Head Smashed in Buffalo Jump

On the first day of the long weekend (August civic holida), we ventured to Head Smashed in Buffalo Jump, which is a UNESCO world heritage site (a list of American sites are here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_World_Heritage_Sites_in_the_Americas ) We have been to 3 out of the 15 in Canada, so far.

The buffalo jump was used for 5,500 years by the Blackfoot tribe to kil buffalo, by driving them off the 10 metre high cliff. The Blackfoor drove the buffalo from a grazing area in the Porcupine Hills about 3 kilometres west of the site to the "drive lanes," lined by hundreds of cairns then at full gallop over a cliff, breaking their legs, rendering them immobile. The cliff itself is about 300 metres long, and at its highest point drops 10 metres into the valley below. The site was in use at least 6,000 years ago, and the bone deposits are 10 metres deep. The first photo with Shannon is where the jump is.

Very interesting place and it shows how smart the Blackfoot tribe was so long ago.

http://www.head-smashed-in.com/