At a place where the Rocky Mountains meet the Great Plains is the worlds oldest, largest and best-preserved buffalo jump known to exist: Head-Smashed-In. In recognition of its importance, the United Nations declared Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982. One of only 11 sites so designated in Canada, Head-Smashed-In is a time portal to a vanished past-but a past of tremendous significance to the future.
According to the science of archaeology, Head-Smashed-In was used by indigenous people of the plains to hunt buffalo for over 5,500 years. Today the interpretive centre at the site provides over 100,000 visitors annually with an understanding and appreciation of the rich culture and technology of plains people before the appearance of Europeans. Themes and stories developed in the interpretive centre are explored from the perspectives of both European science and Blackfoot culture.
Opened to the public in 1987 by the Duke and Duchess of York, Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump Interpretive Centre offers visitors an authentic and respectful experience of Blackfoot culture. The relationship of the Blackfoot to the site is a tangible expression of their origins as well as a bridge to future cultural development and renewal. For the Blackfoot, the key to the past is also the key to the future.
The Head-Smashed-In Interpretive Centre has been recognized internationally as an outstanding example of an environmentally friendly and visually non-intrusive structure. The seven-tiered facility is actually buried in the 400-metre-long (1,312 ft.) hillside sandstone cliff at the jump site. Exhibits explain the process and significance of the buffalo hunt to the ancient people of the plains. Exhibits also give insight into the lifestyles, legends, religion and history of the Blackfoot peoples and their strong belief in living harmoniously with the fragile physical environment.
Out of respect for the moral ownership of the site by Aboriginal people, tours of Head-Smashed-In are given only by Blackfoot speakers-the living extension of the Jumps 5,500 year old history. This provides visitors with the authenticity they seek, in addition to creating a rare opportunity to foster cross-cultural communication.
Open June 1-Labour Day: daily 9-7. Daily 9-5 the rest of the year. Admission is charged. Wheelchair accessible. Giftshop. Cafeteria. 18 km NW of Fort Macleod off Hwy 2 on Hwy 785. Calgary direct. : within Alberta, dial to be connected toll free. Email: Web site: www.head-smashed-in.com
Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump Interpretive Centre Website
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