Beaver, Bison, Horse by R. Grace Morgan

Author:R. Grace Morgan
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: University of Regina Press
Published: 2020-09-28T19:31:06+00:00

Kill Sites

Drives

Two hunting techniques are found within this category: jumps and pounds. Jumps are found most frequently along the Rocky Mountains, whereas pounds are more common on the level prairies.56 Richard Forbis describes the differences between a pound and a jump. A pound was an enclosure into which bison were driven. It was bounded on one side by an escarpment, frequently along a creek, and on the other three sides by a wooden fence. A jump was a cliff or steep slope over which bison were driven.57 Forbis also notes that artificial fences were often built to guide bison to the kill site. These fences were constructed from various materials: turf, stone, dung, or brush.58

In my study area, the drives were mainly into pounds. A winter pound tended to be close to the winter camp site. Frequent inclement weather made easy accessibility an important consideration. The same climatic conditions made it possible to remain close to the kill site without malodorous consequences.

Drives were generally carried out all winter. Compared with a summer kill site, a winter kill site should show a greater accumulation of cultural remains. The area occupied by the winter kill site should also be larger. Skinner notes that, for the Plains Cree, “sometimes when the people were camping by a pound all winter, they found it too small for their needs, and were obliged to enlarge it by piling up the buffalo meat already dried or frozen to make new pounds.”59

Surrounds

Historical documentation by Arthur indicates that this hunting method could be carried out by a wide range of techniques: setting up lodges around herds, women setting up travois in a semicircle, using fire to surround herds, and having mounted hunters surround herds.60 In my study area, the serpentine waterways form cul-de-sacs (natural surrounds) into which bison herds could be driven and killed. These areas have high frequencies of bone and some fire-cracked rock. Lithic materials are scarce, consisting primarily of large flakes and shatter.

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