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History Native American

Imagining Head-Smashed-In

Aboriginal Buffalo Hunting on the Northern Plains

by (author) Jack W. Brink

Publisher
Athabasca University Press
Initial publish date
Feb 2008
Category
Native American
Recommended Age
15
Recommended Grade
10
  • Paperback / softback

    ISBN
    9781897425046
    Publish Date
    Feb 2008
    List Price
    $35.95
  • Hardback

    ISBN
    9781897425008
    Publish Date
    Feb 2008
    List Price
    $85

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Description

For millennia, Aboriginal hunters on the North American Plains usedtheir knowledge of the land and of buffalo behaviour to drive theirquarry over cliffs. Archaeologist Jack Brink has written a major studyof the mass buffalo hunts and the culture they supported before andafter European contact. By way of example, he draws on his 25 yearsexcavating at Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump in southwestern Alberta,Canada – a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

About the author

Jack W. Brink is Archaeology Curator at the Royal Alberta Museum in Edmonton, Canada. He received his B.A. from the University of Minnesota and his M.A. from the University of Alberta. His interests also include the study of rock art images of the northern Plains, and he enjoys working with Aboriginal communities on heritage issues.

Jack W. Brink's profile page

Librarian Reviews

Imagining Head- Smashed-In: Aboriginal Buffalo Hunting on the Northern Plains

Brink uses his background in archaeology and his intimate knowledge of Blackfoot cultural history, and adds in well-researched information on bison and historical accounts of the great buffalo hunts, to create a picture of how and why HeadSmashed -In Buffalo Jump became so important. Beautifully illustrated, the book explains in detail the various ways Aboriginal people relied on the buffalo and how the great buffalo jumps were used. The attractive format makes the information in this book very accessible.

In 1981, Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Brink is Curator of Archaeology at the Royal Alberta Museum.

Source: The Association of Book Publishers of BC. Canadian Aboriginal Books for Schools. 2008-2009.