The Woodland Cultural Centre in Brantford, Ontario, was founded in November 1972 amidst political upheaval. Sponsored by the political Association of Iroquois and Allied Indians (AIAI), the centre’s mandate was foremost as a cultural educational centre (with programs in curriculum development, research and library, traditional languages, publications, audiovisual resources, and tourism development), as well as an art gallery and a history museum. This article is a case study of the history of collections management at the centre and the evolutionary role First Nations political associations played in the development of the collections policy. The policy recognizes the influence of the Task Force on Museums and First Peoples and the North American Indian Museum Association, and the role they played — particularly in shaping the policy on sacred and sensitive objects.