Ancient Indigenous archaeological site offers students a glimpse at early human life in Sask.

Ancient Indigenous archaeological site offers students a glimpse at early human life in Sask.

Âsowanânihk site is 5 km north of Prince Albert

Piper Baldhead had a good feeling about her trip to the Âsowanânihk Ancient Indigenous Site.

The 11-year-old and some classmates from Beardy's and Okemasis Cree Nation joined students from Carlton Comprehensive High School, Eagles Nest Youth Ranch and Valley Hill Youth Treatment Centre on a recent trip to see the site, located five kilometres north of Prince Albert.

"When we were driving here, I said that I was going to find something cool and be on the news," Baldhead said.

She spotted something on the riverbank at the site. At first she thought it was just a rock, laying among others. It turned out to be an intact projectile point, the first ever found at the site.

Now, Baldhead's name will be written down alongside her finding. The historians working there say it will help determine which ancient people lived there.

Âsowanânihk translates to "a place to cross" in Cree. It's believed to have been a long-term settlement for its ancient inhabitants, around 11,000 years ago.

The visit gave the students a chance to see items used by the humans who occupied the area so many millennia ago.

Discoveries at the site primarily consist of fire pits, stone tools and lithic debris from the manufacturing of tools.

Archaeological evidence from charcoal deposits suggest that the ancestral Indigenous people had fire management techniques long ago.

Bison remains have also been found throughout the area.

"We have found some very, very burly bison remains," said Dave Rondeau, a historian working at the site.

"I can't even fathom how large these animals were."

Rondeau said a group of students who travelled five hours to dig at the site found a hip bone. He said students have been able to find things even in spots he's already looked.

"They were recovering artifacts and faunal remains that I had missed, that we had all missed," he said. "They have sharp eyes and are so inquisitive because it's their history."

The full area of the site has yet to be determined, meaning there's more to discover.

"Who knows what we're going to find here?" Rondeau said.

Student visit to archaeological site leads to rare find near Crutwell, Sask.

Jackson Merasty, from Lac La Ronge Indian Band in northern Saskatchewan, is a Grade 10 student at Carlton and was at the site with his school's land-based class.

He was excited at the possibility of finding artifacts that haven't been seen in more than 10,000 years.

"Seeing these artifacts that are hand-crafted, and expertly made by people who are no longer here … is really interesting," he said. "Just seeing the culture and the history, and what life was like that long ago, and how different it must have been compared to now."

Second-year University of Saskatchewan archaeology student Kiara Palmer, who is from Beardy's and Okemasis Cree Nation, is volunteering with the youth and helping with the tours. She said it's important for the students to see other Indigenous people working in archaeology, as it allows them to see themselves in those roles.

"You can see the spark in their eyes," she said. "It encourages them to be curious about where their ancestors come from. You can see the spark in their brains when they realize how these things were made."

Palmer said the site carries importance for Indigenous people and she is excited for the continued learning it will bring in years to come.

"Seeing these youth realize, 'Wow, our people weren't just nomadic,'" she said. "We were a community, we were interconnected, and I think it's beautiful for them to realize that and to become part of that interconnectedness."

Darla Ponace is a Saulteaux woman from Zagime Anishinabek First Nations. She started as an associate producer in the Indigenous Pathways program at CBC. She is currently working with CBC Saskatchewan as a reporter. You can email her at darla.ponace@cbc.ca with story ideas.