Kahnawà:ke cultural centre reaches fundraising goal, construction nears completion

The new arts and community centre to promote and preserve language and culture in Kahnawà:ke has reached its $16-million fundraising goal and is nearing completion.

The facility will house the language and cultural centre, the Turtle Island Theatre Company, a museum and visitor centre.

The price tag for the entire project is $55.7 million.

“It was a very ambitious number,” said Kahsennénhawe Sky-Deer, the Capital Campaign lead and former Grand Chief of Kahnawà:ke, when speaking about the fundraising goal and the cost of the entire project. “I know the council was very stressed about what we were taking on in terms of the accountability if we didn’t raise the money and so forth.

“When I was Grand Chief, I remember those debates at the table, but we said, ‘you know what, our language and culture is at the foundation of everything about who we are, and if we don’t put our belief behind this, then everything else is going to fall to the wayside.’”

On top of the successful fundraising campaign, there was an initial $16 million contribution from the federal government, $11 million from the Quebec government, and most recently a $2.5 million grant from the Cultural Spaces Fund under the federal government’s Canadian Heritage department.

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“This was our major shortfall throughout the whole project — 2.5 million was always our biggest shortfall and to get notification that we received this 2.5 million, which is already in the bank, thank God. It was just… it’s phenomenal,” said Trina C. Diabo, a strategist with the Office of the Council of Chiefs of the Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke.

“I see it as a beacon and a symbol of our resilience as a people,” said Paul Rice, the Chief of the Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke. “Being the economic development portfolio chief, we also want to see it have a tremendous impact with tourism and promoting our language and our culture.”

The building is already operational with its language programs, as construction of the centre is nearing completion and is scheduled to have its official opening in September.

“What we’ve seen since we’ve been in this building — and it’s only been five weeks — is moving into this building has created this natural push towards programming and we’re seeing it. It’s just a natural thing that is just coming,” said Kawennanóron Lisa Phillips, the executive director of the Kanien’kehá:ka Onkwawén:na Raotitióhkwa Language and Cultural Center (KORLCC).

Located on Mohawk territory on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River, the new centre is adjacent to the Kahnawà:ke Survival School on Route 132.

“The museum, when people see it, to share who we are, I mean there’s a lot of prejudices out there about people thinking what they know of the Mohawk people,” said Louie John Diabo, a project manager at Diabo Consulting. “Come and see, come and see our museum and you’re going to see something truly unique and that really reflects who we are. And we want to share it with the world.”

“I’ve seen so many people come here who have had very little language take our programs,” added Phillips. “The changes are incredible. Myself even, I’m a graduate of the program. So my mother’s a graduate. I have three generations within our language program. My mother, my daughter, myself. It’s life-changing and it’s all tied into identity. There’s just so much that is done here. We have so much.”