Buffalo Harvest Days provides an opportunity for Albertans and visitors to come and learn about an important part of the area’s history. The Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump centre uses these days not only to tell the story of the ancient buffalo harvest but also to showcase the skills and culture of the indigenous people who live in southern Alberta today.

This year’s Buffalo Harvest Days is taking place from Friday, September 28th to Sunday, September 30th, giving you plenty of time to come down and take part in this unique event. Experience the culture of the Blackfoot people come to life through storytelling, artwork, and skills displays, and participate in the popular “Living Off the Land” demonstrations.

The Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump interpretive centre is a truly state-of-the-art facility, built right into the cliff and packed full of informative visual displays about the activity of the area’s ancient buffalo site. It was at this location that the indigenous people would drive herds of buffalo off the precipice of a cliff to be harvested for food, clothing, and shelter. Though you can make your own way through the centre, Buffalo Harvest Days provides a great opportunity to go on a guided tour.

Your Blackfoot guide will lead you through the centre’s five levels. The first level introduces visitors to how the indigenous people of southern Alberta learned how to hunt buffalo. The second level takes a closer look at their lifestyle and includes a complete reconstruction of a typical tipi. On level three, you’ll learn all about the history and creation of the jump site at Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump as well as about its ceremonial significance. This level has a theatre which plays a recreation of the buffalo drive. Level four takes a look at the effect that the arrival of European settlers had on the site, and level five talks about the archaeological work that has been done there.

Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump is significant in that it is one of the world’s oldest and best-preserved buffalo jump. It is a testimony to a way of life that is today long lost, telling the story of how the indigenous people used their knowledge of hunting techniques and buffalo behaviour to provide for themselves. The buffalo were so numerous and the buffalo jump provided such an abundance of resources that the indigenous people continued to use the site for nearly 6,000 years.

Just a 15-minute drive northwest of Fort Macleod on Highway 785, Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump is well worth the visit. Best of all, admission during Buffalo Harvest Days will be completely free. You’ll also get to enjoy special discounts at the gift shop, and the cafeteria will be open and serving up a selection of buffalo-themed cuisine.

Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump is a landmark of great cultural and archaeological importance. There’s no better way to celebrate the culture and history of Alberta than by learning about how the land that today makes up the province was used for several millennia in the past.