Pulling apart the pile: analyzing the chronology and zooarchaeology of Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump

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dc.contributor.authorSawchuk, Matthew R.
dc.contributor.authorUniversity of Lethbridge. Faculty of Arts and Science
dc.contributor.supervisorBubel, Shawn
dc.date.accessioned2025-10-01T21:30:33Z
dc.date.available2025-10-01T21:30:33Z
dc.date.issued2025
dc.degree.levelMasters
dc.description.abstractHead-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump (Estipah-skikikini-kots), located in southwestern Alberta, Canada, is the oldest confirmed, best preserved, and the longest used bison jump in the Great Plains. It was excavated by several researchers in the 20th century, and the earliest deposits at the site are currently being investigated by a joint University of Lethbridge (ULeth) and Royal Alberta Museum (RAM) research team. This thesis project focuses on the re-investigation of chronological and zooarchaeological aspects of Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump (HSIBJ) using artifacts and documents from previous excavations now curated at the Royal Alberta Museum. There are three main components of this research. The first is an investigation of the chronology of the site, conducted by collating decades of projectile point data, submitting new 14C dates, and reanalyzing the stratigraphy from the original kill site excavation notes. The second component is a taxonomic study of the bison species that were hunted during the first use of the site, Bison antiquus occidentalis or Bison bison. The third component is a comparative study of the zooarchaeological data from HSIBJ and other large bison kills on the Northwestern Great Plains. Through this research, we now have a better understanding of site use during the mid-Middle Precontact period. Key outcomes include the discovery that there is likely no cultural gap between 3 100 and 900 BCE as previously hypothesised and that the makers of the Oxbow point used the jump. It is also likely that the earliest hunters drove herds of Bison antiquus occidentalis over the cliff. As with other jumps and pounds in the Middle Precontact Period, the hunters who used HSIBJ wasted little, and while no skull monuments have been found at the site, discarded horn sheaths and the absence of horn cores in kill site deposits may well reflect ceremonial activities. This project highlights the value of working with long held museum collections to answer new questions and re-investigate even well-researched archaeological sites. Its contribution is timely given the ongoing ULeth-RAM project at HSIBJ.
dc.embargoNo
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10133/7151
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherLethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Dept. of Geography and Environment
dc.publisher.departmentDepartment of Geography and Environment
dc.publisher.facultyArts and Science
dc.relation.ispartofseriesThesis (University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Arts and Science)
dc.subjectarchaeology
dc.subjectbuffalo jump
dc.subjectbison
dc.subjectAlberta
dc.subjectzooarchaeology
dc.subjectPlains archaeology
dc.subjectPrecontact period
dc.subjectHead-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump
dc.subjectHead-Smashed-In
dc.subjectchronology
dc.subjectbison palaeontology
dc.subjectCanada
dc.subjectAlberta archaeology
dc.subjectstratigraphy
dc.subjectmuseum collections
dc.subjectNorthwestern Great Plains
dc.subjectBison occidentalis
dc.subjectBison antiquus
dc.subjectbison hunting
dc.subjectprojectile points
dc.subjectbison skulls
dc.subjectMiddle Precontact period
dc.subject.lcshDissertations, Academic
dc.subject.lcshHead-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump National Historic Site (Alta.)
dc.subject.lcshAnimal remains (Archaeology)--Research--Alberta, Southern
dc.subject.lcshProjectile points--Research--Alberta, Southern
dc.subject.lcshRadiocarbon dating
dc.subject.lcshExcavations (Archaeology)--Alberta, Southern
dc.subject.lcshIndigenous peoples--Alberta--Hunting
dc.subject.lcshBuffalo jump--Alberta
dc.subject.lcshIndigenous peoples--Alberta--Antiquities
dc.subject.lcshAmerican bison--History
dc.subject.lcshAmerican bison hunting--History
dc.subject.lcshMuseum objects--Alberta
dc.subject.lcshAlberta--History--Antiquities
dc.titlePulling apart the pile: analyzing the chronology and zooarchaeology of Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump
dc.typeThesis
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