First Archaeolgical Dig in Alberta - Head Smashed In - Fort Macleod, Alberta
Posted by: Groundspeak Regular Member wildwoodke
N 49° 42.230 W 113° 39.220
12U E 308664 N 5509082
The first professional archaeological dig in Alberta was conducted at Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump in 1938
Waymark Code: WM1GEA
Location: Alberta, Canada
Date Posted: 05/04/2007
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member TeamTGF
Views: 74
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The first archaeologist to investigate the site was Junius Bird of the American Museum of Natural History. Since these first excavations in 1938, three major archaeological projects spanning nine summers of excavation have increased our understanding of this unique and complex archaeological site.

Head-Smashed-In is just one part of a communal kill site complex which includes a network of sophisticated drive lanes used to gather herds and direct them to the cliffs.

For thousands of years the native people of the Plains hunted the North American Bison. The Plains Indian's lifestyle became dependent on hunting buffalo, and they adapted numerous hunting techniques to obtain their livelihood. The most sophisticated technique developed by the native people to kill buffalo was the buffalo jump. Head-Smashed in Buffalo Jump is one of the oldest and best preserved sites of this kind with its elaborate drive lane complex and deep archaeological deposits still intact. For these reasons, Head-Smashed-In was designated a world heritage site by UNESCO in 1981.

The Head-Smashed-In site is composed of four distinct components:

The gathering basin, the drive lanes, the cliff kill site and the processing area: Each of these areas has different archaeological remains.


FIRST - Classification Variable: Item or Event

Date of FIRST: 06/01/1938

More Information - Web URL: [Web Link]
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