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Mohawk Nation of Grand River

How to Check a Document of the Nation

The proof travels with the paper: check it yourself, in a minute, without asking the Nation.

For a bank, a school, a border, a police service or a court · From Book XXVI of the National Books, The Verifier’s Handbook

The document, part by part

CERTIFICATE OF THE RECORD RGF001-261026-000001 THE PERSONTHE RECORD First nameMiddle name(s)LAST NAMERecordMade byStanding today Kahontáweh—SPECIMENA resident’s recordThe Registrar GeneralIn force Registrar General · Jesse Butler UE · 26 October 2026 SHA-256 9f2a…c41e /e/RGF001-261026-000001/KQ7M-W3XA 12345

Tap a number on the specimen, or in the key, to see that part alone. The name, the code and the marks are drawn for the poster.

What each part is

1
The Seal: the Nation’s emblem, from its master artwork and never redrawn. Only the Secretariat applies it to an official act.
2
The Record Code: one identifier in three blocks, in a face where a 0 is never an O.
3
The standing today: in force, expired, suspended or revoked. Shown by /verify/, never by the paper alone.
4
The fingerprint: a SHA-256 hash of the content. Change one letter and it changes completely.
5
The Edge Mark: a rail of notches in two inks, the first party’s signature and the Registry’s, with its check address beneath.

The Record Code, in three blocks

RGF001-261026-000001
FAMILYthe kind of record: a resident, a passport, a map, a filing
YYMMDDthe day it was made: 26 October 2026
NNNNNNits number that day, from 000001

The four standings

In forceExpiredSuspendedRevoked

Only /verify/ tells you the standing. A credential revoked an hour ago shows as revoked now. The paper cannot know.

Rule. A Nation document is never proven by its look alone. Paper can be copied; its standing and its signatures cannot.

Three ways to check, from the quickest to the most thorough

1
By its Record Code
/verify/
  1. Type the code exactly as printed.
  2. Read what the document is, and its standing today.
  3. Compare the name and details with the paper.

Low reliance: a form, a letter

2
By its Edge Mark
/edge-scan/, on any phone
  1. Hold the phone over the rail of notches.
  2. It reads them, fetches the signatures, and checks each with the signer’s own key.
  3. Green tick: genuine and in force. Red cross: altered or not genuine.
Genuine and
in force

Ordinary reliance: an ID, a certificate

3
By its Ledger entry
/ledger/, anchored in Bitcoin
  1. Search the Ledger by the code.
  2. Read each step in the document’s life, with its fingerprint.
  3. Check the day’s anchor with any OpenTimestamps tool.

High reliance: court, border, money

Try it: does a code have the Nation’s shape?

The shape is only the first test. The Register’s own check page tells you what the document is and its standing today.

How far should you go?

Use as many of the three as the reliance you are placing on the document requires: the first for a form or a letter, the first two for an ID or a certificate, all three for a court, a border or money. The red flags, the words used and how the Nation’s checks compare are in The Verifier’s Handbook, Book XXVI.

The printed poster

Download the poster as printed, A3, full quality: how-to-check.pdf