Heather George plans to build on the legacies of those who came before her, as she steps into the role of executive director at Woodland Cultural Centre in Six Nation’s Territory near Brantford Ontario.

“I’m really lucky to have a lot of champions throughout the museum and heritage sector who just keep saying that they believe in me, which some days is uplifting and some days feels like extra pressure,” she says with a laugh. “But most of the time it’s very uplifting.”

The 38-year-old scholar of Kanien’kehá:ka and Euro-Canadian descent already has a laundry list of tasks ahead of her — renovation work, new interpretive projects and gallery updates — but is most excited about cultural reclamation and strengthening the centre’s language programming.

She plans to expand Woodland’s language department and make Hodinohsho:ni languages prominent throughout the centre’s programming and exhibitions, as well as its databases.

“I realize databases don’t sound very exciting, but it’s part of asserting narrative sovereignty and self-determination,” George explains.

“So much of our philosophies and our ways of looking at the world are really embedded in our languages and that was one of the many things lost with residential schools.”

Established by the Association of Iroquois and Allied Indians in 1972, the Woodland Cultural Centre works to “preserve, promote and strengthen Indigenous language, culture, art and history” while bringing the story of the Hodinohsho:ni people of the Eastern Woodlands to life through exhibitions and programs.

With over 50,000 artifacts in its museum collection, the Woodland Cultural Centre is one of the largest facilities of its kind managed and administered by First Nations in Canada. The centre is also home to an expansive collection of research material and a reference library.

In 1975, the centre expanded its scope to include arts programming; its language department was founded nine years later. All of the Woodland Center’s endeavours are guided by the Great Law of Peace, the cornerstone of Hodinohsho:ni philosophy, ways of knowing and conduct.

 Like many Indigenous people affected by colonial legacies, Heather George didn’t grow up knowing her culture or language. Her father hails from Akwesasne territory, which straddles the Canada-U.S. border along the St. Lawrence River, but she was raised by her non-Indigenous mother and connected with her Mohawk heritage later in life.

After earning an honours degree in both Indigenous Studies and Canadian History at Trent University, as well as a diploma in museum management and curatorship at Fleming College, she completed a master’s degree at Western University. At the same time, she was building strong bonds in Six Nations of the Grand near Brantford Ont., which administers and manages the Woodland Cultural Centre.

“Six Nations of the Grand is the first place I ever went to a longhouse,” she says. “It was really, really important, both in terms of my professional growth, but also my personal growth.”

The people of Six Nations provided her with not only cultural grounding, but support as she connected with her own family, which has been impacted by residential schools and the child welfare system.

“There are a lot of conversations right now around identity; who is indigenous and who’s not, and who’s indigenous enough,” George says. “I think people who grew up with ceremony and language probably question themselves a lot less, but for those of us who grew-up disconnected from that, you’re constantly questioning — can I claim this identity? Am I enough?”

Prior to being appointed executive director late last month, George had been working with the centre as a guest curator while on leave from the Canadian Museum of History, where she had been curator of Indigenous histories. She’s also a PhD candidate at the University of Waterloo, where she is researching the historical and philosophical underpinnings of contemporary museum practices across Hodinohsho:ni communities.

“I really wanted to understand how our philosophies and our teachings impacted the way we thought about museums, galleries and cultural center spaces,” she explains. “Essentially, the goal is to present a different way of working in the museum sector when it comes to Indigenous material, culture and belongings.”

Museums come with a deep legacy of colonization, says George, but history becomes so much richer when Indigenous Peoples take control of how they’re represented. Having museums and cultural institutions managed by First Nations, like the Woodland Centre, is key to breaking away from colonial ideas, and moving towards truth and reconciliation, she says.

In an ideal world, George would like to see the Woodland Cultural Centre move into a new building. It’s currently housed in the former Mohawk Institute Residential School, which operated from 1831 to 1970. Two of her uncles were forced to attend the closed-custody facility.

Her office is located in what was once the institute’s “visiting room” where some parents were allowed to see their children, but not take them home. Ninety-six children are known to have died at the so-called school.

“Just being in this space and supporting the rest of the staff in their work is an act of defiance … so there’s moments where it feels really powerful and it feels really good to be here,” she says. “But the stories that we tell here, the collection that we have, the community that’s around us, the communities that we support and serve are just so beautiful and so powerful, and I want our building to reflect that.”

