Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump
Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump | |
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UNESCO world heritage ![]() |
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Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump |
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National territory: |
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Type: | Culture |
Criteria : | (vi) |
Surface: | 4,000 ha |
Reference No .: | 158 |
UNESCO region : | Europe and North America |
History of enrollment | |
Enrollment: | 1981 ( session 5 ) |
The Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump is a historic, traditional hunting ground for North American Indians who hunted bison here . It is located in the province of Alberta , Canada , 18 kilometers northwest of Fort Macleod .
Due to its favorable location, this place was already used in the Archaic period around 6000 years ago. The bison were first driven from a plain over marked paths to the edge of a cliff and fell about ten meters into the abyss. The carcasses were disposed of in a warehouse at the foot of the cliff. An information center is located here today.
The Canadian Blackfoot Indians call the place Estipah-skikikini-kots . Legend has it that a young Blackfoot Indian wanted to see the buffalo jump from the foot of the cliff, but was too close to the falling bison and was killed in the process ( Head-Smashed-In ).
After the arrival of the Europeans, the place was abandoned in the 19th century. First records were made in the 1880s and the first excavations of the American Museum of Natural History took place in 1938.
In 1981, Head-Smashed-In was recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.
literature
- Jack W. Brink: Imagining Head-Smashed-In Aboriginal Buffalo Hunting on the Northern Plains AU Press, Athabasca University 2008, ISBN 978-1-897425-00-8
Web links
- Entry on the UNESCO World Heritage Center website ( English and French ).
- Official website (English)
Coordinates: 49 ° 42 ′ 21 ″ N , 113 ° 39 ′ 14 ″ W.