Go far back in Indigenous history at Ska-Nah-Doht Village
The village is located within the Longwoods Road Conservation Area in Mt. Brydges, in Strathroy-Caradoc
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Surrounded by Carolinian forest and winding trails, Ska-Nah-Doht Village offers visitors a rare opportunity to step back in time to a period long before roads and railways shaped Southwestern Ontario.
Located within the Longwoods Road Conservation Area in Mt. Brydges, in Strathroy-Caradoc, the village is a recreated longhouse settlement that reflects what life may have looked like for the Haudenosaunee peoples who lived along the Antler River, now called the Thames River, more than 1,000 years ago.
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Opened in 1973, Ska-Nah-Doht comes from the Oneida word Ska nah: tote, meaning “the village stands again.” The idea for the site was sparked in 1969 when four educators came up with the concept during a road trip to Toronto.
“Since then, it’s grown to include a recreated longhouse village, heritage log cabins and an indoor museum,” said Tyler French, an Indigenous community educator with the Lower Thames Valley Conservation Authority. French also owns the Celebration: Event Facility and Museum in Muncey, a land-based learning centre focused on Indigenous culture and education.
While Ska-Nah-Doht is not built directly on an archaeological site, it’s closely tied to several, French noted.
“Three Haudenosaunee villages were located within proximity to our re-creation in the years 800 to 1200 CE,” he said.
Among those are the Kelly and Yaworski sites, both excavated within the conservation area in the 1890s. Artifacts uncovered there now form the basis of the museum’s archaeological collection.
“We believe it’s lost history, and the land has lots of stories to tell,” said French. “Ultimately, the stories like these that the village showcases and shares — they share the true history of Canada.”
Visitors can tour the palisade-walled village, explore longhouses, and participate in hands-on programs like pottery-making, traditional games and tool-making.
“The kind of educational programs that we offer are related to the heritage of the Haudenosaunee — the People of the Longhouse,” said French.
The site features 18 outdoor exhibits, including a sweat lodge, traditional fish traps, a palisade maze, and log cabins donated by nearby First Nations communities.
A new Indigenous learning centre is also being added inside the Ska-Nah-Doht Museum, which is closed for renovations. French said the centre will be used for for educational programming and community rentals including meetings, workshop activities and wedding.
The surrounding conservation area also features 6.5 kilometres of walking trails through forest and wetlands.
Strathroy-Caradoc Mayor Colin Grantham has visited the Longwood Roads Conservation Area many times and has a personal connection to the village’s beginnings.
“I knew people in the ’70s who helped found the site,” he said. “I had an elementary school teacher who was instrumental in helping create the village.”
Grantham said the site’s significance goes beyond tourism.
“It’s an important archaeological site,” he said. “And given the fact that we’re so close to three First Nations — the Oneida Nation of the Thames, Munsee-Delaware Nation, Chippewas of the Thames First Nation — they are our neighbours. It’s important for people who don’t really understand the history of our First Nations.”
The site is open daily from 9 a.m. to dusk, weather permitting, and admission is free with a $5 parking pass.
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