Same with indigenous people on turtle island (north america).

I’d argue that the concept of ‘country’ though is more colonial in its origins so realistically, a ‘country’ wouldn’t exist until after colonization in these areas. Nations might’ve existed with different groups/tribes/villages sharing a culture, but the concepts of clear-cut borders, strict land ownership, and nationalism (which to me are a requirement for the concept of a “country”) are significantly different in many indigenous cultures as compared to colonial states. Maybe with the exception of some Latin American empires? Though I don’t know enough about those empires to be confident in that.