A monument representing the role First Nations Peoples played in the War of 1812 was unveiled today in Thorold.

The Monument of Peace stands at Decew House Heritage Park. The designer wants it to be a place of reflection.

The circle is a powerful symbol of inclusion and protection in Native cultures.

That’s what the First Nations Warriors offered Canadian heroine Laura Secord after her long journey to warn the British about an impending American attack during the War of 1812.

Secord encountered the First Nations people right here, in modern day Thorold.

Now this monument stands so that Canadians not only remember the sacrifice of Secord, but of the First Nations who helped save our land from Americans.

The monuments designer, Douglas Cardinal, says its curved walls are symbols of longhouses that open to the east and west. Embedded in the walls are two graphic wampum belts, representing the restoration of peace between the Native allies and the British after the War of 1812. In the middle there is a hearth for sacred fire.

The designer of this monument says he wanted to create a space where people can sit and reflect.

The pathway to the monument leads to a circular garden planted with a single white pine tree.

The white pine is the symbolic tree of peace of the iroquois nations. white cedars were also planted to honour the strength and importance of first nations women, who were often the decision makers in the family.