Creator,
We gather together in gratitude.
We give thanks for Mother Earth beneath our feet, for the forests that have sheltered life through generations, for the waters that travel through our homeland, for the changing seasons, and for every living being that shares this land with us.

As our hunters prepare to enter the bush, we ask that You travel with them.
Guide their footsteps.
Keep their minds clear, their hands steady, and their judgement wise.
Watch over those who wait for them at home, and bring each hunter safely back to family and community.

We give thanks for the moose, the deer, and the other animals whose lives have sustained our families and our people.
May we never take their lives without remembering what has been given.
When an animal is harvested, help us receive that gift with humility.
Let nothing be wasted.
Let what is taken nourish families, Elders, children and community, and let gratitude accompany every part of the harvest.

Creator, we also acknowledge the world in which we now live.
Lines have been drawn across lands that our ancestors travelled long before those lines existed.
Rules and boundaries have been placed upon the harvest, and today we gather within lands and seasons recognized to us by the Crown.
But our responsibility to this land did not begin with those boundaries.
Our responsibility comes from something older.
It comes from our relationship with the land, with the animals, with the waters, with one another, and ultimately with You.
So help us remember that harvesting is not simply a right.
It is a responsibility.
Teach us to take only what can be given.
Teach us to notice when the land is speaking.
Teach us to understand when an animal population needs our restraint, when the forest requires our care, and when the balance asks something different of us.

Mother Earth is changing.
Some changes we understand, and many we do not.
The waters change.
The forests change.
The seasons change.
The animals change their movements, and the Earth continues processes far greater than any one generation can fully understand.
Do not let uncertainty lead us into fear.
Instead, give us the patience to observe, the humility to listen, and the wisdom to adapt.
May we answer the calls of nature as our ancestors did—not believing ourselves to be masters of the land, but understanding ourselves as relatives within it.

And when this harvest is complete and we gather around the table together, may every meal remind us that life sustains life.
May the stories be shared.
May the young listen.
May the old be honoured.
May laughter fill the room.
May those who are absent be remembered.
And may we leave something good behind for those who will gather here long after us.

Creator, thank You for the land.
Thank You for the waters.
Thank You for the animals.
Thank You for the hunters and their families.
Thank You for another season in which we are still able to gather together.
Help us walk gently, harvest respectfully, share generously, and remain in balance as best we know how.

Miigwech, Creator.

All my relations.

Offered with respect by the Mattawa Métis Council

Prepared by Senator Laurence Robitaille

Creator of all life,
Today, we lift our hearts in prayer for Nelson and his family as they mourn the passing of their beloved father.

We give thanks for a father who walked this land, who led, who hunted, who provided, and who shared the gifts of life with those he loved.
We honour the knowledge he carried, the sacrifices he made, and the love and teachings that will continue through his children, grandchildren, and generations yet to come.

As he begins his new journey with the Creator, may he find peace among the ancestors who have walked before him.
May the Creator bring comfort to Nelson and his family, strength in their sorrow, and warmth in the memories they hold close.

As Métis people, we understand that our lives are connected through family, community, the land, and the generations before us. Though our time together in this world is precious, the love we share and the wisdom we pass forward remain part of those who follow.

May we remember that life itself is a gift, that every generation carries responsibilities to the next, and that no journey is walked entirely alone.

Nelson, during this difficult transition, may you and your family find comfort in knowing that your community stands beside you, with open hearts, respect, and love.

With gratitude to the Creator for the life of your father, we honour his journey and the gifts he leaves within all those whose lives he touched.

With heartfelt condolences, prayers, and respect,

The Members of the Mattawa Métis Council

Prepared by Senator Laurence Robitaille