An archeological discovery near Sturgeon Lake First Nation is challenging the narratives about early Indigenous civilizations in North America, and the community wants this nearly 11,000-year-old piece of history protected.
Three years ago, avocational archeologist Dave Rondeau found evidence of early Indigenous presence in the area near Prince Albert.
“One of our researchers, Dave Rondeau noticed some of the artifacts eroding from the riverbank and brought it to our attention,” said Chief Christine Longjohn, Sturgeon Lake First Nation.
“And at first, it looked like an old buffalo jump.”
In the years since, a team of researchers have worked to uncover the significance of this location without digging it up.
Hidden beneath layers of soil until the land eroded were bones showing butcher marks, charcoal that would indicate a large fire location, and stone flake piles left behind by “flint-knapping” — the process of shaping stone to manufacture tools.
“So it’s showing, we’ve got early stuff, but it’s also being reoccupied,” said Glenn Stuart, an associate professor of anthropology at the University of Saskatchewan.
“Who knows how often but it’s being reoccupied at different times for at least hundreds, if not thousands of years.”
Using radiocarbon dating, Stuart says a sample of bone found at the site was found to be around 9,000 years old. But the age of the charcoal, found to be a type of spruce, dates back even further.
“So this particular piece came back around 10,600 to 10,700 years old,” said Stuart. “People have taken to rounding that up to 11,000, but technically it’s a couple of hundred years younger.”
The First Nation has assembled a council of elders, knowledge keepers, academics and youth to study and protect the site from further erosion or industrial activity.
They recently met last month to discuss plans.
Longjohn says the long-term vision includes an interpretive centre to preserve this piece of history.
“This site isn’t just proof of our history,” she said. “It’s proof of our strength, our resilience and our connection to the land. And so now it’s up to us to protect and make sure that the world hears our story.”
With evidence dating back nearly 11,000 years, Sturgeon Lake First Nation says it makes this site one of the oldest known Indigenous settlements in North America.
