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When did Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump?

When did Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump?

1987
History of the Site. The architect, Robert Lablonde, received the 1990 Governor General’s award for Architecture. Since opening in 1987, the Interpretive Centre has welcomed over 2.75 million visitors from around the world.

Who founded Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump?

Aboriginal
Beginning nearly 6000 years ago and continuing until the mid-19th century, Aboriginal People of the Northwest Plains used Head-Smashed-In as one of the many ingenious traps designed to kill large numbers of buffalo (see bison).

Why did Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump get its name?

The name for the site comes from the Blackfoot name, which is Estipah-skikikini-kots. According to Blackfoot legend, a young boy wanted to watch the buffalo jumping off the cliff from below. When the carcasses were taken away the boy’s dead body was found – with his head smashed in.

What human activity happened at Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump?

Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump bears witness to a communal hunting technique practiced by native people of the North American plains for nearly 6000 years. They killed buffalo by driving them off the 11 metre high sandstone cliff, close to a natural grazing area of the buffalo.

How did Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump work?

Operating Head-Smashed-In Exceptionally skilled hunters, called buffalo runners, disguised themselves as bison and wolves to lure the herd into position. At a given signal, the runners and other hunters stampeded the herd over the cliff. At the bottom, people killed any bison that had survived the fall.

Why do buffalo jump off cliffs?

They believed that if any buffalo escaped these killings then the rest of the buffalo would learn to avoid humans, which would make hunting even harder. Buffalo jump sites are often identified by rock cairns, which were markers designating “drive lanes”, by which bison would be funneled over the cliff.

Where did the Indians run the buffalo off the cliffs?

CANADA. The buffalo jump was used for 5,500 years by the indigenous peoples of the plains to kill buffalo by driving them off the 11 metre (36 foot) high cliff.

Did Native Americans run buffalo off a cliff?

The most efficient technique was what Crow Indians called “driving buffalo over embankments,” which involved enticing and leading buffaloes to the edges of cliffs or bluffs up to seventy feet high, then driving them over to instant death or a broken back or leg or other crippling incapacity, ended by a thrust from a …

Where was head smashed in Buffalo Jump located?

Visit Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump and learn about the Plains People and their efficient buffalo hunt which ensured their survival through the harsh prairie winter. This UNESCO World Heritage Site, 2 hours south of Calgary Alberta, shows evidence of use for over 6,000 years.

Is the Buffalo Jump a World Heritage Site?

Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump Interpretive Centre is a UNESCO-designated World Heritage Site that preserves and interprets over 6,000 years of Plains Buffalo culture.

How old are buffalo bones at Head Smashed In?

At the cliff base, beneath the soil layer, there are 10 meters of rubble consisting of buffalo bones and stone tools. Radiocarbon dating of this rubble indicates that this site was used for approximately 6000 years. Take a walk beneath the cliffs along the 1.2 km interpretive trail to see where the hunt ended at the cliff base.

Where is the buffalo jump in Granum Alberta?

Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump is located 18 km northwest of Fort Macleod, Alberta, Canada on Highway 785.

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