They’ve waited more than a decade, but history buffs in New Brunswick finally have some answers about a mysterious object that was discovered near Cape Enrage back in 1998.

Experts are now sharing what they believe is the history of a fascinating carving of a white-tailed deer’s mandible. The carving, which measures nearly five centimetres, features a human-like face. A University of New Brunswick anthropology student discovered the artifact in 1998, and brought it to archeologist David Black for analysis.

“This is completely unique, I’ve never seen anything like it,” Black told CTV Atlantic. Black said, usually, students would bring him a stone tool that they’ve unearthed.

“So that’s what I expect them to bring out and this was something totally different,” Black said.

Though he can’t speak in absolutes, Black believes the figurine is approximately 500 years old, and almost certainly carved by someone of aboriginal descent.

Black said it was likely used as a therapeutic device by some kind of healer.

“I think it probably has religious and symbolic value,” Black said. “I think it probably wasn’t intended to depict a human, so much as a probably some sort of supernatural figure (or) being,” he said.

Black completed his research in 2008, but it flew under the radar until a woman from Harvey, N.B. started looking for more answers.

“When I showed it to the people that I know that know everything about this area .. they had never heard of it,” said history enthusiast Alison Elias. “Nobody had ever heard about it, it was a complete mystery.”

Curious history-lovers gathered in Hopewell Cape, N.B., on Sunday night to learn more about the enigmatic artifact. There is much excitement around it, as coastal erosion in the Bay of Fundy has made discoveries like this one rare.

“It would be unusual to find any artifacts older than say, 1,000 years ago, that was on a marine shoreline 1,000 years ago, that’s still in the ground as opposed to out in an inner tidal zone somewhere,” Black said.

Elias said the area where the carving was discovered is a “pristine and beautiful place” that has never been touched, “which is great, but there’s so many stories there.”

The improbability of another similar discovery won’t deter history buffs, who still plan on searching for the next great artifact – secrets the Cape could still be hiding.

With a report by CTV Atlantic’s Cami Kepke