The Woodland Cultural Centre is marking a significant milestone with its current exhibit, Four Decades of the Centre – A History of Our Collection, profiled by reporter Lauren Baron in this week’s Brant News Entertainment section.

Even after its 40 years in operation, we’re willing to bet not all Brant residents know the tremendous resources the Woodland Cultural Centre offers our community, as well as all of Canada.

Established in 1972 and located on Six Nations territory in the City of Brantford, the Mohawk Street facility is an educational and cultural centre that works to “protect, promote, interpret, and present the history, language, intellect and cultural heritage” of First Nations peoples, with a significant focus on the Eastern Woodlands area.

Take a visit to the Woodland Cultural Centre and there’s a good chance you’ll learn much you may not have known about First Nations peoples before.

Woodland’s museum building allows visitors to journey back in time and experience the history of the Iroquoian and Algonkian peoples, as well as take in exhibits that highlight contemporary native arts and culture. Woodland is home to more than 35,000 artifacts, making it one of Canada’s largest museums managed by First Nations peoples. The centre’s collection includes archeological specimens, historic documents, paintings, drawings, sculptures, photographs, furniture and First Nations crafts, among other items.

But Woodland is much more than a museum. The centre’s language department works to preserve and promote First Nations languages, in part by producing dictionaries in native languages, offering online language courses and hosting conferences that focus on First Nations languages. The centre’s extensive research library includes a collection of contemporary First Nations books, newspapers, magazines and journals, as well as a collection of historic documents pertaining to First Nations peoples in Canada.

As well as these activities, Woodland hosts numerous exhibits and special events throughout the year, all designed to promote and foster an understanding of First Nations peoples and culture. Events include lectures, demonstrations, workshops, performances and festivals, as well as the centre’s popular annual Snowsnake Tournament.

Making the Woodland Cultural Centre’s story more remarkable is the fact it is located on land that was once the site of the Mohawk Institute, a residential school where First Nations children were brought to be assimilated into “mainstream” Canadian society until the 1960s. Canada’s residential school era represents a dark chapter in our country’s history that should never be forgotten. Surely, the fact that a place where so many suffered became a space for cultural enlightenment shows the strength of Canada’s First Nations peoples.

As noted on its website, the Woodland Cultural Centre has played a role in transforming the way society views First Nations peoples and art. It has also served to project a more accurate image of First Nations peoples than was presented in the past. We are truly blessed to have such a remarkable resource in our community. Congratulations to those who have helped build the Woodland Cultural Centre during the past 40 years. And here’s hoping Woodland continues its work bridging cultures for many more years to come.