Critters - Head- Smashed-In Buffalo Jump

by Bruce Ricketts (thanks to the Glenbow Museum in Calgary)

The buffalo of Western Canada were nearly hunted to extinction by the white man?  Right?

That may be true but the altruistic view of the Canadian Natives as only hunting for what they could use immediately or over the winter may not be entirely true.  Countless millions of buffalo were killed, en masse, by the First Nations Peoples by driving entire herds (males, females and young buffalo) over cliffs and harvesting them at the bottom of the "buffalo jump".

The best known of the over 150 buffalo jumps in Alberta is the "Head- Smashed-In Buffalo Jump" which is located just west of Fort MacLeod. 

For generations hunters used bow and arrow on horseback to hunt the buffalo.  The hunt would take place over hundreds of square miles and could take days and weeks to harvest all the kill.  As in the case in every culture, some people looked for a better and more convenient way to plan the hunt.  Some 6,000 years ago, some wise man thought... "Why take the hunt to the buffalo?  Why not bring them to the hunt?" ... and that's just what they did.

A buffalo jump was not as simple as just driving the buffalo to the edge of a cliff.  It was rather a complex task which required the bosses to select the right area for the jump and the placement logs and trees at just the right locations so as to "funnel" the beasts to the edge.  Funneling could also be promoted by selecting a runway bounded by hills and coulees (sharp dips in the land).  The site was generally chosen such that the precipice of the jump blended into the overall scenery.

This way it was too late for the lead buffalo to turn around when he spotted the danger.  The funneling effect also kept the buffalo bunched up so that when the trailing buffalo learned of the fate of the leaders it was too late to do anything about it.

The buffalo ran to and over the edge, plummeted 10 meters or so and met their makers.  Those which did not die on impact were slaughtered by bow and arrow.

Once the dust had settled the women and children moved in to join the tasks of skinning, dressing and separating the meat.

Head- Smashed-In Buffalo Jump is designated as a World Heritage Site by the United Nations.

Maintaining and preserving our herds of buffalo is something we should all be aware of.  These books provides a unique window into a forgotten network of taxidermists, hunters, and animal preservationists that shaped contemporary conservation movements.

Top of page