Feel the excitement
Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump is a culturally significant attraction
Every year RVwest hosts an RV rally, which brings together avid RVers from across the western provinces. Several years ago the rally was held in Lethbridge at the Bridgeview RV Resort, which is a Holiday Trails park.
This comfortable and accommodating RV resort served as an excellent base from which to visit southern Alberta attractions—including Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump near Fort Macleod.
We embarked on a guided tour of the Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump Interpretive Centre. It is not hard to imagine and feel the excitement that must have pulsed through the First Nations hunters—the young men who bravely rounded up the buffalo, the women and children who awaited the arrival of the thundering herd and the aging elders who would lead the accompanying ceremonies.
Our guide explained that this site is one of the world’s oldest, largest and best-preserved buffalo jumps in Western Canada. First Nations people would gather on the plains below while a courageous contingent of the men would stealthily stalk the unsuspecting buffalo and drive the herd toward the plunging precipice.
As the stampeding herd tumbled over the sharp escarpment, the waiting men would slaughter the beasts. The women would spend weeks butchering the animals—preserving the meat, tanning the hides, rendering the bones and utilizing just about every part of the buffalo.
Our guide led us down through the various levels of the interpretive centre with numerous stops to explain the legends, traditions and significance of the harvesting of the buffalo each fall. The centre is staffed by First Nations people, many of whose ancestors participated in past buffalo hunts. Staff members accurately and passionately recount the colourful history of the buffalo jump as well as its importance to their culture.
