Brantford residential school 'a prison for kids,' survivor says

Geronimo Henry was number 48 at the Mohawk Institute Indian Residential School.

"It's kind of, basically, I would say a prison for kids because we all had to line up for everything," he said. "Everyone had a number. You were locked in your dormitories."

Henry was five or six years old when he arrived on Nov. 11, 1942. He stayed at the school, located on Six Nations territory within the city of Brantford, until Aug. 31, 1953.

"You get lonesome," he said of the school, which they called the Mush Hole.

Henry is a regular speaker at the Woodland Cultural Centre, which is at the site of the school and works to preserve and promote Indigenous history, art, language and culture. The centre hosts its survivor series each month. The next event is being held Monday, Jan. 27, with speaker John Elliot.

Hear Henry's full interview on The Morning Edition with host Craig Norris:

On his Facebook page, Henry has talked about a wall of the school where his name is carved into the bricks.