Behind the Bricks: In conversation with Rick Hill Sr.

On Wednesday, September 23, OCAD University welcomes Richard (Rick) Hill Sr., a citizen of the Beaver Clan of the Tuscarora Nation of the Haudenosaunee at Grand River, to campus.

He will talk about the new book he conceived and oversaw, Behind the Bricks: The Life and Times of the Mohawk Institute, which recounts the story of the Mohawk Institute, Canada’s first and longest-running residential school and a model for the entire residential school system. 

The book, co-edited by Hill with Alison Norman, Thomas Peace and Jennifer Pettit, is an important work that provides deep insight into the Mohawk Institute, Canada’s first, and longest-running, residential school, operating from 1828 to 1970 in Brantford, Ontario. 

A question-and-answer session, following his talk will be moderated by OCAD U President Ana Serrano.

This event is part of the University’s programming for National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, which occurs annually on September 30. 

ABOUT BEHIND THE BRICKS

Behind the Bricks is the story of the Mohawk Institute, Canada’s first and longest-running residential school and a model for the entire residential school system. From the outside, the Mohawk Institute looks like a large and welcoming school building. When one looks behind the bricks of the school, however, a much different story becomes apparent. 

Conceived and overseen by Six Nations community member Richard W. Hill Sr., Behind the Bricks is an important work that provides deep insight into the Mohawk Institute, Canada’s first, and longest-running, residential school, operating from 1828 to 1970 in Brantford, Ontario. 

Behind the Bricks brings together Indigenous and non-Indigenous experts. The book begins with an overview that traces the history and context of the school, and the remainder of Behind the Bricks touches on a broad array of topics from the experiences of students, to archaeology and architecture, to the role of religion, and beyond, drawing on a wide variety of sources including government documents, church records, and oral history.

ABOUT RICHARD (RICK) HILL SR.

Richard (Rick) Hill Sr. is a citizen of the Beaver Clan of the Tuscarora Nation of the Haudenosaunee at Grand River and a leading knowledge specialist at the First Nation Technical Institute. A historian and museum curator, he has led a 40-year campaign to repatriate wampum to their original Haudenosaunee owners and makers. 

He is the former assistant director for Public Programs, National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution; museum director at the Institute of American Indian Arts, Santa Fe, New Mexico; assistant professor, Native American Studies, SUNY Buffalo; and former senior project coordinator of the Deyohahá:ge: Indigenous Knowledge Centre at Six Nations Polytechnic. He is currently the vice-president of the Niagara Academy for Indigenous Relations (NAIR). 

Mr. Hill co-led the team transforming the Mohawk Institute Residential School – the oldest residential school in Canada – into an educational visitor experience.

He was appointed an honorary Officer of the Order of Canada in 2023 in recognition of his leadership in Indigenous art history and culture, and for his efforts to recover and restore Haudenosaunee artIfacts and ways of living.