Woodland Cultural Centre

2026 Governors Awards

The Woodland Cultural Centre has been awarded a National Trust Governors Award for their conservation and interpretation of the former Mohawk Institute. 

The Mohawk Institute was the longest-running residential school in Canada, opening in 1828 as a day school for boys, and as a co-ed boarding school by 1834. It closed in 1970 after 15,000 children from over 60 communities across Canada had been forced to attend. 

The Woodland Cultural Centre was established in October 1972 following the Mohawk Institute’s closure. Now one of the largest cultural facilities in Canada managed by First Nations, the Centre cares for more than 50,000 artifacts telling the story of Hodinohsho:ni people of the Eastern Woodlands. 

As one of only a handful of residential school buildings still standing in Canada, the Mohawk Institute is a physical reminder of the legacy of residential schools on First Nations people in Canada. After extensive preparation, the building was opened to the public on September 30, 2025 on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.  

The National Trust Board of Governors chose to highlight this project as an outstanding example of Indigenous leadership to promote care and understanding of the past.