Archaeologists excavating in Saskatchewan discovered an ancient settlement known as Âsowanânihk, estimated to be about 11,000 years old. The find is revolutionizing the understanding of the earliest Indigenous civilizations in North America. The settlement provides evidence of organized communities in central Canada much earlier than previously believed, according to Radio-Canada.
Âsowanânihk, which means "a place for crossing" in Cree, is located within the territory of the Sturgeon Lake First Nation. Unusual traces of the settlement were first discovered in 2023 by amateur archaeologist Dave Rondeau, who observed erosion along a riverbank that exposed important artifacts.
Last summer, a team of researchers conducted excavations at the site and collected samples for detailed analyses. Radiocarbon dating of charcoal from a hearth revealed it is about 10,700 years old, placing human activity at the site just after the end of the last Ice Age and about 1,000 years earlier than previously thought. This dating confirms early speculation about the site.
Discoveries at Âsowanânihk, including stone tools, fire pits, and bison bones, indicate long-term habitation by First Nations ancestors. These findings suggest the presence of an organized settlement rather than a temporary encampment. The evidence supports the existence of organized communities in central Canada much earlier than previously thought.
“We know that people kept returning to this place and that hundreds of years could pass between some of these occupations. They knew where the animals were going to cross the river. They always came back to that place,” said Glenn Stuart, a professor at the University of Saskatchewan and one of the researchers invited to work at the site last summer, according to CBC News.
Elders from the Sturgeon Lake First Nation explained that the location on the river was an ideal place to camp due to its importance for migratory animals such as bison. The river location would have drawn these animals, making it a strategic spot for early inhabitants, reported Archaeology Magazine.
The Âsowanânihk Council, composed of senators, knowledge keepers, educators, youth, and academics, has taken the lead in protecting and studying the site. The council is actively working with stakeholders to ensure the protection of the site, which faces threats due to ongoing logging and nearby industrial activities, noted labrujulaverde.com.
“This discovery is a powerful reminder that our ancestors were here, building, thriving, and shaping the land long before history books recognized us. For too long, our voices have been silenced, but this place speaks for us, proving that our roots are deep and unbroken. It carries the footsteps of our ancestors, their struggles, their triumphs, and their wisdom. Every stone, every artifact is a testament to their strength,” said Sturgeon Lake First Nation Chief Christine Longjohn.
“This finding challenges the outdated notion that early Indigenous peoples were purely nomadic,” said Stuart. “The evidence suggests a deep relationship with the land and careful environmental stewardship.”
Among the findings at the site are layers of charcoal found in the hearths, indicating that the early Indigenous inhabitants practiced fire management. This practice aligns with long-standing Indigenous oral traditions regarding fire management passed down through generations. Such practices demonstrate the inhabitants' sophisticated understanding of land management.
“When we hear someone talk about these huge floods that occurred many years ago, it makes us think there may be a link here because we have been able to see, by looking at this hearth, that as soon as there was a stable landscape here, people lived there,” said Stuart, according to Radio-Canada.
One of the next steps of the project will be to extend the research by taking core samples deeper into the land to determine the exact extent of the site beyond the shore. It’s not yet clear how long people stayed at the site at any given time, and further research could provide more insights into the patterns of habitation, noted CBC News.
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