Hunting the Buffalo

Long before the arrival of the Europeans to North America, the number of bison that roamed the Plains was conservatively estimated at 60 million. With the introduction of horses, guns and the political struggles between the native people and European governments, much of the buffalo herds began to decrease significantly. By 1875, there were 30 million buffalo on the Plains and by 1900 there were only a few hundred in Canada. First Nations people had been hunting the buffalo for many centuries and would follow the migrating herds. The hunt was of primary even mystical importance to the Plains people as it was their way of life.

Buffalo grazed in open prairies in warmer months and sought shelter in the valleys during the cold winters. Their size and bulky hides protected them from the prairie winds, with cows retaining an inch or more of fat in winter. Buffalo can grow to about 1.8m in height and weigh up to 900 kilograms. Elaborate rituals and ceremonies were created to ensure the return of the herds, with buffalo calling ceremonies used by all tribes of the Plains.

Hunting the buffalo became a learned skill. A running herd was difficult to intercept but a grazing herd could be approached fairly easily. Buffalo haven’t a keen sense of hearing, and they see much better from the side than straight ahead. If the hunters remained downwind, they could elude the buffalo’s keen sense of smell and be reasonably sure of getting within rifle or bow and arrow range. The use of the horse also posed a difficulty when approaching the herd, for although they were trained, they could be easily spooked causing an unwanted commotion. Cows grazed at the front of the herd, with the bulls usually the first to become aware of the approaching hunters. The prized meat for the native people was the cow meat, which meant the hunters had to break through the racing bulls to get to them. A buffalo would not intentionally trample a man, nor would it gore him if lying on the ground and it was the bow and arrow and not the rifle that proved to be more deadly. From 2-3 meters away, the hunter could aim at a point behind and below the left shoulder, the most direct path to the heart of the animal.

Artifacts courtesy of the Glenbow
Museum Collection, Calgary, Alberta

Prior to the introduction of horses, there were two methods used to kill the buffalo, the “piskun” (cliff) and the pound. The pound method was to drive a herd into a pound (or enclosure), which took considerable skill and speed. Men, women, and children would be positioned in two long lines spreading out from the gate of the pound. As the herd approached, they each stood up in turn, driving the animals closer and faster until they were running headlong down the neck of the human funnel into the enclosure at the end. Once enclosed, they could be easily speared or shot.

The buffalo jump had been in use for 10,000 years. Braves smeared a grease or sage concoction on their bodies to prevent the buffalo from detecting the human scent. Fires were started to help create a haze to obscure the horizon and the herd was “stampeded” into the direction of and over the cliff. A successful hunt may last for several hours to several days involving 50-500 people. All parts of the buffalo were used, not only for food but also for clothing, tipis, saddles, household furnishings, and ceremonial dress ornaments for home and horse.