Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump

Today's sight to see was Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump. We have been in this area a number of times but we've never stopped here. I'm glad we decided to add this stop to our trip. Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump is an UNESCO world heritage site. It's pretty awesome that there is a sight with this designation in western Canada. We went out to see the cliff. It was crazy windy again today. I couldn't stand still enough to take pictures so the outdoor pictures are Get's.
The exhibition explains the significance of the buffalo to the Blackfoot people. How dependant these people were on the buffalo for food, to make tools and to make clothing and tipis. Every part of the buffalo was used and the people were grateful to the creator for providing them with the buffalo. A video explains how the buffalo herd was forced over a cliff to kill the herd and provide food to the tribe for the winter. It was quite a complicated process and they had a great knowledge of the forces of nature and of the buffalo in order to convince the buffalo to jump over the cliff.
This process was done over and over again for 6000 years. The buffalo never disappeared. Then the British came...how many times have I said that in my blogs? The British killed the buffalo for sport, for show and to make fur coats. They almost wiped out the species. A few buffalo were taken to Montana and bred. If it wasn't for this act the buffalo would have been extinct. Slowly buffalo are being reintroduced to back to the Canadian wilderness.Read more