Your use of this website constitutes acceptance of the Cohen Highley LLP Terms & Conditions.

© Copyright 2002, Cohen Highley LLP. All Rights Reserved.  Cohen Highley Privacy Policy.

The Mohawk Institute was one of several residential schools for Indian children in Canada and was part of the Indian education system administered by the Department of Indian Affairs.

The Mohawk Institute was founded by the New England Company in the period 1828 - 1834. The New England Company was originally known as “The Company for Propagation of the Gospel in New England and the Parts Adjacent in America”. Its mandate was to propagate the Christian religion to and amongst “heathen natives” and for “civilizing, teaching and instructing the said heathen natives and their children, not only in the principles and knowledge of the true religion and in morality, and the knowledge of the English tongue and in other liberal arts and sciences...”.

The New England Company operated the Mohawk Institute Residential School until at least 1922 with financial assistance/contributions from the Department of Indian Affairs (hereinafter referred to as the “Department”) after 1885.

In 1922, New England Company entered into a lease agreement with the Department whereby the Department agreed to:

• continue and maintain the Mohawk Institute as an educational institution for Indian boys , girls or both;

• draw pupils as far as possible from the Six Nations Indians; and

• train the pupils in the teachings and doctrines of the Church of England.

The lease expired in 1943. In 1947, the New England Company and the Department entered into a second and final lease dealing with the Mohawk Institute. The Department agreed that:

• it would continue and maintain the Mohawk Institute as an educational institute for Indian boys, girls or both;

• the pupils would be drawn from children belonging to the Six Nations, New Credit, Caradoc and other Indian Bands who were not members of the Roman Catholic Church; and that

• pupils, whose parents so desired, would be trained in the teachings and doctrine of the Church of England in Canada under the supervision of the Chaplain of the Mohawk Chapel or the person performing his duties.

In December, 1965, the New England Company sold its interest in the Mohawk Institute to the Department for the sum of $100,000.00.