In the foyer of the former Mohawk Institute residential school, a plaque makes a request to visitors: help us identify unnamed survivors. “We do not know the names of some of the people in the photos used in the exhibition. If you recognize someone, please share that information.” Similar requests are dotted throughout the museum, near photographs of the First Nations children who attended the school. Some show the youngsters labouring outdoors in identical colourless clothing; others show them back home with family members. For most of its existence – from 1828 to 1970 – the building in Brantford, Ontario, about 100km south-east of Toronto, was part of a network of institutions set up under a policy to “eliminate” First Nations in Canada as a distinct cultural group.
Conditions were brutal: children were punished – and sometimes beaten with a strap – for speaking Indigenous languages. Meals consisted of watery oatmeal; one survivor described being beaten for picking an apple to eat. Those who tried to escape were kept in solitary confinement for days. Sexual abuse by school staff was rampant. Last year, the building reopened its doors as a museum, with the mission of documenting both the realities of the residential school system and the long shadow cast by Canada’s colonial structures. During the 140 years the school was in operation, thousands of children passed through its doors.
Reclaiming Sites of Trauma
Across the country, survivors of the residential schools continue to make decisions on what to do with the physical spaces where horrific events took place. That question has been raised all over the world, from Poland – where the former Nazi death camp Auschwitz-Birkenau has been transformed into a museum and memorial – to Cambodia, where a notorious interrogation centre has been turned into a museum on the Khmer Rouge genocide. In Brantford, survivors voted in 2013 to reclaim the school site.
“I am really grateful that the decision was made to keep the building,” said Heather George, the executive director of the Woodland Cultural centre, an Indigenous education centre that owns the school site. George says everything the centre does – from Indigenous art and languages, to social dancing and opening the school as a museum – is a form of protest against the goals of the residential school system. Most days, students from local schools visit the centre to learn about what happened at the institute.
Why Preservation Matters
The metamorphosis of the Mohawk Institute is all the more notable for coming amid what academics and activists describe as a “backsliding” in reconciliation: residential school deniers downplay the abuses of the residential schools, arguing that the institutions benefited Indigenous children. Meanwhile, the sovereignty of First Nations has come under increasing threat from new fast-tracked infrastructure legislation. Turning these sites into museums ensures the truth is preserved for future generations.
Key benefits of reclaiming residential school sites include:
- Preserving survivor testimony – ensuring the historical record cannot be erased.
- Education for younger generations – local students visit to learn about systemic abuses.
- Cultural revitalization – centres like Woodland offer language classes, art exhibitions, and social dancing.
- Healing and closure – survivors and their families reclaim ownership of painful spaces.
Challenges in the Reconciliation Process
Despite these efforts, the path to full reconciliation remains fraught. Residential school deniers have gained traction online, spreading misinformation that the schools were beneficial. Indigenous groups also face legal and legislative hurdles as Canada fast-tracks infrastructure projects that threaten treaty lands. The museum at the Mohawk Institute actively works to counteract these narratives by documenting the long shadow cast by Canada’s colonial structures.
The museum is still attempting to identify those who appear in the photographs in its collection, but it is likely that many will go unnamed. Visitors are encouraged to help identify survivors, a poignant reminder that the legacy of these institutions is not yet fully documented.
FAQ: Canada’s Residential School Reclamation
What is the Mohawk Institute residential school?
The Mohawk Institute in Brantford, Ontario, operated from 1828 to 1970 as part of Canada’s residential school system. It was designed to assimilate Indigenous children by erasing their languages, cultures, and identities. Conditions included physical punishment, malnutrition, and widespread sexual abuse.
How are survivors reclaiming these sites?
Survivors and their communities have voted to transform former school buildings into museums and cultural centres. The Woodland Cultural Centre now runs the Mohawk Institute site, offering educational programs, art exhibitions, and language classes as a form of protest and healing.
Why is it important to preserve residential school buildings?
Preserving these buildings serves as a tangible reminder of historical atrocities and prevents denialism. It also provides a space for truth-telling, education, and cultural revitalization. Similar memorials exist at Auschwitz-Birkenau and Cambodia’s Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum.
