Ceremonial invitation to the Crown to the pipe, opening the dialogue proposed in G72; fourteen days to answer.
The instrument
GAZETTE NO. 73 — NOTICE OF CEREMONIAL INVITATION
Invitation to the Pipe · Opening of Nation-to-Crown Dialogue
GZT001-260602-000073 [now GZT001-260528-000073] · Issued 2 June 2026
To His Majesty King Charles III, represented in right of Canada by the Attorney General of Canada, and in right of Ontario by the Attorney General of Ontario; and to the Ontario Court of Justice, Brantford Provincial Offences Court:
The Invitation
The Mohawk Nation of Grand River extends to the Crown a formal ceremonial invitation to come to the fire and smoke the pipe together, as the opening of the Nation-to-Crown dialogue proposed in Gazette No. 72 (GZT001-260528-000072). The pipe is the Mohawk Nation’s instrument of peace, good faith, and honest intention. It is offered in that spirit and in that spirit only.
The Basis of the Invitation
The pipe ceremony is not a personal religious practice. It is a formal diplomatic act under customary Mohawk law governing the opening of nation-to-nation engagements. Under Mohawk custom, formal dialogue between nations does not begin without ceremony. The ceremony signals that those who gather do so with honest intention, clear minds, and open hearts. It is the protocol by which the Silver Covenant Chain is renewed and the terms of the Two Row Wampum are reaffirmed.
The Ontario Court of Justice, Brantford, dismissed Gazette No. 70 (Notice of Customary Protocol Deficiency) as a cultural accommodation request. With respect, this instrument demonstrates the error in that characterization. The pipe invitation is not a request for accommodation of personal practice. It is the formal diplomatic prerequisite for the kind of Nation-to-Crown dialogue that Gazette No. 72 proposes. A court that dismissed the protocol deficiency notice as cultural accommodation is now invited to observe the protocol in practice.
What the Invitation Is
The pipe invitation is:
• A formal act of Mohawk customary diplomacy
• An opening of the Silver Covenant Chain renewal process
• A reaffirmation of the Two Row Wampum principle
• An act of good faith preceding the Nation-to-Nation dialogue proposed in Gazette No. 72
• A living demonstration that customary Mohawk law governs the terms of engagement — not an accommodation of personal culture
What the Invitation Is Not
The pipe invitation is not:
• A submission to Ontario’s jurisdiction
• A waiver of any constitutional, legal, or treaty position
• A request for personal religious or cultural accommodation
• Symbolic or ceremonial in the way that accommodation requests are
The Crown’s Response
The Crown is invited to accept this ceremonial invitation by contacting the Office of the Secretary-General. Acceptance will be the formal opening of the dialogue process set out in Gazette No. 72.
If the Crown does not respond to this invitation within fourteen days, or declines it, this Gazette shall be filed with the Ontario Court of Justice, Brantford, as part of the record in matter BR26001881. The Nation records formally that the Crown was invited to come to the fire and did not come. The Protocol Deficiency noted in Gazette No. 70 remains unaddressed. The September 1, 2026 constitutional hearing will proceed on that record.
Entry in the Register
This instrument is entered in the Register of the Mohawk Nation of Grand River Secretariat as Gazette No. 73, GZT001-260528-000073. It is issued in concert with Gazette No. 72 (Formal Offer of Peace). Both instruments are filed with the Ontario Court of Justice, Brantford, in matter BR26001881, and served on the Attorneys General of Canada and Ontario.
Issued under the authority of the Secretary-General, Mohawk Nation of Grand River Secretariat.
/s/Benjamin Doolittle UE
Benjamin Doolittle UE, Secretary-General, Mohawk Nation of Grand River Secretariat
Grand River Territory, Ohsweken, Ontario
Date: 2 June 2026
Two Row Times, Ohsweken · Press of Record
