🦬 Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump
Canada
About This Sacred Site
Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump in southern Alberta is one of the oldest, largest, and best-preserved buffalo jump sites in North America. For nearly 6,000 years, Indigenous peoples of the Plains — primarily the Blackfoot — used sophisticated knowledge of animal behavior, topography, and coordinated group effort to drive buffalo herds over the 11-meter cliff. The hunt was far more than a practical activity; it was deeply ceremonial, involving days of spiritual preparation, songs, prayers, and the guidance of a specially trained 'buffalo runner.' The bone deposits at the base of the cliff are over 10 meters deep. The site remains sacred to the Blackfoot people today.
Key Facts
- •Used continuously for nearly 6,000 years, one of the oldest such sites in the world
- •Bone deposits at the cliff base are over 10 meters deep
- •UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1981
- •The hunt required days of ceremonial preparation and specialized spiritual knowledge
- •Named after a young Blackfoot who wanted to watch from below and was buried by falling buffalo
Location
Coordinates: 49.7469, -113.6233
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