Head-Smashed-In-Buffalo-Jump

I know, fabulous title, but no, I’m not making this up. This UNESCO world heritage site can be found south of Calgary, just short of the Canada-US border.

The story starts with the one of the plains nations, the Blackfoot people. For approximately six thousand years the Blackfoot would drive herds of buffalo from where they grazed towards the cliffs of Head-Smashed-In. They would light fires, dress as coyotes and wolves, and would generally spook the buffalo towards the cliffs. The buffalo at the front of the heard would be pushed forward despite themselves by the weight of the animals behind them and would fall over the edge of the 30 foot cliff to their death.

Strangely, however, the smashed heads doesn’t refer to the buffalo at all. It refers to the story of a young man who wanted to witness the animals falling, but he wanted to watch from the bottom of the cliff. He didn’t survive the incident, and was later found beneath the buffalo carcasses, his head having been smashed in by their weight. He was buried nearby, and thus it became the Head-Smashed-In-Buffalo-Jump.

The Blackfoot had a camp near the base of the cliff, notably not directly beneath them, and there they processed the buffalo. Not only did the animals provide a plentiful supply of food, their hides were used for clothing and shelter, and their bones were turned into tools and other useful instruments. As is the traditional way of many if not all First Nations, nothing went to waste.

The site of this jump now has a museum and is open to visitors year round. It’s main purpose is to educate the public about the Blackfoot culture, as well as the ecology of the surrounding area. Plan your trip right and you’ll not only be able to taste a delicious buffalo burger and try some wild rice, you might also catch a demonstration of Blackfoot dancing. For anyone who has never seen First Nations dancing, here are some hoop dancers, Terry and Michael Goedel, dancing to Electric Pow Wow Drum by A Tribe Called Red. That’s just one kind of First Nation dance though, personally I like shawl dancing the best!

I really cannot encourage people to visit Head-Smashed-In enough, not only because it’s a great chance to learn about one of the many First Nations but also because it’s one of the few places that has a considerable amount of archaeological evidence to support the stories of the Blackfoot people. The First Nations lived in such a manner that archaeological evidence is scarce, and so it makes Head-Smashed-In-Buffalo-Jump all that much more special for having it.

Bring some sunscreen, an open mind, and a camera to capture the gorgeous vistas!

Are there any other First Nations heritage sites that you know of? Let me know in the comments, I’d love to learn about them!