Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump
Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump: A World Heritage Site
Located 18 km north & west of Fort Macleod, Alberta, Canada at a location where the foothills of the Rocky Mountains meet the great plains, one of the world's oldest, largest, and best preserved buffalo jumps can be found. Head-Smashed-In - a Unesco World Heritage Site - has been used continuously by aboriginal peoples of the plains for more than 5,500 years.
Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump is an archaeological site known around the world as a remarkable testimony of prehistoric life. The Jump bears witness to a custom practiced by native people of the North American plains for nearly 6,000 years. Due to their excellent understanding of topography and bison behavior, native people killed bison by chasing them over a precipice. They then carved up the carcasses in the camp set up below the cliffs.
In 1981, the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) designated the Jump as a World Heritage Site placing it among other world attractions such as the Egyptian pyramids, Stonehenge and the Galapagos Islands. For more information on UNESCO, go to www.unesco.org