my favourite place name

[silentq]

Head-Smashed-In-Buffalo Jump, Alberta.
My parents are on their summer road trip and I specifically requested a picture of this sign. :)

Comments

[seph_ski]

*L* Wow. :) ...Wait, what??? :)

[silentq]

They used to drive buffalo off of a cliff there, it's an easy way to kill a lot of them at once. :)
Interpretive Centre web page.

[seph_ski]

Still, wow! :D ...But that does explain the name.

[greylock]

And why the sign reminds me of Lemmings.

[greylock]

According to Wiki:
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 got his head smashed in"[citation needed].

Bizarre. You'd think not standing below Head-Smashed-In-Buffalo Jump would be an early, and essential, part of the Indian training regime. And that Buffalo would be smart enough to fight back. I guess not.

[the_axel]

See, back then it was just 'Awesomely Cool Buffalo Jump' so there wasn't a clue in the title.

Also, he stood underneath a rock outcropping and because the buffalo have momentum as they charge over the cliff they don't fall directly down.

However the volum of buffalo killed created huge mounds of corpses.

Buffalo are herd animals. Get them stampeding in the right direction and they can't stop in a short period of time.
I also believe buffalo are rather short sighted, so by the time they can see the edge of the cliff it's too late.

[greylock]

However the volum of buffalo killed created huge mounds of corpses.

It seems plausible, but you might be yanking my chain.

[girfan]

Very cool!

[inulro]

I keep forgetting that people who aren't from the prairies think this stuff is weird...

[silentq]

Not weird, really, just amusing and fun to say. :)