The Woodland Cultural Centre, a recently inaugurated museum located in Brantford, Ontario, was formerly Canada’s longest-operating residential school. The center’s opening coincided with the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, attracting a considerable crowd to the refurbished establishment, focusing on Indigenous language, culture, art, and history.
Attendees at the event expressed various reasons for their presence; some aimed to delve into the past of the former Mohawk Institute, while others sought to pay tribute to their ancestors who were compelled to attend the institution. Over its operational years from 1828 to 1970, around 15,000 children from 60 communities were sent to the residential school under the administration of the Anglican Church and the federal government.
John Moses, accompanied by his cousins Lesley and Patty Davis, emphasized the importance of understanding reconciliation from an Indigenous perspective, stressing the responsibility of non-Indigenous Canadians to acknowledge and accept the true history of the nation. They highlighted the significance of truth-telling by families like theirs.
During their visit to the museum, Moses and his cousins positioned themselves with a framed photo of their relatives taken at the institute in 1943. The photo captured a brief monthly visit allowed by the school. The family members shared that despite their parents’ challenging experiences at the institution, they chose not to be defined by them. Russ, Moses’s father, authored a memoir about his time at the school, while Thelma, the cousins’ mother, advocated for accountability from the Anglican Church for its role in residential schools.
Reflecting on the impact of such schools on Indigenous communities, Lesley emphasized the necessity of acknowledgment, reconciliation, and prevention of such traumas in the future.
The Survivors’ Secretariat reported that at least 105 students perished while at the Mohawk Institute due to various causes, underscoring the need to investigate missing children cases. The Woodland Cultural Centre, established two years after the school’s closure, focused on research and artifact collection, remaining closed for public access until the recent renovations.
Heather George, the center’s executive director, highlighted the tangible evidence within the building, depicting the harsh realities of residential schools and their enduring effects. She expressed hope that the center would serve as a catalyst for visitors to delve deeper into Indigenous history and the contemporary challenges faced by Indigenous communities.
Visitors such as Carol McDonald, Brian Burleigh, and Cathy Mountenay, descendants of a former student, honored the resilience of those who endured hardships at the institute. Brian shared personal experiences of growing up unaware of the residential school system and emphasized the importance of openly embracing Indigenous heritage.
Jessica and Kyle Nguyen, siblings who visited the museum, aimed to deepen their understanding of local Indigenous history after undergoing a course on the histories of marginalized groups. The siblings emphasized the significance of solidarity and allyship among diverse communities by acknowledging and learning from each other’s pasts.
Janis Kahentóktha Bomberry, the former director of the Woodland Cultural Centre, played a pivotal role in the institute’s restoration campaign, emphasizing the need to remember the past atrocities and preserve Indigenous languages. She regarded the language center as a symbolic gesture against attempts to erase Indigenous languages, asserting the resilience and continuity of Indigenous cultures.
Overall, the grand opening of the Woodland Cultural Centre marked a significant step towards promoting truth, reconciliation, and understanding of Indigenous experiences in Canada’s history.