Supporting traditional Tsattine knowledge of a buffalo hunting landscape through exploratory mapping: Kleskun Hills, Alberta

Abstract

Tsattine Beaver people have deep connections to their traditional lands in what is now known as northwestern Alberta, but lack significant representation and recognition due to ongoing colonial displacement and erasure. Tsattine identities, memories, and histories have been fragmented among modern descendants. This applies to Tsattine buffalo (bison) hunting, which is briefly mentioned in some ethnographies and oral histories but has largely been forgotten by both Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. As part of the larger resurgence project led by Beaver knowledge keeper Victoria Wanihadie and my supervisor Jessica Metcalfe, my thesis uses non-invasive archaeological approaches to determine which communal buffalo hunting strategies would have been feasible in one portion of Beaver territory. My work was inspired by the oral testimony of Beaver Elder Philip Joachim, who shared that a buffalo jump occurred at Kleskun Hills. My thesis aimed to investigate the suitability of the Kleskun landscape for communal buffalo hunting. I utilized Geographical Information Systems (GIS) to explore the terrain for patterns and natural features consistent with archaeologically-recognized buffalo hunting locations in other areas. Based on common characteristics at known sites, I used Least-Cost-Path analysis to determine potential drive routes that were fairly flat and direct, as well as Viewshed analysis to determine if minimal visibility of potential traps could be maintained. My results suggest that the landscape at Kleskun was conducive to various communal buffalo hunting techniques, including drives ending in jumps, pounds, arroyos, and ‘ambush’ traps. These geospatial insights align with Tsattine oral history and work towards generating knowledge and awareness of communal buffalo hunting in traditional Beaver lands.