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Kay-Nah-Chi-Wah-Nung, "the place of the long rapids," is a sacred living link between the past and the present. Located 40 miles from the headwaters of the Mississippi River, this ancient gathering place was once the centre of a vibrant, continent-wide trading network.

Now, an impressive historical, interpretive centre shows the visitor more than 8,000 years of Ojibway history beside the Long Sault Rapids on the Rainy River of Northwestern Ontario.

The Kay-Nah-Chi-Wah-Nung Historical Centre is also known as Manitou Mounds, an area where many villages, campsites, and at least 17 burial mounds are found. To the untrained eye, the burial mounds appear to be grassy bumps on the landscape. In fact, they are treasures from the past, constructed by digging shallow pits, placing the deceased inside and then covering them with earth. A layering process went on as more bodies were placed on top and again covered. The mounds we see today have taken generations to construct. Goods that the individual may require in life and death, such as bags, pipes, food, clay pots and tools, were also buried.

The largest burial mound is about 35 metres in diameter and seven metres high. Very few of the mounds have been disturbed.

Kay-Nah-Chi-Wah-Nung Historical Centre opened in May 1999 and offers a wide range of attractions. The visitors centre has five galleries displaying photographs, artifacts and reenactments of early civilizations. There is also an important conservation lab housing more than 10,000 artifacts.

A short walk away, the Elders round house, used for teaching and ceremonies, is an impressive building designed using traditional architecture. The nine sides of the structure symbolize clans, families, and the community. Four cedar poles in the centre signifies the four directions. A round earthen floor allows dancers to touch the earth during celebrations.

One needs several hours to properly explore Kay-Nah-Chi-Wah-Nung, including the tour of the visitors centre, the Anglican cemetery (circa late 1800s), the round House, then a walk through a boreal forest that takes you to the Long Sault Rapids to the site of the majority of the burial mounds.

You'll be hungry after the walk and will want to eat at the restaurant which serves traditional Ojibway cuisine. I can personally recommend the wild rice soup, moose burger, and blueberry pie.

Archeological investigations at this site have produced information on the Laurel, Blackduck, and Selkirk cultures. Because Rainy River was part of an extensive trading network, these cultures had contact with other tribes across North America. Elders say that hundreds of people would gather at the Long Sault rapids to hunt, fish, and trade. The site's natural features add to the area's historic uniqueness. It is located along two broad terraces formed by the post-glacial 10,000 years ago.

The historical centre is operated by Rainy River First Nation. they continue to protect this sacred area as one of the most significant centres of early habitation and ceremonial burial in Canada.

For more information, phone: (807) 483-1163, fax: (807) 483-1263, see www.longsault.com.

Kay-Nah-Chi-Wah-Nung is located 55 km west of Fort Francis, Ont.