The Mush Hole: Truth, Acknowledgement, Resilience

Enjoy the Washington D.C., premiere of The Mush Hole: Truth, Acknowledgement, Resilience. This groundbreaking new production of dance and theatre explores the devastating intergenerational impact of Canada’s Residential School system. Created by award-winning choreographer, director and producer Santee Smith and the internationally acclaimed Kaha:wi Dance Theatre, the performance reflects the realities of the Mohawk Institute residential school experience and offers a compelling way to create dialogue and to heal. Created in collaboration with Mohawk Institute residential school survivors and school documentation, The Mush Hole is about survival and intergenerational resilience.

The Mohawk Institute (a.k.a. The Mush Hole) is Canada’s oldest residential school after which all others were modeled. Operating in Brantford, Ontario, from 1828 to 1970, it served as a boarding school for First Nations children from Six Nations and other communities in Ontario and Quebec. It was a key tool in the effort to assimilate First Nations children into European Christian society and sever the continuity of culture from parent to child, leaving a legacy of trauma. Generous support provided by The Rasmuson Foundation.

Photo by David Hau.