NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE, Ontario, Sept. 27, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The First Nations Peace Monument, designed by world-renowned architect and human rights activist Douglas Cardinal, will be unveiled in DeCew House Heritage Park in Thorold on October 7 at 1:00 p.m. Members of the public are cordially invited to participate in this historic ceremony.

The First Nations Peace Monument is intended to generate a deeper understanding of the rich heritage and ongoing history of First Nations peoples, and illuminate the founding role they played in the development of Canada. It also provides an opportunity to acknowledge transgressions and help mend divisions that extend back to our earliest shared history, in a spirit of mutual respect and reconciliation.

DeCew House Heritage Park was the final destination of Canadian heroine Laura Secord in her journey to warn British and allied leadership of an impending American attack during the War of 1812. Secord encountered First Nations warriors in nearby DeCew’s Field, who assisted her in conveying her message to the British commander.

October 7 is an auspicious date for us to recognize our shared history. It is both a celebration of harvest and Thanksgiving, as well as the 254th anniversary of the Royal Proclamation of 1763 issued by George III, which set out the core elements between First Nations and the Crown - an important first step in recognizing existing Aboriginal rights, land title, and the right to self-determination in Canada.

About the First Nations Peace Monument

The distinctive design of this compelling architectural sculpture is consistent with Douglas Cardinal’s designs elsewhere in North America, including the iconic Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau and First Nations University in Regina. Its flowing circular organic form is carved out of blocks of solid limestone, nested firmly in the surrounding landscape. The circle is a powerful symbol of welcoming, inclusion, and protection in Native cultures, and the curved walls of the monument are abstract symbols of Haudenosaunee longhouses that open to the East and West.  A central hearth, surrounded by seating, is represented by a translucent glowing glass sphere symbolizing the sun. The sphere was handcrafted by world-renowned master glassblower Angelo Rossi, a Niagara Falls, Ontario based artisan.

Embedded in the walls of the monument are 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 peaceful relations among Native allies and the British following the War of 1812. A pathway from the monument will lead to a circular garden planted with a single white pine tree – the symbolic Tree of Peace of the Iroquois nations. Three white cedars will also be planted onsite to honour the abiding strength and importance of First Nations women.

The monument design was gifted by Douglas Cardinal.                                                            

This project is funded in part by the Government of Canada.

Thanks to generous support from the Rick Hansen Foundation ‘Access4All’ 150 Signature Initiative (supported by the Government of Canada), http://www.rickhansen.com/Access4All, the monument is also fully accessible.

Generous additional support was provided by Rankin Construction Inc., Walker Industries, Ontario Power Generation, Quartek Group, Ontario 150, and a host of other organizations, groups and individuals.

The Friends of Laura Secord is a not-for-profit community group which was formally established in October 2010 to preserve, strengthen and perpetuate the legacy of Canadian heroine Laura Secord.

Further information on the First Nations Peace Monument is available at http://bit.ly/2npiknu.

An online invitation to the opening ceremony is at http://bit.ly/2wWDQTE.

Downloadable images and logos are available for media use online at http://bit.ly/FLS-Media.

Douglas Cardinal's website is available at http://www.djcarchitect.com/.

Contact person: Caroline McCormick
President, Friends of Laura Secord 
cmccormick@friendsoflaurasecord.com
289-241-8236