Brief

The Mohawk Institute Indian Residential School operated in Brantford, Ontario from 1828 to 1970. It served as a boarding school for First Nations children from Six Nations, as well as other communities throughout Ontario and Quebec. It served as a key tool in the effort to assimilate First Nations children into European Christian society and sever the continuity of culture from parent to child. After closing in 1970, it reopened in 1972 as the Woodland Cultural Centre, a non-profit organization that serves to preserve and promote First Nations culture and heritage.

A virtual tour of the former Mohawk Institute Residential School is being provided by the Woodland Cultural Centre. The tour gives the history of the school from when it opened in 1831, until it closed in 1970. Participants will see different rooms in the school, from the meeting room, the girls’ and boys’ dorms, the third floor, cafeteria, and various rooms in the basement. After the presentation participants will have the opportunity to ask questions or share comments with the Cultural Interpreter.

Save the Evidence is a campaign to raise awareness and support for the restoration of the former Mohawk Institute Residential School, and to develop the building into an Interpreted Historic Site and Educational Resource. As a site of conscience, the final goal is to create a fully realized Interpretive Centre that will be the destination for information about the history of Residential Schools in Canada, the experiences of Survivors of the schools, and the impact that the Residential School system has had on our communities.