The Ring of Fire and the Threat to Our Lands

By Rooted Warrior Society | June 2025

Deep in the boreal forests and muskeg of Northern Ontario lies a region known as the Ring of Fire — a vast area rich in minerals like nickel, copper, palladium, and chromite.

But to us — the First Peoples of these lands — this region is more than just a resource. It is home. It is life. It is spirit.

Now, corporate interests backed by government agendas seek to turn this sacred land into an industrial mining zone — one that would bring irreversible harm to the environment, the waters, and the way of life of the Indigenous Nations who have cared for these territories since time immemorial.

We raise our voices today to say: no consent, no Ring of Fire.

What Is the Ring of Fire?

The so-called Ring of Fire is a crescent-shaped mineral deposit in Ontario’s Far North. It lies within the homelands of numerous First Nations, including those of Treaty 9 and beyond.

Mining corporations, with support from the Ontario government and federal backing, are pushing to open this region for large-scale mining projects, including for minerals used in electric vehicle batteries and "green energy" technologies.

They claim this is progress.
They claim this is part of a climate solution.

But their version of "green energy" is still rooted in the same old colonial mindset: take what you want, from Indigenous lands, without free, prior, and informed consent.

Why We Oppose the Ring of Fire

The reasons we stand against this development are many:

🌊 Threat to Water

The Ring of Fire region contains some of the most pristine wetlands and watersheds on Turtle Island. It is part of the James Bay Lowlands — a globally significant carbon sink and a life-giving ecosystem.

Mining here would risk toxic waste entering waterways that flow across Indigenous territories and feed the great rivers of the north. Water is life. We will not allow it to be poisoned.

🐾 Threat to Wildlife and Ecosystems

This land is home to caribou, fish, birds, bears, and countless plant medicines that our people depend on.
The scale of proposed development would fragment habitat and devastate delicate ecosystems that have thrived here for generations.

🪶 Threat to Our Way of Life

For many Indigenous Nations, these lands remain critical for hunting, fishing, trapping, medicine gathering, and ceremony.
Destruction of the land is destruction of culture. It is cultural genocide by another name.

⚖️ Violation of Indigenous Rights

Many affected Nations have not given free, prior, and informed consent for these projects, as required under the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).
Canada and Ontario continue to ignore our laws, our treaties, and our governance systems.

A few corporate agreements signed by Indian Act band councils do not speak for our Nations under Natural Law and true governance.

🛠️ A False Solution to Climate Change

Mining the Ring of Fire in the name of a "green transition" is a lie. True climate solutions do not come from destroying Indigenous lands and violating human rights.

We do not need to sacrifice the North to save the South. The path forward is through Indigenous stewardship, land protection, and respecting the balance of life — not another rush to extract and exploit.

Our Stand

The Rooted Warrior Society stands in unity with the Indigenous Nations of the North and all land defenders resisting the Ring of Fire.

We support:
🔥 Permanent protection of these lands and waters from industrial mining.
🔥 Recognition of Indigenous governance and decision-making under Natural Law and the Council Fires.
🔥 True climate action that respects Indigenous rights and the earth itself.
🔥 Nation-to-Nation dialogue based on respect, not corporate pressure and colonial frameworks.

A Call to Action

To our people:

• Learn about what is happening in the Ring of Fire.

• Stand with the Nations who are defending their lands.

• Reject false solutions that come at the cost of Indigenous rights and ecosystems.

To allies and the wider public:

• Speak out against the Ring of Fire development.

• Pressure your elected officials to honour Indigenous consent and stop this project.

• Support Indigenous-led land protection efforts with your time, resources, and voice.

Water is life. Land is life. Culture is life. No amount of minerals is worth their destruction.

The sleeping giants are waking. The Council Fires are being lit. The land is calling.

We answer that call — with courage, unity, and love for future generations.

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