03/02/2026
Archaeologists have uncovered one of North America’s oldest Indigenous settlements.
Near Sturgeon Lake First Nation in Saskatchewan, archaeologists and community leaders have identified one of the continent’s oldest known Indigenous settlement sites. Located about 3 miles (5 kilometers) north of Prince Albert along the North Saskatchewan River, the site was first noticed after riverbank erosion exposed layers of artifacts.
What researchers found suggests this was not a temporary hunting stop, but a long-term settlement.
Stone tools, toolmaking debris known as lithics, fire pits, charcoal layers, and large bison remains point to organized land use and repeated occupation. Some of the bison bones belong to Bison antiquus, an extinct species that could weigh up to 4,400 pounds (2,000 kilograms). Evidence indicates strategic hunting and what appear to be bison pounds or kill sites.
The findings challenge the long-standing assumption that early Indigenous communities in this region were strictly nomadic. Archaeologists say the site reflects structured land stewardship and sustained settlement dating back roughly 11,000 years, near the end of the last Ice Age.
The project is being led by the Âsowanânihk Council, meaning “A Place to Cross” in Cree, in collaboration with researchers from the University of Saskatchewan and the University of Calgary. Elders and Knowledge Keepers are central to the work, connecting physical evidence with longstanding oral histories that describe the region as a cultural and trade hub.
The site now faces threats from logging and industrial activity, prompting calls for immediate protection.
This discovery does more than add a date to a timeline. It reinforces a deep and continuous Indigenous presence rooted in both land and memory.
