March 2003

Government of Canada
Parks Canada
National Historic Sites

Ehdaa National Historic Site of Canada

Ehdaa was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in July 2002. The plaque, commemorating the national historic importance of the site, was blessed by Pope John Paul II during the 2002 World Youth Day celebrations in Canada. In 1987, the Pope visited Ehdaa to speak to assembled First Nations, Métis and Inuit.

Located at the southeastern end of Fort Simpson Island, near the confluence of the Mackenzie (Dehcho) and Liard (Nachaá Déhé) Rivers, Ehdaa has been an important gathering place of Dene since before contact with Europeans.

A low-lying open flat land, Ehdaa has long been used for seasonal gatherings by Dene. Here, land use was allocated by Elders, puberty rites and games were held, marriages performed, disputes settled, and goods and knowledge exchanged. Spiritual healing was carried out and thanksgiving ceremonies, such as the Drum Dance, were held. During the fur trade era, following the establishment of a fort near Ehdaa around the year 1804, Dene traded with Europeans and met Hudson’s Bay Company representatives, church missionaries and government officials near this site. The fort was later named Fort Simpson. To this day, annual treaty payments are still disbursed at the Ehdaa site’s Drum Circle.

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