The $10 million interpretive centre at Head-Smashed-In blends unobtrusively into the ancient sandstone cliff. Its interior is
made up of five distinct levels depicting the ecology, mythology,
lifestyle and technology of Blackfoot peoples within the context of available
archaeological evidence. Interpretation of
these themes presents the viewpoints of both aboriginal
peoples and European archaeological science.
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- When stampeding, a buffalo can reach and sustain speeds of
50 km/hr.
- It is estimated that 60 million buffalo roamed the Great Plains at
the time of the arrival of Europeans in North America.
- During the summer months the buffalo hair is at its shortest.
Skins were taken for lodge covers and numerous other articles were made
from the soft, dressed skins.
- Natural topographic barriers such as coulees, depressions, or hills
were sometimes used to funnel buffalo to the jump. Such is the case at
Head-Smashed-In.
- Buffalo herds were led by one or two individual animals, usually
females.
- Some meat was made into pemmican by first sun-drying it, then
pulverizing the dried meat with a stone maul and mixing this with
buffalo fat and grease. To add flavor to pemmican, fruit such as
chokecherries were then mixed together in a parfleche container and
pounded to remove all air form the food. This pounded mixture, when
carefully prepared, would keep in a tight parfleche container for
many months.
- Buffalo horns were scraped and formed into spoons.
- Buffalo tongues were often given to medicine men or women, who
were responsible for ensuring the success of the hunt.
- Peter Fidler was probably the first European explorer to visit
the Porcupine Hills area. He traveled there in 1792/93 with a band
of Peigans.
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