Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump
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Located 18 km north & west of Fort Macleod, Alberta, Canada at a place where
the foothills of the Rocky Mountains meet the great plains, one of
the world's oldest, largest and best preserved buffalo jump is known
to exist -- Head-Smashed-In. Designated as a UNESCO World Heritage
Site in 1981, Head-Smashed-In has been used continuously by aboriginal
peoples of the plains for more than 5,500 years.
Why is this place a World Heritage Site?
Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump is known around the world as a remarkable
testimony of prehistoric life. Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump bears witness
to a custom practiced by native people of the North American plains
for thousands of years.
Thanks to their excellent understanding of topography and of bison behavior, they killed bison by chasing them over a precipice and subsequently carving up the carcasses in the camp below.
In 1981, the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO)
designated the jump as a World Heritage Site placing it among other
world attractions such as the Egyptian Pyramids, Stonehenge and the
Galapagos Islands. For more information, consult
www.unesco.org
The Interpretive Centre at Head-Smashed-In is an impressive seven-storey
building constructed underground at the cliff face.
The exhibits document the site's geography, the buffalo hunting culture of the Plains people from ancient times to the arrival of the Europeans, and the science of archaeology.
Click to view the Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump virtual tour
Further Information
For more information on the centre, visit www.head-smashed-in.com
Other links: Check out Blackfoot Crossing Park