Gardening, family and beading help George balance the weight of history with the demands of a contemporary museum space. She plans to revive a garden plot at the centre this summer.

“Sometimes we’re talking about Indigenous sovereignty around really high-level things, like policy or land claims,” she says. “But sometimes we’re talking about planting our seeds, caring for them and growing food for ourselves — that is also a form of sovereignty and reclamation.”

George’s six-year-old daughter doesn’t yet fully understand the significance of the old residential school building, but George’s work as a curator has sparked many dinner table conversations about Canada-Indigenous relations. 

“She is already refusing to stand up for O Canada, because her nations are Mohawk and Cree,” she says. “But we also have these really interesting conversations around it being okay for people to be happy to be in Canada when they’ve come from places of conflict, even though we know that there’s still these issues for our communities.”

George says she also turns to her “little museum consultant” for advice when it comes to creating more hands-on spaces at the centre.

Like all museums and galleries, the Woodland Cultural Centre is working to re-engage guests following COVID-19 closures. George says she looks forward to welcoming back new and old visitors, while increasing community ownership of the centre.

“We have such an amazing team of people here, it’s really exciting,” George says. “I am grateful for the strong foundation which has been built by many generations of Woodland staff and our support communities. It is an honour to carry their work forward.”

Heather George plans to build on the legacies of those who came before her, as she steps into the role of executive director at Woodland Cultural Centre in Six Nation’s Territory near Brantford Ontario.

“I’m really lucky to have a lot of champions throughout the museum and heritage sector who just keep saying that they believe in me, which some days is uplifting and some days feels like extra pressure,” she says with a laugh. “But most of the time it’s very uplifting.”

The 38-year-old scholar of Kanien’kehá:ka and Euro-Canadian descent already has a laundry list of tasks ahead of her — renovation work, new interpretive projects and gallery updates — but is most excited about cultural reclamation and strengthening the centre’s language programming.

She plans to expand Woodland’s language department and make Hodinohsho:ni languages prominent throughout the centre’s programming and exhibitions, as well as its databases.

“I realize databases don’t sound very exciting, but it’s part of asserting narrative sovereignty and self-determination,” George explains.

“So much of our philosophies and our ways of looking at the world are really embedded in our languages and that was one of the many things lost with residential schools.”

Established by the Association of Iroquois and Allied Indians in 1972, the Woodland Cultural Centre works to “preserve, promote and strengthen Indigenous language, culture, art and history” while bringing the story of the Hodinohsho:ni people of the Eastern Woodlands to life through exhibitions and programs.

With over 50,000 artifacts in its museum collection, the Woodland Cultural Centre is one of the largest facilities of its kind managed and administered by First Nations in Canada. The centre is also home to an expansive collection of research material and a reference library.

In 1975, the centre expanded its scope to include arts programming; its language department was founded nine years later. All of the Woodland Center’s endeavours are guided by the Great Law of Peace, the cornerstone of Hodinohsho:ni philosophy, ways of knowing and conduct.

 Like many Indigenous people affected by colonial legacies, Heather George didn’t grow up knowing her culture or language. Her father hails from Akwesasne territory, which straddles the Canada-U.S. border along the St. Lawrence River, but she was raised by her non-Indigenous mother and connected with her Mohawk heritage later in life.

After earning an honours degree in both Indigenous Studies and Canadian History at Trent University, as well as a diploma in museum management and curatorship at Fleming College, she completed a master’s degree at Western University. At the same time, she was building strong bonds in Six Nations of the Grand near Brantford Ont., which administers and manages the Woodland Cultural Centre.

“Six Nations of the Grand is the first place I ever went to a longhouse,” she says. “It was really, really important, both in terms of my professional growth, but also my personal growth.”

The people of Six Nations provided her with not only cultural grounding, but support as she connected with her own family, which has been impacted by residential schools and the child welfare system.

“There are a lot of conversations right now around identity; who is indigenous and who’s not, and who’s indigenous enough,” George says. “I think people who grew up with ceremony and language probably question themselves a lot less, but for those of us who grew-up disconnected from that, you’re constantly questioning — can I claim this identity? Am I enough?”

