A form of carbon dating has revealed an Indigenous settlement in Canada lived around the cusp of the last ice age on one of the oldest archaeological sites found, dismissing the notion that early First Nations people were nomadic.

The settlement appears to place human activity at an uncovered village of Âsowanânihk – meaning "a place to cross" in the Cree First Nations language – for the Sturgeon Lake First Nation tribe around 10,700 years ago in a central part of modern-day Saskatchewan province.

The discovery is set to reshape history and question a number of long-held beliefs about the earliest of Indigenous civilisations on the continent.

The Sturgeon Lake First Nation Âsowanânihk Council has always maintained a claim to the land without recognition.

Researcher and avocational anthropologist, Dave Rondeau, first identified the settlement of the traditional home of the Plains Cree territory landholders back in 2023 and notified archaeology authorities.

While surveying the area close to his home in Prince Albert, Rondeau noticed "significant" erosion along the riverbank exposing never-seen-before artefacts.

"The moment I saw the layers of history peeking through the soil, I felt the weight of generations staring back at me," Rondeau said in a statement last week.

"Now that the evidence has proven my first instincts, this site is shaking up everything we thought we knew and could change the narrative of early Indigenous civilisations in North America."

The settlement appears to be one of the oldest archaeological sites found in either the US or Canada, suggesting an organised society existed far earlier than experts previously thought.

Evidence suggests the site was more than just an interim hunting camp, supporting the Sturgeon Lake First Nation Âsowanânihk people's oral history.

Stone tools, firepits and deteriorating bison bones were recovered in the area of the permanent community, according to the University of Saskatchewan archaeologist Glenn Stuart, who heads up the project in conjunction with Rondeau.

"Evidence of long-term settlement and land stewardship suggests a deep-rooted presence," Stuart said.

"It raises questions about the Bering Strait Theory, supporting oral histories that Indigenous communities have lived here for countless generations".

Residue off the charcoal of fires in a hearth from nearly 10,000 BCE in the Pleistocene period have been radiocarbon-dated and found to be when land was suitable for plants to grow, narrowly avoiding the ice age.

The landscape, shaped by glacial activity and large-scale flooding over millennia, has dramatically evolved over time.

Researchers believe the site, which resembles a buffalo jump, was home to multiple bison pounds and kill sites.

Further findings suggest early Indigenous hunters strategically harvested the bisons, including the now-extinct Bison antiquus, which weighed upwards of 2,000 kilograms.

"This indicates that people arrived in this location as soon as it was habitable and then they continually reoccupied the site for thousands of years," Stuart said.

"Ancestral First Nations (people) have been living in the area west of (the city of) Prince Albert for as long as it has been possible to live in the area."

The Sturgeon Lake First Nation were pleased there was finally scientific evidence to prove that their tribe had existed longer than most archaeologists previously believed.

The site provides undeniable proof of the deep and enduring presence of Indigenous people in the region, reinforcing First Nation knowledge which has been passed down for thousands of generations.

Oral histories have long described the area as an important cultural and trade hub too, and the latest discovery offers physical evidence supporting those past accounts.

"This discovery is a powerful reminder that our ancestors were here, building, thriving and shaping the land long before history books acknowledged us," Sturgeon Lake First Nation Chief Christine Longjohn said in a statement.

"This site speaks for us, proving that our roots run deep and unbroken."

The site of Âsowanânihk has archaeologists still studying for more discoveries, alongside with the Sturgeon Lake First Nation Âsowanânihk Council, which includes the involvement of Elders educators, knowledge-keepers and their own academics.

The Indigenous council is open to working with all stakeholders to protect the valued site, which was initially identified over concerns relating to the erosion of its riverbank, while the same site also faced potential destruction from logging activities.

The environmental discovery may put an end to potential logging after Surgeon Lake First Nation Elder, Willie Ermine, had previously raised concerns about the site's potential destruction.

He had been advocating for immediate protective measures from local, provincial and national stakeholders.

Following the discovery, efforts are underway to preserve the settlement and ensure its significance is recognised, both as a breakthrough in the scientific world and as a lasting symbol of North America's Indigenous heritage in Canada.

Âsowanânihk Council also wants to establish a cultural interpretive centre to promote further education, tourism and community engagement about its Indigenous connections to the land.

"This discovery is a powerful reminder that our ancestors were here, building, thriving, and shaping the land long before history books acknowledged us," Chief Longjohn said.

"For too long, our voices have been silenced, but this site speaks for us, proving that our roots run 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.

"We are not just reclaiming history—we are reclaiming our rightful place in it."