The Buffalo Jump
 
 
 

The Buffalo Jump Story

The Buffalo Jump was a steep canyon or cliff
that was used to kill the buffalo during a hunt.
It was pretty much the standard before the horse, bow,
and lance were used to hunt these massive beasts,
and continued with the use of the "Buffalo Horse".

The buffalo would be herded and chased to the jump,
and then over the edge they would plummet to certain death.
The buffalo would then be used for meat, as well as a variety of
neccessities like clothing, shelter (hides),
and their bones and horns were also used to make tools,
such as spoons, knives, and clubs.
Nothing was wasted.

These "jumps" as they are called have been used
as far back as 5000 years, and 2000 years
by Native Americans.

THE BUFFALO REPRESENTS
THE AMERICAN INDIAN SPIRIT

         The American buffalo, also known as bison,
has always held great meaning for American Indian people.
To Indian people buffalo represent their spirit and
remind them of how their lives were once lived,
free and in harmony with nature. In the 1880's, the white man
         recognized the reliance Indian Tribes had on the buffalo.
Thus began the systematic destruction of the buffalo
to try to subjugate the western Tribal Nations.

HEAL THE SPIRIT

         Without the buffalo, the independent life of the Indian people
could no longer be maintained.
The Indian spirit, along with that of the buffalo,
suffered an enormous loss.
At that time, Tribes began to sign treaties with the U.S. Government
in an attempt to protect the land and the buffalo
for their future generations.
The destruction of the buffalo herds
and the associated devastation
to the Tribes disrupted the self-sufficient lifestyle of the
         Indian people more than all other federal policies to date.
To reestablish healthy buffalo populations on Tribal lands
is to reestablish hope for the Indian people.
Members of the InterTribal Bison Cooperative (ITBC)
understand that reintroduction of the buffalo to Tribal lands
will help heal the spirit of both the Indian people and the buffalo.

Buffalo Facts
 

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.

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.

The buffalo is a member of the Bovidae family
that includes beef cows and oxen.

Buffalo far outnumbered the Native American population
during the pre-European era.

A female buffalo stands about 5 feet tall at the shoulder and may weigh up to 1,000 pounds. 

The male reaches 6 feet and 2,000 pounds.

Both sexes have horns.

Most of our early pioneer trails and Indian trails
got their start as buffalo roads.

Buffalo often live 35 years or more.

The best-tasting buffalo meat is from younger bulls.

The female buffalo may produce 20 to 25 calves in her lifetime.

The buffalo may appear stiff and plodding, but it can out-run and
out-jump you by a factor of two.

It is usually better to admire buffalo from a safe distance.
 

The Song Playing is "Animal Song"
by Permission of Elan Michaels