View source for Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump

{{Short description|Historic site in Alberta, Canada}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}}
{{Infobox historic site
| name = Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump
| native_name = Estipah-skikikini-kots / Áístipahskikikínikots
| native_language = bla
| image = Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump-27527-2.jpg
| caption = The cliffs at Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump
| locmapin = Alberta
| coordinates = {{coord|49|44|58|N|113|37|30|W|display=inline,title}}
| location = [[Municipal District of Willow Creek No. 26]] near [[Fort Macleod]]<br /> [[Alberta]]
| area = {{convert|73.29|km2}}
| governing_body = [[Alberta Community Development]]
| founded = 1955
| designation1 = WHS
| designation1_date = 1981 <small>(5th [[World Heritage Committee|session]])</small>
| designation1_number = [https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/158 158]
| designation1_criteria = vi
| designation1_type = Cultural
| designation1_free1name = Country
| designation1_free1value = [[Canada]]
| designation1_free2name = Region
| designation1_free2value = [[North America]]
| designation2 = NHSC
| designation2_offname = Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump National Historic Site of Canada
| designation2_date = 1968
| designation3 = Alberta
| designation3_type = Provincial Historic Site
| designation3_date = 1979
}}
[[File:Head Smashed-In Buffalo Jump.jpeg|thumb|Sign at the entrance]]
'''Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump''' ([[Blackfoot language|Blackfoot]]: ''Estipah-skikikini-kots'') is a [[museum]] of [[Blackfoot]] culture {{convert|18|km|mi|abbr=on}} west of [[Fort Macleod]], Alberta, Canada. The now disused [[buffalo jump]] is a [[UNESCO world heritage site]] in an area where the [[foothills]] of the [[Rocky Mountains]] begin to rise from the [[prairie]].

Joe Crowshoe Sr. {{Post-nominals|country=CAN|OC}} (1903–1999) – {{lang|bla|Aapohsoy’yiis}} (Weasel Tail) – a ceremonial elder of the [[Piikani Nation]] in southern Alberta, was instrumental in the development of the site. The Joe Crow Shoe Sr. Lodge is dedicated to his memory. He dedicated his life to preserving Aboriginal culture and promoting the relationship between Aboriginal and non-aboriginal people and in 1998 was awarded the [[National Aboriginal Achievement Award]] for "saving the knowledge and practices of the Blackfoot people."<ref name="about_crowshoe">{{cite web |url=http://history.alberta.ca/headsmashedin/about/about.aspx#3 |title=Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump World Heritage Site |website=history.alberta.ca |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150707205942/http://www.history.alberta.ca/headsmashedin/about/about.aspx |archive-date=2015-07-07}}</ref>

==History==
The [[buffalo jump]] was used for 5,500 years by the [[plains indians|indigenous peoples of the plains]] to kill [[bison]] by driving them off the {{convert|11|m|ft|abbr=off|adj=mid|-high}} cliff. Before the late introduction of horses, the [[Blackfoot]] drove the bison from a grazing area in the [[Porcupine Hills]] about {{convert|3|km|mi}} west of the site to the "drive lanes", lined by hundreds of [[cairn]]s, by dressing up as coyotes and wolves. These specialized "buffalo runners" were young men trained in animal behavior to guide the bison into the drive lanes. Then, at full gallop, the bison would fall from the weight of the herd pressing behind them, breaking their legs and rendering them immobile. The cliff itself is about {{convert|300|m|ft|abbr=off}} long, and at its highest point drops {{convert|10|m|ft|abbr=off}} into the valley below. The site was in use at least 6,000 years ago, and the bone deposits are {{convert|12|m|ft|abbr=off}} deep. After falling off the cliff, the injured bison were finished off by other Blackfoot warriors at the cliff base armed with spears and clubs. The carcasses were then processed at a nearby camp. The camp at the foot of the cliffs provided the people with everything they needed to process a bison carcass, including fresh water. The bison carcass was used for a variety of purposes, from tools made from the bone, to the hide used to make dwellings and clothing. The importance of the site goes beyond just providing food and supplies. After a successful hunt, the wealth of food allowed the people to enjoy leisure time and pursue artistic and spiritual interests. This increased the cultural complexity of the society.

