By Maryanna Gabriel
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| Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump |
As I traveled southward, I found myself at Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump. This
is a UNESCO world heritage site, right up there with the great pyramids of
Giza. My arrival coincided with a scenic railroad tour excursion so I was
grateful to be entreated to quite a show, vibrant dancers accompanied by
intense drumming. These are the Blackfoot and this is Blackfoot country. The
site is at least 6,000 years old with bone deposits ten meters deep. Legend has
it that a young hunter wanted to watch the buffalo plunge off the cliff so he
went below. He was buried by the falling herd and found dead by the pile of
carcasses. He had got his “head smashed in” hence the name. Some days one kind
of wishes one could do over, I should guess. With my heart full, I departed, enjoying
the minimalist prairie landscape with an eye to the changing light. Whenever I
stopped I was completely inundated by mosquitoes. In the Milk River area I saw
a beautiful deer with a white and black face and antelope type horns, a
Pronghorn, I think. The occasional prairie dog stood on hind legs by the road
side. This is rattlesnake country and signs were posted in warning with the
plea to not run over snakes as they are a value to the ecosystem. I drove on
through the shimmering heat.
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| Drove On Through The Shimmering Heat |
