The Reach of a Stolen Childhood

“These truths survived because we carried them. This exhibit gives the public an opportunity to finally listen.” —  Alfred “Lonnie” Johnson, Survivor of the Mohawk Institute

Truth is at the heart of Stolen Childhoods, a Survivor-led exhibition on view at ROM now through October 1, 2026. Created by the Survivors’ Secretariat, it brings together Survivor testimony, archival records, photographs, and multimedia interviews to explore the history and lasting impact of the Mohawk Institute Indian Residential School.

Approximately 150,000 children attended the Indian Residential School System in Canada since 1828. Of those, an estimated 15,000 attended the Mohawk Institute, located an hour south of Toronto in what is now Brantford, Ontario.  Each child was removed from an existing world of community, culture, and kinship and placed in an institution that substituted government and church authority for parental relationships. 

The reach of the institute extended thousands of kilometres, across multiple generations, and into the childhoods of children from more than 60 Indigenous communities and geographic regions. 

Laura Arndt, Lead at Survivors’ Secretariat, is part of the team that helped bring this exhibition together. “Stolen Childhoods brings context to a history of Indian Residential Schools through the lens of the lived experiences of the children who attended. We wanted to create a space for compassionate reflection.” she says. 

The reach of Indian Residential Schools in Canada was not accidental. Their influence expanded over time and was reinforced by coercive, punitive, and legislated measures designed to extend government and church authority over Indigenous Peoples through their children. By 1920, amendments to the Indian Act made attendance compulsory for many Indigenous children. Truant officers were given powers to enforce attendance. Parents who resisted could face fines or imprisonment, while children could be taken to school without a warrant or notification to their families.

These measures were rooted in a broader paternalistic belief that colonial governments and churches had the authority to decide what was best for Indigenous children. What was presented as education became a system of institutional control, forced labour and cultural segregation. 

Stolen Childhoods brings this history together with the lived experiences of the children who endured it. The exhibition centres Survivors testimony and asks visitors to understand not only what happened inside the Mohawk Institute, but how its effects continue to be felt by Survivors and their families today.

“We share our experiences so this history cannot be erased, these injustices cannot be ignored, and what happened to us is never allowed to happen again,” says Sherlene Bomberry, Survivor of the Mohawk Institute

Stolen Childhoods is on view at the Royal Ontario Museum from September 8 to October 1, 2026. Explore the exhibition today.

Tabitha Curley is an Intergenerational Survivor of the Mohawk Institute and owner of Fluid Consulting, a communications firm based in Six Nations.