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Remember Honour Renew is a new work by Six Nations artist David M. General, exploring the 325-year history of the 1701 Treaty of Montreal through the Indigenous record provided by the Dish with One Spoon Wampum Belt.
The bronze sculpture incorporates symbols connected to the Thanksgiving Address, the Seven Grandfather Teachings and the offering of Beavertail, while messages inscribed into the granite base help communicate the meaning behind the work.
Together, these elements invite Indigenous and non-Indigenous people to consider their roles as treaty partners.
Located at McMaster University’s DeGroote School of Business in Hamilton, Ontario, Remember Honour Renew is the latest work by celebrated Indigenous artist David M. General, a member of Six Nations of the Grand River.
The sculpture draws on the Dish with One Spoon, an Indigenous agreement centred on sharing and caring for the land and its resources. Through its shape, symbols and surface details, David brings that history into the present and encourages people to think about their responsibilities to one another and the land.
Its interior surfaces feature symbols relating to the Thanksgiving Address, Seven Grandfather Teachings and offering of Beavertail. On the exterior, pottery designs represent the earth, while celestial domes around the rim represent the heavens.
The form of the sculpture is significant too.
The Dish is shown in four separate sections, with a wave of hands reaching across them. For David, these hands represent the cooperation and commitment needed from Indigenous and non-Indigenous people to raise the four components and restore the Dish to a functioning vessel.
Granite plays an important supporting role in the finished piece. HGH Granite supplied the Bahama Blue granite used for the substantial base, which carries inscriptions helping to communicate the story and intent of the sculpture.
Our team also installed the finished work at McMaster University, carefully bringing together the granite and sculptural elements in their new home.
Remember Honour Renew continues a long creative relationship between HGH Granite and David M. General. Previous collaborations include Eagles Among Us at Battlefield Park and Maanjidowin (The Gathering) at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport.
Through those very different works, we’ve seen how David uses granite alongside sculpture, symbolism and storytelling to create pieces deeply connected to Indigenous culture, history and the land.
Remember Honour Renew continues that story, inviting everyone who encounters it to remember, honour and consider their part in renewal.
