What Is: A Buffalo Jump
One of the more dramatic scenes of Dances With Wolve s is the buffalo hunt, with Lakota warriors (and Kevin Costner), chasing a herd of buffalo across the prairie shooting with bows and arrows (and a rifle/carbine) as the women of the tribe hurried to begin the process of dressing the fresh meat. Such hunts were possible after Plains tribes acquired the horse from Spanish traders and integrated it into their cultural practice, but bison have been an integral part of Native life long before the horse. How did hunts happen before then 18th century? Plains tribes relied on landmarks known as buffalo jumps. These were cliffs, bluffs or other precipices sharp enough and steep enough that buffalo could be stampeded off them with a sure chance of breaking legs or necks and becoming incapacitated long enough to be finished off with arrows or spears. Each tribe knew where in their hunting range such buffalo jumps could be found. They also took advantage of the ter...