Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump, Canada - World Heritage Sites on Waymarking.com

Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1981, on the basis that this location was directly and materially associated with the survival of the human race during the prehistoric period. For over 5,500 years, aboriginal peoples of the North American plains used their excellent knowledge of the land and of buffalo behaviour to kill their prey by chasing them over the precipice; the carcasses were later carved up in the camp below.

The hunt began with a spiritual ceremony to ensure a safe and successful hunt. Then ‘buffalo runners’ were sent to locate and herd the animals. These were young men who possessed skill to move the bison herds. Disguised under animal hides, the buffalo runners would pass near the herds and try to lure them toward the cliffs. V-shaped drive lanes edged with rows of stone cairns were used to channel herds to the cliffs.

Near the cliffs, people hid behind brush stuck into the cairns and prevented the beasts from straying by shouting and waving buffalo hides. Hunters rushed from behind, panicking the animals into plunging over the cliff.

Some meat was made into pemmican by first sun-drying it, then pulverizing the dried meat with a stone maul and mixing this with buffalo fat and grease. To add flavor to pemmican, fruit such as chokecherries were then mixed together in a parfleche container and pounded to remove all air form the food. This pounded mixture, when carefully prepared, would keep in a tight parfleche container for many months. Buffalo horns were scraped and formed into spoons. No part of the animal went to waste.

Today, there is a fantastic interpretive centre at the site. This unique building was designed by Architect Robert LeBlond (of LeBlond Partnership). With a price tag just under C$10 million, the visitor centre is a seven-tiered building built into the rocks, south of the jump sites. The building was carefully designed and placed so as not to disturb the fragile archaeological deposits. Contractors removed a section of the cliff, built a massive concrete box, and then pulled the earth and grass back over the top of the building.

Five levels of the building are open to the public, depicting the ecology, mythology, lifestyle and technology of Blackfoot peoples within the context of the archaeological evidence.

Visit www.head-smashed-in.com for operating hours and directions.

Type: Site Reference number: 158

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