If the name alone: Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump does not capture your attention, then the question: What is a Buffalo Jump? will certainly arouse your curiosity.
Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump is one of the oldest, largest and best preserved buffalo jump sites in North America. The term buffalo jump refers to a natural cliff used by the native people to kill bison. At this location in Alberta, Canada, Plains Indians systematically lured the bison toward the precipice sending the animals plunging some 59 feet to their death.
The name of this place draws from a legend about a young boy who wanted to witness the plunge over the sandstone cliffs. He stood under the shelter of the cliff’s ledge to watch the beasts fall. As the bodies mounted, the boy became trapped between the cliff and the carcasses. When the hunters came to butcher the bison, they found him with his skull crushed by the weight of the killed animals. They named the place Head-Smashed-In.
Archeologists estimate that the North American Plains Indians first used this area for killing bison at least 5,700 years ago and perhaps as early as 10,000 year ago. Throughout the 1,470 acre site, they have found the cultural remains associated with communal buffalo hunting – drive lane cairns, projectile points, butchered bone, fire-broken rock – stratified to a depth of nearly 33 feet. Their study has traced the evolution of communal bison jumping here from its earliest beginnings to the eventual abandonment of the site sometime in the 19th century.
Today, Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump is preserved and protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This cultural property received the designation in 1981. Visitors can tour the indoor Interpretive Center exhibits and programs. There are outdoor interpretive trails as well.
When I entered the Interpretive Center, I accepted the good advice from the young woman at the information desk. I went directly to the display called Pis’kun – The Buffalo Jump. This area presents a thorough explanation of how the hunters used the natural topography and knowledge of bison behavior to hunt them efficiently despite the lack of sophisticated weapons.
From here, I went outside to the walkway leading me to three areas which are the anatomy of the Jump.
To the west lies a large drainage basin, a grassland area, a natural grazing spot for the herds of buffalo. From here, there are traces of long lines of stone cairns built to help hunters direct the stampeding buffalo to the jump. I stood at the kill site, the natural escarpment, the cliff where herds of buffalo were forced over the cliff. From this precipice, I could see some tipi rings in the distant large prairie below the cliff. There, the Plains Indians found a source of fresh water and made shelters for camping, butchering, and processing the killed animals.
At the Jump archeologists found massive, stratified bone deposits which testify to the success of generations of hunters. There is a recreated archeological dig and mini-theater presentation included in the Isskoohtsik – Uncovering the Past exhibits back in the Interpretive Center. I would have found this display of archeology more impressive had I not previously visited the Wahkpa Chu’gn Archaeological Site near Havre, Montana. (See blog entry: http://glotours.blogspot.com/2008/07/theres-buffalo-jump-behind-mall.html ) By comparison, the key word differentiating the two sites is recreated. At the Head- Smashed-In Site the dig has bones and tools scattered about in a museum-type display whereas at the Wahkpa Site, visitors can actually stand within the depths of the dig and see the actual stratified bone deposits that remain largely undisturbed.
What the Head-Smashed-In Site lacked in its archeological display, it made up for in its other exhibits. Naapiwa Otawahsini – Napi’s World explains the geography, climate and vegetation of the Northwestern Plains. Okso’koaiksi – Napi’s People reveals the culture of the prehistoric Plains Indians including food gathering, ceremonies, and family life. Otsito’tohpi Naapikoaiksi – Cultures in Contact charts the impact of the arrival of Europeans on the Indian people – the use of guns replacing traditional buffalo hunting, the introduction of disease and alcohol, and the near extinction of the buffalo. All proved to be highly informative and insightful lessons on native people.
When I reached information overload viewing the Center’s exhibits, I followed the signs to the Lower Trail. This half-mile walk took me beneath the Jump. It seemed a fitting place to end my visit. I thought about the legendary boy. I imagined the thundering stampede of buffalos falling over the Jump. Almost like a cemetery, it was peaceful on this Lower Trail as the wind rustled the tall grass.
Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump
Located approximately 11 north and west of
Fort Macleod, Alberta in Canada
(403) 553-2731
www.head-smashed-in.com