Touring Southern Alberta - 3. Head Smashed in Buffalo Jump

A day of rest (and cards, of course) and off again.

Women were not allowed in the Beer Parlours without an escort,

and

Indians were not allowed in the Beer Parlours at all.

I was raised in Southern Alberta and was oblivious to most of the Native peoples around me. I knew there was a reserve around Pincher Creek and another around Cardston but not much else. That was all before I started working with First Nations People both here and in Cape Breton.

Gradually over the years the Native Peoples have come into their own. The indigenous cultures have become an important and integral part of the culture in Southern Alberta  – although there are still patches of non-acceptance on both sides.

The Blackfoot Confederation is an interesting phenomenon. It is made up of three tribes — the Blackfoot proper (Siksika), the Bloods (Kainai), and the Peigan (Pekuni). Each tribe was independent, but they all spoke the same language and regarded themselves as allies.

They were a nomadic people and their movements were governed by the location of the buffalo, along with the weather and the season.

Head Smashed in Buffalo Jump has been constructed to remember and celebrate the history and traditions of the Prairie People. It was designated a National Historic Site in 1968, a Provincial Historic Site in 1979, and a finally a World Heritage Site in 1981 for its testimony of prehistoric life and the customs of aboriginal people.

The Head Smashed in Buffalo Jump has long been a sacred place for the Blackfoot tribes of Southern Alberta as has Writing-on-Stone. More than sacred places, Buffalo Jumps were critical to the survival of their people.

The Interpretive Centre is a spectacular building. It is a five level structure that sits atop the cliff leading to the Buffalo Jump.  A foot path leading out from the building wanders through grass land to where the buffalo were chased and impelled over the edge to their deaths. If you close your eyes and stretch your mind, you can feel the thunder hooves as these monstrous animals vanished over the edge.

The ever-present winds creates waves through the prairie grass that lead to the imposing Rocky Mountains to the South and the sacred Vision Quest Hill to the North. 

The winds and dark, cool weather soon drove us inside the building. The passageway through the Centre unveils the environmental condition that enveloped the era of the buffalo hunt; the life-style of the indigenous peoples; the buffalo hunt itself and the consequence of Europeans migration.

Inside, you will discover five levels of exhibits that explore: buffalo hunting culture, the art of driving the great herds from the cliff, the eventual demise of the buffalo hunting culture, and the work of archaeologists at Head-Smashed-In.

I was most taken with the depictions of the Buffalo Hunt – the most vital aspect of their lives.

I felt like we just scratched the surface of all there was to see and do. We’ll need to go back again.