MOHAWK INSTITUTE: Plan to renovate former residential school

By Michelle Ruby
Brantford Expositor
March 31, 2014

http://www.brantfordexpositor.ca/2014/03/31/mohawk-institute-plan-to-renovate-former-residential-school

A $5-million fundraising campaign soon will be launched to renovate the deteriorating Mohawk Institute, a former Indian residential school on Mohawk Street.

The Saving the Evidence campaign was kicked off Sunday by Six Nations Elected Chief Coun. Ava Hill.

The Anglican Church ran the former Mohawk Institute, now the Woodland Cultural Centre, from the 1830s until 1970, housing children from Six Nations, along with some from reserves including New Credit, Moraviantown, Sarnia, Walpole Island, Muncey, Scugog, Stoney Point, Saugeen, Bay of Quinte, and Kahnawake.

In an effort to assimilate them, about 150,000 aboriginal children were forced to leave their communities to attend residential schools across the country, which were funded by the Department of Indian Affairs.

Many former students have described suffering physical, sexual and emotional abuse at the school. Many died while attending the schools. The poor quality of food served to students at the Mohawk Institute led to the school's nickname, the Mush Hole.

“This was our holocaust,” said Paula Whitlow, director of Woodland Cultural Centre. “It needs to be remembered and never forgotten.”

Hill said it's important for mainstream Canada to understand the history of residential schools.

“They need to understand what happened to our people by the government of the day. It is to blame for many of the social problems still being experienced today.”

The Mohawk Institute was operated by the Anglican Church of Canada from its founding as the Mechanics' Institute in 1928 until 1969 when control was handed over to the Canadian federal government.

Fire destroyed the first two school buildings and the current building was constructed in 1904.

Community consultations were held last fall to determine whether survivors wanted to preserve the former Mohawk Institute.

“A lot of other schools have been torn down because it's just too painful,” said Whitlow.

Mohawk Institute is the oldest former residential school in the country. Whitlow said the building has been deteriorating for decades. The roof is in particular disrepair with the cost to fix it estimated at $1 million. Leaking into the building required the evacuation of the third floor in February.

Six Nations council is contributing $220,000 toward the roof repairs. Hill said she will be approaching churches and local business and industry to contribute. Government funding also will be sought.

“Woodland has no money for huge renovations and has been putting up Band-Aids for the past 40 years,” said Whitlow.

A part-time employee will be hired in June to head the fundraising campaign.

Among other planned renovations is replacement of windows and returning, where possible, the original features of the building, some of which have been covered over.

Whitlow said she envisions multiple interpretive areas that would give visitors an accurate glimpse at what life was like at the school. She said survivors of the school will be consulted at all stages of the renovation.

A commemorative marker made of cast bronze will be installed on the site of the former Mohawk Institute in the summer. It is one of the 139 recognized Indian residential schools in Canada to receive a marker, designed through a collaboration of five Aboriginal artists.

The marker is shaped to represent a hand drum and features an engraved braid design representing the cutting of children's hair -- the first act of assimilation forced upon new students at residential school -- and the symbolic loss of cultural ties.

There also will be a motion brought forward at a Six Nations council meeting on April 8 to designate the Mohawk Institute as the first Six Nations National Historical Site.