peoples. Economic and political marginalization and misguided attempts at cultural assimilation further diminished our understanding of the enormous contributions that First Nations peoples made to the founding of Canada.
Canadians are starting to realize the vital importance of recognizing, acknowledging, and honouring the contributions of First Nations, and of the critical importance of reconciliation with First Nations communities.
To help accomplish these goals, this project integrates a physical monument encompassing traditional aboriginal motifs and modern architectural symbolism, First Nations oral and visual storytelling traditions, and a state of the art digital interpretive experience within a historically important and beautiful landscape setting.
The small but highly symbolic limestone monument will amplify upon a well-known Canadian story to generate a deeper understanding of the important role First Nations played in the building of Canada.
The monument will stand in DeCew House Heritage Park in Thorold, Ontario, close to the site Canadian heroine Laura Secord first encountered First Nations warriors in DeCew’s Field late in her fateful journey. They escorted her the final kilometer of her courageous trek to DeCew House to warn the British forces of an impending American invasion. Following her warning, British and First Nations forces were able to mount an offensive that resulted in a definitive defeat of the American invaders in the Battle of Beaverdams, arguably changing the course of Canadian history.
But instead of merely re-telling the familiar but very incomplete Eurocentric narrative of Laura Secord’s famous trek, this monument helps reveal the central role of the Haudenosaunee and other allies in the pivotal Battle of Beaverdams. The battle was fought almost entirely by First Nations forces from Kahnawà:ke and the Grand River who took on the numerically dominant and better-armed American opponents in defence of Canadian territory. These intertwined narratives dramatically illustrate how the often uneasy relationship between First Nations peoples and European settlers could be galvanized, under common threat, into a powerful and genuine allegiance to defend their collective national boundaries.
Douglas Cardinal (Siksika [Blackfoot]), is celebrated for his signature architectural style comprised of curvaceous lines, organic forms, and nature-inspired aesthetics. He has generously donated his detailed design concept to this project, and will oversee the development of the monument to completion.
Cardinal’s design is a distinctive and highly symbolic circular monument made of solid limestone. The circle is a powerful symbol of welcoming, inclusion, and protection in many Native cultures. The protective curved walls are abstract symbols of Haudenosaunee longhouses that open to the East and West, with a central hearth. The fire, a translucent sphere, also represents the sun. The glowing orb that symbolizes the fire will emit rays of light in all directions reminiscent of the campfires of the Haudenosaunee and First Nations allies and the energy of the sun.
Embedded within the walls of the monument will be two graphic wampum belt symbols - the Hiawatha Wampum Belt, which expresses the Haudenosaunee Great Law of Peace, and the William Claus Pledge of the Crown Wampum Belt which symbolizes the restoration of peace and relations among Native allies and the British following the War of 1812.
First Nations Peace Monument, 2350 Decew Road, Thorold, ON
Excerpt from gncc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/First-Nations-Peace-Mo...:
Many are aware that First Nations peoples were present when European settlers arrived, but few recognize the important role that they played in the forging of the nation we now know as Canada. The relationships amongst these groups were often fractious and unfair, but First Nations still made enormous sacrifices alongside the British and their allies, successfully defending our collective borders at huge cost. These battles, often fought in allegiance with First Nations warriors, produced enormous benefits for settlers sympathetic to the Crown.
Though these important partnerships were initially recognized in the form of covenants and treaties, the spirit of these agreements was not always respected in the long term, and the pivotal roles of First Nations in the building of Canada were diminished in our collective conscience. Written narratives and built monuments of the settlers supplanted the oral histories and nature-based symbolism of the native peoples. Economic and political marginalization and misguided attempts at cultural assimilation further diminished our understanding of the enormous contributions that First Nations peoples made to the founding of Canada.
Canadians are starting to realize the vital importance of recognizing, acknowledging, and honouring the contributions of First Nations, and of the critical importance of reconciliation with First Nations communities.
To help accomplish these goals, this project integrates a physical monument encompassing traditional aboriginal motifs and modern architectural symbolism, First Nations oral and visual storytelling traditions, and a state of the art digital interpretive experience within a historically important and beautiful landscape setting.
The small but highly symbolic limestone monument will amplify upon a well-known Canadian story to generate a deeper understanding of the important role First Nations played in the building of Canada.
The monument will stand in DeCew House Heritage Park in Thorold, Ontario, close to the site Canadian heroine Laura Secord first encountered First Nations warriors in DeCew’s Field late in her fateful journey. They escorted her the final kilometer of her courageous trek to DeCew House to warn the British forces of an impending American invasion. Following her warning, British and First Nations forces were able to mount an offensive that resulted in a definitive defeat of the American invaders in the Battle of Beaverdams, arguably changing the course of Canadian history.
But instead of merely re-telling the familiar but very incomplete Eurocentric narrative of Laura Secord’s famous trek, this monument helps reveal the central role of the Haudenosaunee and other allies in the pivotal Battle of Beaverdams. The battle was fought almost entirely by First Nations forces from Kahnawà:ke and the Grand River who took on the numerically dominant and better-armed American opponents in defence of Canadian territory. These intertwined narratives dramatically illustrate how the often uneasy relationship between First Nations peoples and European settlers could be galvanized, under common threat, into a powerful and genuine allegiance to defend their collective national boundaries.
Douglas Cardinal (Siksika [Blackfoot]), is celebrated for his signature architectural style comprised of curvaceous lines, organic forms, and nature-inspired aesthetics. He has generously donated his detailed design concept to this project, and will oversee the development of the monument to completion.
Cardinal’s design is a distinctive and highly symbolic circular monument made of solid limestone. The circle is a powerful symbol of welcoming, inclusion, and protection in many Native cultures. The protective curved walls are abstract symbols of Haudenosaunee longhouses that open to the East and West, with a central hearth. The fire, a translucent sphere, also represents the sun. The glowing orb that symbolizes the fire will emit rays of light in all directions reminiscent of the campfires of the Haudenosaunee and First Nations allies and the energy of the sun.
Embedded within the walls of the monument will be two graphic wampum belt symbols - the Hiawatha Wampum Belt, which expresses the Haudenosaunee Great Law of Peace, and the William Claus Pledge of the Crown Wampum Belt which symbolizes the restoration of peace and relations among Native allies and the British following the War of 1812.