Head - Smashed - in buffalo Jump - wikipedia Head - Smashed - in buffalo Jump Head - Smashed - In Buffalo Jump Native name Siksika : Estipah - skikikini - kots The cliffs at Head - Smashed - In Buffalo Jump Location Municipal District of Willow Creek No. 26 near Fort Macleod Alberta Coordinates 49 ° 44 ′ 58 '' N 113 ° 37 ′ 30 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 49.74944 ° N 113.62500 ° W ﻿ / 49.74944 ; - 113.62500 Coordinates : 49 ° 44 ′ 58 '' N 113 ° 37 ′ 30 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 49.74944 ° N 113.62500 ° W ﻿ / 49.74944 ; - 113.62500 Area 73.29 square kilometres ( 28.30 sq mi ) Founded 1955 Governing body Alberta Community Development IUCN Category III ( Natural Monument ) UNESCO World Heritage Site Type Cultural Criteria vi Designated 1981 ( 5th session ) Reference no. 158 Country Canada Region Europe and North America National Historic Site of Canada Official name : Head - Smashed - In Buffalo Jump National Historic Site of Canada Designated 1968 Alberta Historic Resources Act Type Provincial Historic Site Designated 1979 Location of Head - Smashed - In Buffalo Jump in Alberta Sign at the Entrance Head - Smashed - In Buffalo Jump is a buffalo jump located where the foothills of the Rocky Mountains begin to rise from the prairie 18 km northwest of Fort Macleod, Alberta, Canada on highway 785. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and home of a museum of Blackfoot culture. Joe Crowshoe Sr. OC ( 1903 - 1999 ) -- Aapohsoy'yiis ( Weasel Tail ) -- a ceremonial Elder of the Piikani Nation in southern Alberta, was instrumental in the development of the site. The Joe Crow Shoe Sr. Lodge is dedicated to his memory. He dedicated his life to preserving Aboriginal culture and promoting the relationship between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people and in 1998 was awarded the National Aboriginal Achievement Award for `` saving the knowledge and practices of the Blackfoot people. '' Contents 1 History 1.1 World Heritage Site 2 Interpretive centre and museum 3 See also 4 References 5 External links History The buffalo jump was used for 5,500 years by the indigenous peoples of the plains to kill buffalo by driving them off the 11 metre ( 36 foot ) high cliff. Before the late introduction of horses, the Blackfoot drove the buffalo from a grazing area in the Porcupine Hills about 3 kilometres ( 1.9 mi ) west of the site to the `` drive lanes '', lined by hundreds of cairns, by dressing up as coyotes and wolves. These specialized `` buffalo runners '' were young men trained in animal behavior to guide the buffalo into the drive lanes. Then, at full gallop, the buffalo would fall from the weight of the herd pressing behind them, breaking their legs and rendering them immobile. The cliff itself is about 300 metres ( 1000 feet ) long, and at its highest point drops 10 metres into the valley below. The site was in use at least 6,000 years ago, and the bone deposits are 12 metres ( 39 feet ) deep. After falling off the cliff, the injured buffalo were finished off by other Blackfoot warriors at the cliff base armed with spears and clubs. The carcasses were then processed at a nearby camp. The camp at the foot of the cliffs provided the people with everything they needed to process a buffalo carcass, including fresh water. The buffalo carcass was used for a variety of purposes, from tools made from the bone, to the hide used to make dwellings and clothing. The importance of the site goes beyond just providing food and supplies. After a successful hunt, the wealth of food allowed the people to enjoy leisure time and pursue artistic and spiritual interests. This increased the cultural complexity of the society. In Blackfoot, the name for the site is Estipah - skikikini - kots. According to legend, a young Blackfoot wanted to watch the buffalo plunge off the cliff from below, but was buried underneath the falling buffalo. He was later found dead under