KAYANESE LONGHOUSE
Location
Ohsweken ON
Client
Ogwehoweh Skills and Trades Training Centre
Type
New Construction
Status
Completed 2019
Size
Envisioned as a centre for both cultural celebration and ecotourism in Six Nations of the Grand River, the Longhouse project was commissioned by Ogwehoweh Skills and Trades Training Centre (OSTTC). Completed in 2019, this recreation of a 17th-century longhouse was the result of careful research, collaboration and construction in the Six Nations of the Grand River territory.
The multi-story longhouse was constructed with traditional methods, and included a partial reconstruction of a palisade. Local labour and Six Nations youth came together to create the structure in a process that took six months. This fidelity to authentic construction helped give the building its name, Ganǫsa'ǫ:weh, which means "real house" or "original house" in the Cayuga language.
Sadly, the longhouse burned down in July of 2022. Fortunately, noone was injured, and a fund has been established for the longhouse to be built again.
