The introduction to this area begins with an animated telling of the Anishinaabe story of how the world came to be, with the animal world closely linked to the creator. The story is told in that language, with French and English subtitles at the bottom of the screen.
Ancient peoples left traces of themselves behind. They crossed from the old world east into the new one. The big question is how long ago. There is evidence of them in the Americas before the last ice age ended in the remnants of the Clovis people. They may not have been the first.
Regardless of tribes, first peoples long considered themselves as having been here always as they spread throughout the Americas.
For the tribes of the Great Plains, the bison was everything in their societies.
A bison skull and spear points dating back thousands of years are found here.
Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Alberta. Hunters would use the topography of the land and their own resourcefulness to drive herds of bison over the cliff. Buffalo jumps were essential to tribal survival, and the bison was seen as sacred. A model of the jump, with a video narrated by a tribal elder, puts things in stark clarity.
Interesting exhibition, William. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome.
Delete...history is one long story and new chapters are written every day.
ReplyDeleteThat is true.
DeleteI enjoyed learning about First Nations. I forget where it was in the elementary curriculum. The kids loved the stories. And when we had a kid visit from the Arctic he'd regale us with stories about field trips hunting caribou.
ReplyDeleteThere is much to learn.
DeleteGreat exhibit! Take care, have a great day and a happy week!
ReplyDeleteThank you.
DeleteInteresting stories about the early years.
ReplyDeleteIndeed.
DeleteBuffalo jumps were used around here right up to modern history. They provided First People with a large amount of meat that was dried and kept them feed for a long time. By the later 1800s our government policy was to eliminate the Bison as a food source and as a way of life.
ReplyDeleteTragic that it happened.
DeleteFascinating! and that skull is huge.
ReplyDeleteIt is. They are big animals.
DeleteAboriginal stories of creation are interesting.
ReplyDeleteThey are.
DeleteThey settled here so very long ago. Fascinating.
ReplyDeleteI think so.
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