Prior to being appointed executive director late last month, George had been working with the centre as a guest curator while on leave from the Canadian Museum of History, where she had been curator of Indigenous histories. She’s also a PhD candidate at the University of Waterloo, where she is researching the historical and philosophical underpinnings of contemporary museum practices across Hodinohsho:ni communities.

“I really wanted to understand how our philosophies and our teachings impacted the way we thought about museums, galleries and cultural center spaces,” she explains. “Essentially, the goal is to present a different way of working in the museum sector when it comes to Indigenous material, culture and belongings.”

Museums come with a deep legacy of colonization, says George, but history becomes so much richer when Indigenous Peoples take control of how they’re represented. Having museums and cultural institutions managed by First Nations, like the Woodland Centre, is key to breaking away from colonial ideas, and moving towards truth and reconciliation, she says.

In an ideal world, George would like to see the Woodland Cultural Centre move into a new building. It’s currently housed in the former Mohawk Institute Residential School, which operated from 1831 to 1970. Two of her uncles were forced to attend the closed-custody facility.

Her office is located in what was once the institute’s “visiting room” where some parents were allowed to see their children, but not take them home. Ninety-six children are known to have died at the so-called school.

“Just being in this space and supporting the rest of the staff in their work is an act of defiance … so there’s moments where it feels really powerful and it feels really good to be here,” she says. “But the stories that we tell here, the collection that we have, the community that’s around us, the communities that we support and serve are just so beautiful and so powerful, and I want our building to reflect that.”

Gardening, family and beading help George balance the weight of history with the demands of a contemporary museum space. She plans to revive a garden plot at the centre this summer.

“Sometimes we’re talking about Indigenous sovereignty around really high-level things, like policy or land claims,” she says. “But sometimes we’re talking about planting our seeds, caring for them and growing food for ourselves — that is also a form of sovereignty and reclamation.”

George’s six-year-old daughter doesn’t yet fully understand the significance of the old residential school building, but George’s work as a curator has sparked many dinner table conversations about Canada-Indigenous relations. 

“She is already refusing to stand up for O Canada, because her nations are Mohawk and Cree,” she says. “But we also have these really interesting conversations around it being okay for people to be happy to be in Canada when they’ve come from places of conflict, even though we know that there’s still these issues for our communities.”

George says she also turns to her “little museum consultant” for advice when it comes to creating more hands-on spaces at the centre.

Like all museums and galleries, the Woodland Cultural Centre is working to re-engage guests following COVID-19 closures. George says she looks forward to welcoming back new and old visitors, while increasing community ownership of the centre.

“We have such an amazing team of people here, it’s really exciting,” George says. “I am grateful for the strong foundation which has been built by many generations of Woodland staff and our support communities. It is an honour to carry their work forward.”

Heather George plans to build on the legacies of those who came before her, as she steps into the role of executive director at Woodland Cultural Centre in Six Nation’s Territory near Brantford Ontario.

“I’m really lucky to have a lot of champions throughout the museum and heritage sector who just keep saying that they believe in me, which some days is uplifting and some days feels like extra pressure,” she says with a laugh. “But most of the time it’s very uplifting.”

The 38-year-old scholar of Kanien’kehá:ka and Euro-Canadian descent already has a laundry list of tasks ahead of her — renovation work, new interpretive projects and gallery updates — but is most excited about cultural reclamation and strengthening the centre’s language programming.

She plans to expand Woodland’s language department and make Hodinohsho:ni languages prominent throughout the centre’s programming and exhibitions, as well as its databases.

“I realize databases don’t sound very exciting, but it’s part of asserting narrative sovereignty and self-determination,” George explains.

“So much of our philosophies and our ways of looking at the world are really embedded in our languages and that was one of the many things lost with residential schools.”

Established by the Association of Iroquois and Allied Indians in 1972, the Woodland Cultural Centre works to “preserve, promote and strengthen Indigenous language, culture, art and history” while bringing the story of the Hodinohsho:ni people of the Eastern Woodlands to life through exhibitions and programs.

With over 50,000 artifacts in its museum collection, the Woodland Cultural Centre is one of the largest facilities of its kind managed and administered by First Nations in Canada. The centre is also home to an expansive collection of research material and a reference library.