the pile of carcasses, where he had his head smashed in. World Heritage site Head - Smashed - In was abandoned in the 19th century after European contact. The site was first recorded by Europeans in the 1880s, and first excavated by the American Museum of Natural History in 1938. It was designated a National Historic Site in 1968, a Provincial Historic Site in 1979, and a finally a World Heritage Site in 1981 for its testimony of prehistoric life and the customs of aboriginal people. Interpretive centre and museum Interpretive centre and museum Opened in 1987, the interpretive centre at Head - Smashed - In is built into the ancient sandstone cliff in naturalistic fashion. It contains five distinct levels depicting the ecology, mythology, lifestyle and technology of Blackfoot peoples within the context of available archaeological evidence, presented from the viewpoints of both aboriginal peoples and European archaeological science. The centre also offers tipi camping and hands - on educational workshops in facets of First Nations life, such as making moccasins, drums, etc. Each year Head - Smashed - In hosts a number of special events and native festivals known throughout the world for their color, energy and authenticity, including a special Christmas festival called Heritage Through My Hands, which brings together First Nations artists and craftspeople who display a wide variety of jewelry, clothing, art and crafts. Visitors can witness traditional drumming and dancing demonstrations every Wednesday from July to August at 11 a.m and 1 : 30 p.m. at the centre. There is now a permanent exhibition at Head - Smashed - In Buffalo Jump. Lost Identities : A Journey of Rediscovery made its first appearance here in 1999, but now it is back to stay. The exhibition, is a collaboration of many historical societies and museums that have given voice to otherwise silent photographs. These photographs have been unidentified for some time. But `` the exhibit travel led to the Aboriginal communities '' finding the voice and story behind the photographs taken in these communities. The facility was designed by Le Blond Partnership, an architectural firm in Calgary. The design was awarded the Governor General 's Gold Medal for Architecture in 1990. See also Geography of Canada portal List of Canadian provincial parks List of World Heritage Sites in North America References Archaeology of Native North America, 2010, Dean R. Snow, Prentice - Hall, New York. Jump up ^ http://history.alberta.ca/headsmashedin/about/about.aspx#3 Jump up ^ `` Legend of Head - Smashed - In Buffalo Jump ''. Bison in Mythology and Religious Ritual. University of Calgary, the Applied History Research Group. 1997. Retrieved 2012 - 07 - 14. Jump up ^ UNESCO. `` Head - Smashed - In Buffalo Jump ''. Retrieved 2006 - 01 - 10. Jump up ^ The Architecture - History Alberta webpage Archived 2013 - 05 - 19 at the Wayback Machine... Retrieved 2014 - 02 - 05 Jump up ^ RAIC Awards and Honours, past recipients Archived 2014 - 05 - 02 at the Wayback Machine... Retrieved 2014 - 02 - 05 External links Head - Smashed - In Buffalo Jump Interpretive Centre World Heritage Sites in Canada Western Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks Dinosaur Provincial Park Head - Smashed - In Buffalo Jump Kluane / Wrangell -- St. Elias / Glacier Bay / Tatshenshini - Alsek SG̱aang Gwaay Waterton - Glacier International Peace Park Wood Buffalo Eastern Grand - Pré Gros Morne Joggins Fossil Cliffs L'Anse aux Meadows Miguasha Mistaken Point Old Town Lunenburg Old Quebec Red Bay Rideau Canal Northern Nahanni Wood Buffalo Tentative List Áísínai'pi Atikaki / Woodland Caribou / Accord First Nations Gwaii Haanas Ivvavik / Vuntut / Herschel Island ( Qikiqtaruk ) Quttinirpaaq The Klondike Former Burgess Shale ( 1981 - 1984 now part of Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks WHS ) Shared with the USA Shared with other region / s National Historic Sites of Canada by location