Recovery, Reclamation and Revitalization
Survivor-Led
Trauma-Informed
Community-Involved
Supported by Haudenosaunee Law and Legal Principles
Respect for Nationhood and Nation to Nation Diplomacy
Our Mandate
Death Investigation
The Secretariat has appointed an Indigenous Human Rights Monitor and several Cultural Monitors to oversee the Police Task Force* in their search for the unmarked burials of Indigenous children on over 430 acres of land associated with the Mohawk Institute.
Statement Gathering
Thousands of children were taken to Indian Residential Schools, including the Mohawk Institute. The Secretariat will create opportunities for Survivors and intergenerational Survivors to share their statements to inform the truth in a culturally safe and trauma-informed way.
Research and Documentation
Community Accountability and Advocacy
The Secretariat will report to Survivors, leaders and community members on an ongoing basis and liaises with impacted First Nations by facilitating Nation to Nation dialogues.
Who We Are
The work of the Survivors’ Secretariat is guided directly by Survivors, with the support and assistance of these administrators and experts.
Kimberly R. Murray
Executive Oversight Lead
Dr. Beverly Jacobs
Indigenous Human Rights Monitor
Laura Arndt
Chief Operating Officer
Wendy Hill
Cultural Monitor
Peter Schuler
Cultural Monitor
Latest News
Search for Missing Children to Start
The Survivors’ Secretariat has been working with the Joint Task Force to organize a complete search on the Grounds of the Former Mohawk Institute Residential School.
Survivors’ Secretariat Provides Update on Death Investigation Possibly Associated with Mohawk Institute
The investigation of an unmarked burial found in August 2020 near Glenwood Drive in Brantford, Ontario, is now being reviewed.
What was the Mohawk Institute?
The Mohawk Institute was an Indian Residential School located in Brantford, Ontario. It was run by the Anglican Church of Canada and the Government of Canada from 1828 to 1970, making it the longest operating residential school in Canada. Between 90 and 200 children were forced to attend the school each year. These children were taken from Six Nations and many other First Nations.
The Mohawk Institute was part of Canada’s national Indian residential school system, which was designed to prevent Indigenous parents from passing on their culture, language, practices and beliefs to their children. Instead, the system worked to assimilate the children into the settlers’ white Christian culture. Attendance was mandatory and children were taken from their families, punished for speaking their own language, and forced to adopt Christian beliefs. The food at the Mohawk Institute was so bad that students called it the “Mush Hole.” Many children experienced physical, sexual, emotional and spiritual abuse at residential schools, including the Mohawk Institute. An untold number of children died and the location of their burials is unknown.
Impacted Communities
The Mohawk Institute took children from Six Nations as well as from many other First Nation communities. The Survivors’ Secretariat was created for all Survivors who attended the Mohawk Institute, and for all Six Nations residential school Survivors who may have attended other residential schools in Canada. The map below is a work in progress as we continue to document the school’s impact on Indigenous communities.
