Long Description:THE OLD WAYS
The First People were migratory hunters and gatherers. Game was
killed using spear points fashioned from obsidian (volcanic glass)
or flint. By about 8,000 years ago, groups of hunters began to
stalk bison using communal tactics. The windswept hunting ground
located on a sandstone rimrock near the quite community of Ulm was
one such place. It was refered to as "Pishkun," or translated
loosely in Blackfoot as “deep blood kettle.”
Scouts were sent out to locate a bison herd. Then, over a period
of time, the People would slowly "push" the herd closer towards the
plateau that would mark the beginning of the drive. Lanes were
created using both natural topography and by piling large rock
cairns into a funnel that created a choke at the edge of the
pishkun. The bison were stampeded across the Plains toward plateaus
and into these drive lanes by hunters who ran behind shouting,
waving hides, as well as with their dogs barking and chasing the
beasts. As the panicked bison closed in together, the momentum of
the herd would push those in front over the edge of the sandstone
cliff. Many bison died in the fall, and those that survived were
quickly dispatched by other hunters who had been staged at the base
of the cliff.
Carcasses were butchered and feasts were held. Most of the flesh
was dried and stored as jerky for the winter months. Wolves,
coyotes, eagles and other wildlife cleaned up what was not taken by
the First People.
Pishkuns, or "buffalo jumps," were used by Natives Peoples for
thousands of years, yet the bison herds remained vast. At the time
of European settlement in North America, more than 60,000 bison
were believed to have roamed in vast herds over much of the
landscape, especially the Great Plains.
THE BISON & THE PEOPLE
Bison formed one of the practical and spiritual foundations of
life for the First People; a tradition that continues today. The
meat, hides, horns, and bones of these great animals sustained the
hunters and their families for thousands of years. Bison were, and
are still, part of the voice of the land.
MODERN DAYS
Ulm Pishkun is one of the largest buffalo jumps ever found. It
is now a state park, administered by the Montana Fish, Wildlife
& Parks, that offers the opportunity to feel the ancient ways
of land and life. Here, limestone, shale, and sandstone cliffs
range from 15 to 30 feet high and extend for over one mile. "Major"
and "minor" kill sites have been unearthed by archaeologists, and
seven other kill sites can be seen from the Park's overlook.
VISITOR CENTER & TRAILS
Inside the visitor center’s lobby, visitors are welcomed by a
full mounted bison bull, which they are invited to touch. The
center’s main feature is an interpretive hall furnished with
murals, models, and artifacts that tell of the bison and the people
whose lives depended on the plains grazer.
Upon entering the exhibit, it’s springtime to the left and
winter on the right. In all directions are bison, grazing. Ahead,
where a cliff juts from the wall, visitors listen to recordings of
Blackfoot reading from the book "The Buffalo Jump." A tipi, bison
hides, and other displays provide a glimpse into what life here was
like not that long ago.
Hiking the 1.5 mile (one-way) interpretive trail offers an
intimate way to under-stand and observe the landscape and pishkun,
but those less inclined to walk can reach the top by vehicle. A
gravel road winds from the visitor center up past a lively 5-acre
prairie dog town to near the cliff. A paved walk makes a short loop
past several sweat lodge frames to a dirt path leading to the
pishkun edge. There, visitors get a view of the sacred ground
below, where bison were converted to food, clothing, and
shelter.