In 1975, the centre expanded its scope to include arts programming; its language department was founded nine years later. All of the Woodland Center’s endeavours are guided by the Great Law of Peace, the cornerstone of Hodinohsho:ni philosophy, ways of knowing and conduct.

 Like many Indigenous people affected by colonial legacies, Heather George didn’t grow up knowing her culture or language. Her father hails from Akwesasne territory, which straddles the Canada-U.S. border along the St. Lawrence River, but she was raised by her non-Indigenous mother and connected with her Mohawk heritage later in life.

After earning an honours degree in both Indigenous Studies and Canadian History at Trent University, as well as a diploma in museum management and curatorship at Fleming College, she completed a master’s degree at Western University. At the same time, she was building strong bonds in Six Nations of the Grand near Brantford Ont., which administers and manages the Woodland Cultural Centre.

“Six Nations of the Grand is the first place I ever went to a longhouse,” she says. “It was really, really important, both in terms of my professional growth, but also my personal growth.”

The people of Six Nations provided her with not only cultural grounding, but support as she connected with her own family, which has been impacted by residential schools and the child welfare system.

“There are a lot of conversations right now around identity; who is indigenous and who’s not, and who’s indigenous enough,” George says. “I think people who grew up with ceremony and language probably question themselves a lot less, but for those of us who grew-up disconnected from that, you’re constantly questioning — can I claim this identity? Am I enough?”

Prior to being appointed executive director late last month, George had been working with the centre as a guest curator while on leave from the Canadian Museum of History, where she had been curator of Indigenous histories. She’s also a PhD candidate at the University of Waterloo, where she is researching the historical and philosophical underpinnings of contemporary museum practices across Hodinohsho:ni communities.

“I really wanted to understand how our philosophies and our teachings impacted the way we thought about museums, galleries and cultural center spaces,” she explains. “Essentially, the goal is to present a different way of working in the museum sector when it comes to Indigenous material, culture and belongings.”

Museums come with a deep legacy of colonization, says George, but history becomes so much richer when Indigenous Peoples take control of how they’re represented. Having museums and cultural institutions managed by First Nations, like the Woodland Centre, is key to breaking away from colonial ideas, and moving towards truth and reconciliation, she says.

In an ideal world, George would like to see the Woodland Cultural Centre move into a new building. It’s currently housed in the former Mohawk Institute Residential School, which operated from 1831 to 1970. Two of her uncles were forced to attend the closed-custody facility.

Her office is located in what was once the institute’s “visiting room” where some parents were allowed to see their children, but not take them home. Ninety-six children are known to have died at the so-called school.

“Just being in this space and supporting the rest of the staff in their work is an act of defiance … so there’s moments where it feels really powerful and it feels really good to be here,” she says. “But the stories that we tell here, the collection that we have, the community that’s around us, the communities that we support and serve are just so beautiful and so powerful, and I want our building to reflect that.”

Gardening, family and beading help George balance the weight of history with the demands of a contemporary museum space. She plans to revive a garden plot at the centre this summer.

“Sometimes we’re talking about Indigenous sovereignty around really high-level things, like policy or land claims,” she says. “But sometimes we’re talking about planting our seeds, caring for them and growing food for ourselves — that is also a form of sovereignty and reclamation.”

George’s six-year-old daughter doesn’t yet fully understand the significance of the old residential school building, but George’s work as a curator has sparked many dinner table conversations about Canada-Indigenous relations. 

“She is already refusing to stand up for O Canada, because her nations are Mohawk and Cree,” she says. “But we also have these really interesting conversations around it being okay for people to be happy to be in Canada when they’ve come from places of conflict, even though we know that there’s still these issues for our communities.”

George says she also turns to her “little museum consultant” for advice when it comes to creating more hands-on spaces at the centre.

Like all museums and galleries, the Woodland Cultural Centre is working to re-engage guests following COVID-19 closures. George says she looks forward to welcoming back new and old visitors, while increasing community ownership of the centre.

“We have such an amazing team of people here, it’s really exciting,” George says. “I am grateful for the strong foundation which has been built by many generations of Woodland staff and our support communities. It is an honour to carry their work forward.”