Today’s episode carries a truth that lives not only in memory, in land, and in the bodies of survivors, and is also reflected in archival research, archaeology, and architecture—coming together to tell the full story of the Mohawk Institute, Canada’s longest-running residential school, often called the Mush Hole.
This institution didn’t exist in isolation. Its practices and culture became a model that shaped residential schools across the country, leaving deep, intergenerational impacts that are still felt today.
One of the people carrying this work is a community historian and curator from Six Nations, who has spent decades walking alongside memory and responsibility. I’m honoured to be joined by Richard Hill Sr., one of the lead editors of Behind the Bricks: The Life and Times of the Mohawk Institute.
In this conversation, we’ll explore Richard’s identity and early influences, the responsibility of truth-telling, the creation of Behind the Bricks, what reconciliation looks like when it’s lived, not just legislated, hopes for the generations still to come, and the good medicine that sustains this work.
Behind the Bricks reminds us that remembrance is an active practice—and that truth, when carried with humility, can be powerful medicine. And is available online for free through the University of Calgary Press on their open-access Manifold platform.
Comments