Stewarding the Wampum: Libraries affirm treaty responsibilities through ceremony and shared commitments

Libraries have long been places of shared learning, communal spaces where knowledge is gathered, cared for and passed forward. As institutions responsible for stewarding knowledge, they also play a role in how relationships to land, history and community are understood. During Treaties Recognition Week, the University of Waterloo Libraries community reflected on this responsibility and affirmed its commitments to honouring Indigenous laws, teachings and relationships.

On November 6, 2025, Indigenous staff, faculty, students and leadership gathered with library staff at the Dana Porter Library for a ceremony focused on the Dish With One Spoon and Two Row Wampum agreements. These wampum belts express some of the earliest and most enduring diplomatic relationships between Indigenous Nations, and between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples on Turtle Island.

Teachings were shared by Jay Havens, a two-spirit multimedia artist, professor in the Faculty of Arts, and Mohawk Bear Clan citizen from Six Nations of the Grand River, and Myeengun Henry, Knowledge Keeper in the Faculty of Health and member and former Chief of Deshkan Ziibiing (Chippewas of the Thames First Nation).

Havens offered an expansive history of the Two Row Wampum, emphasizing its relevance today, especially within institutions such as universities. Havens shared how, before accepting their role at the University of Waterloo, they created a personal wampum belt as a parallel agreement to their employment contract, affirming mutual responsibility and ethical relationship. This model, grounded in Indigenous diplomacy, inspired all present.

Henry spoke to the Dish With One Spoon covenant, guiding participants to situate themselves within the history of this territory and its ecological teachings. He reminded those gathered that the Dish teaches us to share the land in peace, and the Spoon teaches us to take only what we need. “This is about remembering our humanity, responsibilities to one another, and mostly to our first mother the Earth,” Henry said.

Following the teachings, library leadership was invited to affirm their commitments. Beth Namachchivaya, university librarian, responded, “On behalf of the University of Waterloo Libraries, I am honoured to accept the responsibility of stewarding these teachings. We commit to walking alongside Indigenous communities, to supporting Indigenous initiatives and to ensuring knowledge is shared with care, respect, and reciprocity.”

Jude Doble, associate university librarian, added, “These wampum belts will serve as a daily reminder of our responsibilities — to protect the land, share knowledge responsibly, reduce harm, and ensure equitable access to resources.”

A sharing circle followed, led by Kevin George, Sturgeon Clan from Kettle and Stony Point First Nation and associate director, Indigenous initiatives in the Libraries. “This work is for Indigenous people, and must always be done with Indigenous people,” George said. “Stewarding the wampum is a collective responsibility. It must be a community decision.”

Participants voiced their support and appreciation, and the gathering concluded with a pipe ceremony, a formal dedication of the wampum, gift exchange and giveaway.

Teachings of the wampum belts

The Dish With One Spoon is a covenant originally formed between nations within the Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabe confederacies to share and care for the land together. The Dish represents the land from which all life is sustained; the Spoon teaches restraint, balance and shared responsibility. There are no knives at the dish, symbolizing peace.

The Two Row Wampum, first recorded between the Haudenosaunee Confederacy and Dutch representatives in the 1600s, uses two parallel rows of purple beads to symbolize two vessels travelling side-by-side down the same river, each with its own laws, ways of life and responsibilities. The rows do not cross, expressing non-interference, mutual respect and peaceful coexistence. Three white rows of beads represent peace, friendship and respect.

Both agreements were originally established in perpetuity, to be upheld as long as the grass grows, rivers flow and sun shines.

Ongoing commitments in the Libraries

The Libraries’ work toward decolonization continues through relationship-building, offering safe spaces for ceremony, expanding Indigenous-led programming, improving access to Indigenous scholarship, highlighting and amplifying Indigenous voices and ways of knowing and bringing Indigenous art and cultural presence into library spaces. The role of associate director, Indigenous initiatives was created in 2024 to guide this collective work.

The wampum belts will be cared for according to Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabe ceremonial protocols and displayed in Dana Porter Library as long as the commitments to their teachings are upheld. The agreement will be revisited and reaffirmed each year.