Provinces Alberta British Columbia Manitoba New Brunswick Newfoundland and Labrador Nova Scotia Ontario Hamilton Kingston Niagara Ottawa Toronto Prince Edward Island Quebec Montreal Quebec City Saskatchewan Territories Northwest Territories Nunavut Yukon Other countries France Portal WikiProject Canadian Prairies Physiographic regions Manitoba Plain Manitoba Escarpment Saskatchewan Plain Missouri Coteau Alberta Plain Cypress Hills Rocky Mountain Foothills Physical features Qu'Appelle Valley Red River Valley Parks and protected areas World Heritage Sites Head - Smashed - In Dinosaur National Parks Elk Island Grasslands Riding Mountain Waterton Lakes Historic Sites Bar U Ranch Batoche Cypress Hills Massacre Fort Battleford Fort Livingstone Fort Pelly Fort Walsh Forts Rouge, Garry and Gibraltar Frenchman Butte Frog Lake Linear Mounds Lower Fort Garry Riding Mountain Park East Gate Registration Complex Riel House Rocky Mountain House The Forks Provincial ( AB ) Parks Historic Sites Historic regions Rupert 's Land Red River Colony / Selkirk Concession District of Alberta District of Assiniboia District of Saskatchewan Aboriginal peoples Plains First Nations Blackfoot Confederacy Iron Confederacy Red River Métis See also Largest cities Geography of Canada portal Protected areas in Alberta World Heritage Sites Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks Dinosaur Provincial Park Head - Smashed - In Buffalo Jump Waterton - Glacier International Peace Park Wood Buffalo National Park National parks Banff Elk Island Jasper Waterton Lakes Wood Buffalo Provincial parks, wildlands & wildernesses Canmore Nordic Centre Cypress Hills Dry Island Buffalo Jump Fish Creek Hay - Zama Lakes Kananaskis Country Lakeland Vermilion Willmore Wilderness Writing - on - Stone more... Urban parks Calgary Zoo Devonian Gardens Edmonton Valley Zoo Edworthy Park Mill Woods Park Muttart Conservatory North Saskatchewan River Valley Nose Hill Oldman River Valley Pearce Estate Wetland Sylvan Lake Museums & historic sites Alberta Central Railway Museum Atlas Coal Mine Canadian Grain Elevator Discovery Center Canadian Tractor Museum Cold Lake Air Force Ellis Bird Farm Fort Calgary Fort Edmonton Park Fort Victoria Fort Whoop - Up Frank Slide Galt Historic Railway Park Heritage Acres Farm Museum Heritage Park Krause Milling Co. Pioneer Acres Prairie Elevator Museum Remington Carriage Museum Reynolds - Alberta Royal Alberta Royal Tyrrell Scandia Eastern Irrigation District Museum South Peace Centennial Museum Spruce Grove Grain Elevator Museum St. Albert Grain Elevator Park Ukrainian Village Warner elevator row Whyte National historic sites Provincial historic sites Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Head-Smashed-In_Buffalo_Jump&oldid=839074732 '' Categories : History of Alberta Archaeological sites in Canada Museums in Alberta First Nations museums in Canada World Heritage Sites in Canada Buffalo jumps Provincial historic sites of Alberta National Historic Sites in Alberta Blackfoot tribe Municipal District of Willow Creek No. 26 IUCN Category III Aboriginal National Historic Sites of Canada Hidden categories : Webarchive template wayback links Articles containing Siksika - language text Coordinates on Wikidata Articles which use infobox templates with no data rows Talk Contents About Wikipedia Català Cebuano Čeština Deutsch Español Esperanto Français Gaeilge Hrvatski Italiano עברית ქართული Magyar မြန်မာဘာသာ Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Polski Português Русский Simple English Slovenčina Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Suomi Svenska Türkçe Українська Tiếng Việt 中文 21 more Edit links This page was last edited on 1 May 2018, at 02 : 50. 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Question: where is head smashed in buffalo jump located
Answer: where the foothills of the Rocky Mountains begin to rise from the prairie 18 km northwest of Fort Macleod, Alberta, Canada on highway 785