In [[Blackfoot language|Blackfoot]], the name for the site is {{lang|bla|Estipah-skikikini-kots}}. According to legend, a young Blackfoot wanted to watch the bison plunge off the cliff from below, but was buried underneath the falling animals. He was later found dead under the pile of carcasses, where he had his head smashed in.<ref>{{cite web
 | title = Legend of Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump
 | work = Bison in Mythology and Religious Ritual
 | publisher = University of Calgary, the Applied History Research Group
 | date = 1997
 | url = https://www.ucalgary.ca/applied_history/tutor/calgary/Legend.html
 | access-date = 2012-07-14
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130228074541/http://www.ucalgary.ca/applied_history/tutor/calgary/Legend.html
 | archive-date = 2013-02-28
 | url-status = dead
}}</ref>

===World Heritage Site===

Head-Smashed-In was abandoned in the 19th century after European contact. The site was first recorded by Europeans in the 1880s, and first excavated by the [[American Museum of Natural History]] in 1938. It was designated a [[National Historic Sites of Canada|National Historic Site]] in 1968, a [[List of provincial historic sites of Alberta|Provincial Historic Site]] in 1979, and finally a [[World Heritage Site]] in 1981 for its testimony of prehistoric life and the customs of aboriginal people.<ref>{{cite web |author=UNESCO |author-link=World Heritage Site |title=Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/158 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241203002556/https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/158 |archive-date=December 3, 2024 |access-date=2006-01-10}}</ref>

{{Clear|left}}

==Interpretive centre and museum==
[[Image:Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump-27527-1.jpg|thumb|200px|left|Interpretive centre and museum]]
Opened in 1987, the interpretive centre at Head-Smashed-In is built into the ancient [[sandstone]] cliff in naturalistic fashion. It contains five distinct levels depicting the [[ecology]], [[mythology]], [[lifestyle (sociology)|lifestyle]] and [[technology]] of Blackfoot peoples within the context of available [[archeology|archaeological]] evidence, presented from the viewpoints of both aboriginal peoples and European archaeological science.

The centre also offers educational public and school programs which can be booked throughout the year. Each year Head-Smashed-In hosts a number of special events and native festivals known throughout the world for their color, energy and authenticity, including Buffalo Harvest Days, which brings together First Nations artists and craftspeople who display a wide variety of jewelry, clothing, art and crafts. Visitors can witness traditional drumming and dancing demonstrations every Wednesday in July and August at 11&nbsp;a.m. and 1:30&nbsp;p.m. at the centre.

An exhibition of photography titled ''Lost Identities: A Journey of Rediscovery'', a collection of photographs taken in aboriginal communities, made its first appearance at the Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump interpretive centre in 1999. After some time as a traveling exhibit, it was returned permanently to display in the centre. The permanent exhibition is a collaboration of many historical societies and museums to provide interpretations of the collection. The subjects of the photographs had gone unidentified for some time. While it was a traveling exhibit, the aboriginal communities where the photographs were taken provided further background and "voice" to the photographs.

The facility was designed by Le Blond Partnership, an architectural firm in Calgary. The design was awarded the [[Governor General's Awards|Governor General's gold medal for Architecture]] in 1990.<ref>[http://history.alberta.ca/headsmashedin/docs/hsibj_infoguide_vs3.pdf The Architecture - History Alberta webpage] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130519210735/http://history.alberta.ca/headsmashedin/docs/hsibj_infoguide_vs3.pdf |date=2013-05-19 }}. Retrieved 2014-02-05</ref><ref>[http://www.raic.org/honours_and_awards/awards_gg_medals/gg-pastrecipients_e.htm RAIC Awards and Honours, past recipients] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140502055926/http://raic.org/honours_and_awards/awards_gg_medals/gg-pastrecipients_e.htm |date=2014-05-02 }}. Retrieved 2014-02-05</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Geography|Canada}}
*[[List of Canadian provincial parks]]
*[[List of World Heritage Sites in North America]]

==References==
Archaeology of Native North America, 2010, Dean R. Snow, Prentice-Hall, New York.
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.head-smashed-in.com/ Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump Interpretive Centre]

{{World Heritage Sites in Canada}}
{{NHSC}}
{{Canadian Prairies}}
{{Alberta parks}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:History of Alberta]]
[[Category:Archaeological sites in Alberta]]
[[Category:Museums in Alberta]]
[[Category:First Nations museums in Canada]]
[[Category:World Heritage Sites in Canada]]
[[Category:Buffalo jumps]]
[[Category:Provincial historic sites of Alberta]]
[[Category:National Historic Sites in Alberta]]
[[Category:Piikani Nation]]
[[Category:Municipal District of Willow Creek No. 26]]
[[Category:Indigneous National Historic Sites of Canada]]
[[Category:First Nations culture in Alberta]]