A 100 acres returned to the North American Indigenous Center (NAIC) led by Iakowi:he’ne’ Oakes–the sacred keeper of sovereignty, a guardian of memory and land, is returned as symbol of peace and reconciliation among Black and Indgenous Peoples. The return of this land as envisioned by Restore Forward and The Reconciliation Center’s founder and CEO, Farah Tanis  is meant to represent a living legacy of the People of the Flint—Mohawk, Haudenosaunee, and generations whose footsteps shaped the soil beneath us. In partnership and reconciliation NAIC and TRC dedicate this land moving ancient instructions forward, not as relic but as rhythm—as heartbeat, as smoke rising from the sacred fires of Black and Indigenous ancestors, as a call to remember who we are and a call to remember the original stewards of the land.

This space will invite all who enter to bear witness, to sit in humility, and to walk in right relation. This space will be  forged in the spirit of Iakowi:he’ne’, her people and their ancestors—where language is medicine, where women lead as they always have, and where land is not owned, but honored.