Why We Are Taking Our Stand: The Return of the Council Fires

By Rooted Warrior Society | June 2025

The fires are being lit once again.

Across our Nations — Anishinaabe, Dene, Nehiyaw, and beyond — the call is going out: return to the Council Fires. Return to Natural Law. Return to who we are.

We are taking our stand not because we seek confrontation, but because we seek restoration. Restoration of the sacred agreements made between our ancestors and the Creator. Restoration of our relationship with the land and water. Restoration of our own laws, languages, and governance — which were never extinguished, only suppressed.

The Broken Promises of the Crown

The treaties our ancestors signed were not treaties of surrender. They were treaties of peace and coexistence — to share the land in mutual respect, under the laws of the Creator. The Council Fires of our Nations witnessed and upheld these agreements.

But since those treaties were signed, the Canadian state has systematically broken every promise:

• It imposed the Indian Act to control and divide our peoples.

• It created colonial band councils under foreign law.

• It displaced us from our lands and outlawed our ceremonies.

• It exploited the earth beneath our feet, poisoning water and air.

• It silenced our traditional governance — the Council Fires — replacing them with federal administration.

Yet despite these violations, our rights and responsibilities under Natural Law remain. Our laws remain. The Creator’s laws cannot be legislated away.

Why We Are Rising Now

Today we face another wave of exploitation:

• The Ring of Fire development threatens to destroy vast territories of our homelands.

• Pipelines, mining, and clear-cutting continue without free, prior, and informed consent.

• Indian Affairs and the Crown continue to ignore the true spirit of our treaties.

• Our youth are targeted by poverty, systemic racism, and cultural disconnection.

And still they ask us to be silent.

But we say: enough.
The silence they imposed was their weapon. We will be silent no more.

We are taking our stand because it is time for our Nations to govern ourselves once again.
It is time for the Council Fires to return, not in secret, but in strength.

What the Return of the Council Fires Means

• Council Fire governance is based on Natural Law and the wisdom of our ancestors. It is inclusive, accountable, and rooted in ceremony.

• The Council Fires represent the true leadership of our Nations, not imposed federal structures.

• Through the Council Fires, we make decisions as sovereign Peoples — on land protection, cultural revitalization, and the future of our children.

• The Council Fires connect us across territories — from Turtle Island to the north, from the great rivers to the mountains.

Our Path Forward

The Rooted Warrior Society stands in unity with Warrior Societies and traditional leaders from many Nations. Together, we are:
🔥 Reinstating Council Fire systems in our communities.
🔥 Training our youth through rites of passage, land-based camps, and the 7 Sacred Teachings.
🔥 Defending our lands through peaceful direct action rooted in Natural Law.
🔥 Rejecting colonial governance imposed by the Indian Act.
🔥 Building alliances with all who honour the treaties and our sovereignty.

A Call to Our People and Allies

This is not a time for fear — it is a time for unity, courage, and discipline.
We must remember who we are. We must speak with one voice.

To our people: come home to the Council Fires. Bring your medicines, your songs, your knowledge, your prayers. Bring your children. Bring your courage.

To our allies: stand with us in respect. Listen. Learn. Support our actions. Share the truth. Hold your governments accountable.

We are taking our stand not just for ourselves, but for the earth, for future generations, and for the original spirit of the treaties.

The fires are being lit once again. The sleeping giants are waking.

Join us.

- Rooted Warrior Society
Anishinaabe – Dene – Nehiyaw Warrior Societies United