WATCH: A nearly 1,000-year-old Native American canoe discovered by a group of 13-year-old boys was excavated from a North Carolina lake

• A 930-year-old canoe discovered by a group of teens was pulled from a North Carolina lake.
• The canoe is 28 feet long and "carried many a brave," according to Waccamaw Siouan Chief Michael Jacobs.

A nearly 1,000-year-old canoe discovered by a group of 13-year-old boys was pulled from its watery grave last week in North Carolina, officials announced.

The group of teen boys stumbled upon the canoe in summer of 2021 but thought it was an ordinary log, according to The News Reporter in North Carolina. The outlet reported that state officials later examined the canoe at the time and subsequently moved it underneath a dock to protect it until they could fully excavate it.

Last week, on April 12, workers finally pulled the canoe, which is approximately 930 years old, from Lake Waccamaw in Columbus County, North Carolina, according to a statement from the heritage commission. The North Carolina American Indian Heritage Commission and the Waccamaw Sijouan Tribe worked together to pull the canoe from the water.

The North Carolina American Indian Heritage Commission did not immediately return Insider's request for comment on Monday, but an incredible video posted on April 12 to the commission's Facebook page shows the canoe being lifted from the water.

Columbus County Clerk of Court Jess Hill said his children were playing near the pier at their house on Canal Cove Road when they found the canoe buried six inches underneath the sand, the Columbus County News reported.

Hill's son, Eli Hill, said he initially thought the canoe was a log when he stepped on it under the water, according to KTTC.

"I tried to pick it up and it never came up. So, we kept digging at it and it just kept going," Hill said according to KTTC.

According to KTTC, Waccamaw Siouan Chief Michael Jacobs said that the canoe gives people a rare opportunity to learn about Native American culture. The canoe will be taken to a lab in the state to be studied, the outlet reported.

"That canoe at 28 feet long would have carried many a brave," Jacobs said, according to the outlet. "We feel like in our heart, it's a history that we're still exploring and understanding because this is the first time we've had access."