That the Secretariat of the Mohawk Nation of Grand River hereby enters in the Register the directive for the Reclamation and Preservation of His Majesty’s Chapel of the Mohawks, issued by the Secretary-General on 5 December 2024.
The instrument
Gazette No. 52 — Directive for Reclamation and Preservation of His Majesty’s Chapel of the Mohawks
3 April 2026 (Date of Registration)
Gazette No.: GZT001-262005-000052
Register Entry No.: REG001-262005-000052
Tracking Code: SG0301-050000-000051 Status: Perfected — Registered and Published
Category / Class: Category 20 — Ecclesiastical Law · Class 05 — Directive
NOTICE OF RETROSPECTIVE REGISTRATION
Directive for Reclamation and Preservation of His Majesty’s Chapel of the Mohawks
Retrospective entry under Rule 11 of the Rules of the Register. Original directive code: SG0311-241205-00001. Date of registration: 3 April 2026.
That the Secretariat of the Mohawk Nation of Grand River hereby enters in the Register the directive for the Reclamation and Preservation of His Majesty’s Chapel of the Mohawks, issued by the Secretary-General on 5 December 2024.
PURPOSE AND SCOPE
The Chapel directive established the formal administrative and institutional mandate for the reclamation and preservation of His Majesty’s Chapel of the Mohawks at 301 Mohawk Street, Brantford, within the Grand River Territory. The directive addresses the Chapel’s status as a free chapel of exempt jurisdiction answering to the Crown, not to the Anglican Diocese of Niagara, and asserts the Nation’s prior and continuing interest in the Chapel as a national institution.
The directive established: the governance framework for the Chapel under the Nation’s authority; the preservation mandate for the Chapel building, grounds, and the tomb of Joseph Brant (Thayendanegea); the Manor Roll function of the Chapel as the Nation’s Book of Life; the role of the Chapel registers (maintained from 1786) as primary constitutional evidence in the Birth and Heritage Registry; and the directive for immediate action to restore the Chapel and its national objects under the Nation’s custodial authority.
RELATIONSHIP TO REGISTER ENTRIES
This directive is the originating act of which the Declaration of Interest — Her Majesty’s Chapel of the Mohawks (GZT001-050300-000002 [placeholder — instrument to be identified]) is the Register’s record. The directive preceded the formal constitution of the Register; this retrospective entry enters it in the record alongside the Declaration of Interest.
NOTE ON RECENT ACTIONS
Recent attempts by the Six Nations Elected Council to assert control over the Chapel are noted in the Secretariat’s records. The Nation’s position, as established by this directive and formalized in the Declaration of Interest, is that the Chapel answers to the Crown and to the Nation as parties to the covenant relationship — not to a band council constituted under the Indian Act.
EXECUTION
Executed under the authority of the Secretariat of the Mohawk Nation of Grand River.
Secretary-General
Date
NINE DIRECTIVES FOR IMMEDIATE ACTION
1. Restoration of Ownership:The Mohawk Nation of GrandRiver shall formally reclaim possession of His Majesty’s Chapel of the Mohawks, along with the Queen Anne Bible, silver communion set, and other national objects currently held by the Six Nations Elected Council. 2. Exclusive Use and Enjoyment:The Mohawk Nation shallresume full control over the immediate grounds surrounding the Chapel, including the tomb of Joseph Brant, ensuring that no commercial entities may operate on these lands without
FORMAL DEMAND FOR DISESTABLISHMENT — DIOCESE OF HURON
e hereby formally demand that the Huron Diocese disestablish any claims over the Mohawk W church, which stands as a free chapel under the jurisdiction and heritage of the Mohawk Nation of Grand River. The church, its lands, and its practices are exclusively governed by the Mohawk Nation and are not subject to external ecclesiastical authority. We assert our right to self-determination in all spiri
CANON 12 REFERENCE AND ACCOUNTABILITY DEMAND
We acknowledge the existence ofCanon 12: New Ministries,Partnerships, Realignment, Reorganization, Re-designation, Disestablishment, and Administration of Parishes and Congregations of the Diocesewithin the governanceframework of the Diocese of Huron. While this canon outlines the processes for dise
The Mohawk Nation asserts that all diocesan certificates, ceremonies, and activities carried out at the Chapel under diocesan authority are null and void. The Diocese of Huron is formally demanded to disestablish all claims, provide full financial accounting, and cease all activity at the Chapel immediately.
CERTIFICATION OF THE REGISTRAR GENERAL
I certify that this instrument has been duly received, examined, and entered in the Register of the Nation of the Mohawk Nation of Grand River Secretariat as a retrospective entry under Rule 11 of the Rules of the Register.
Gazette No.: GZT001-261205-000052 [now GZT001-262005-000052]
Register Entry No.: REG001-261205-000052
Original Directive Code: SG0311-241205-00001
Original Date of Issue: 5 December 2024
Nature of Entry: Retrospective — Rule 11
Registrar General
Date of Registration
This instrument forms part of the permanent record of the Secretariat.
Mohawk Nation of Grand River · Grand River Territory
