Cheyenne memories: The Buffalo Jump

Part 1

The memories and oral history knowledge of John Stands In Timber, Northern Cheyenne tribal historian and elder were captured in Cheyenne Memories, Margot Liberty, 1972.  These memories painstakingly collected over the years are considered highly accurate.

One of the memories came from Stands In Timbers’ grandparents who told how they as children hunted buffalo in a “big hole” near present day Sundance, WY. This could very well refer to the Vore Buffalo Jump (VBJ)which is near Sundance and between Devil’s Tower and the Black Hills, then a highly traveled route for many Plains Tribes, including the Northern Cheyenne. The VBJ, a historic and archaeological site documents that various Plains Tribes used this location and method of harvesting buffalo for about three centuries.

Recently, this writer was invited for a personal tour, meeting with Vore Foundation Board members Glenn Wyatt, Theodore “Ted” Vore, Dr. Richard Littlebear and Dr. Jacqueline Wyatt, Director.

Glenn Wyatt grew up in Pine Ridge because his father M.T. “Jack” Wyatt was a BIA superintendent stationed there.  Ted Vore is the treasurer, representing the Vore family on the non-profit Vore Buffalo Jump Foundation (VBJF).  Dr. Littlebear, Northern Cheyenne, president of Chief Dull Knife Memorial College, like other advisors serves on a volunteer non-paid basis. Other Board and Advisory members include archaeologists, teachers, area representatives and Vore family members.

“The Vore Buffalo Jump is a part of our history which should be told and shared with the world,” Dr. Littlebear emphasized. “It’s right in our back yard – the heart of our ancestral lands, easily accessible to educators, students from Wyoming, Montana and the Dakotas.  This amazing site is visited by people from around the globe.”

In addition, I participated in a virtual learning session, prepared by Jacqueline Wyatt who is the VBJF Board President.  The learning tool is excellent, beginning with a re-enactment of the dangerous and labor-intensive method of harvesting buffalo through a jump, taken from a movie Into the West.     The Zoom video is extremely well done and elicited many questions from the 4^th grade audience, non-Indians in this instance and even from this much older Cheyenne viewer, all which Dr. Wyatt handled in a professional, knowledgeable manner, very respectful to Tribal people. Plans are underway to update the video with Dr. Littlebear narrating. The video can be accessed for no cost.  For more information visit the VBJ website:  infor@vorebuffalojump.org.

The site buried under layers of soil with heavy gypsum and limestone content is located on the Doris and Woodrow Vore Ranch.  It was accidentally discovered in 1969 when the State of Wyoming was working to build Interstate 1-90, including soil studies. A core sample revealed at least 13 feet of bison bones and artifacts, all layered.   The site covered with layers of soil and sediment was not previously visible.  Everyone was quite surprised to find it, Ted Vore noted.

The Vore family recognized the historic and archaeological significance of the site and determined to preserve it to document history about tribal people in the region. Although it wasn’t easy, professionals from the University of Wyoming, the family and archaeological community prevailed and the State re-routed the highway at some expense which has allowed the site to be preserved.

The Vore family donated the land containing the sinkhole to the VBJF in 1989.  Since, the Foundation has raised funds for a log cabin registration area, a Visitor’s Center beautifully shaped like a tipi and a large metal building to cover the site and on-going excavation.  The sinkhole is about 50’ deep with steep sides and the bottom of the original jump roughly the size of a basketball court.  The protective cover is critical because the bones are not fossilized and begin to deteriorate when exposed to air.

The VBJF was recently elated to receive a $157,757 “Save America’s Treasures” grant from the National Park Service in partnership with the I23nstitute of Museum and Library Services, National Endowment of the Arts and National Endowment of the Humanities.  This will allow curation of approximately 23,000 bone and stone artifacts from the site currently stored in non-ideal locations at the University of Wyoming’ Archaeological Repository.  Matching and in-kind resources were provided by the University of Wyoming, Office of the State Archaeologist Office and VBJF.

Last year, donations made it possible to establish the VBJF Indigenous Scholars Program where selected archaeological students receive stipends to work on the tons of material previously taken from the site.  Special effort if made to recruit Native Americans.

The site, open during the tourist season, provides educational tours for the public at a nominal fee. Also, during the summer interns and visiting scientists are active, but o continuing excavation and preservation which will require many more years of work. During the 2020 COVID summer, visits were down.  While continuing to provide guided tours under COVID precautions, they did not charge admission.

Bones and artifacts have been excavated from 22 layers, each from a separate hunt.  The hunts were generally held in the fall when cooler conditions are good for curing meat and the animals have much fat. It required many tribal members and high coordination to get the buffalo to “jump” and then to process the meat and by-products. By comparing the bones to the rings of an old tree from the Black Hills, the first hunt at this site occurred in 1559.  Evidence from spear points suggest the first hunters to use the site were Plains Apache but over the next 250 years many other Tribes followed suit including:  Shoshone, Kiowas, Kiowa Apache, Crow, Cheyenne and Arapaho.  The Lakota, scientists say, arrived in the area towards the end of the buffalo jump style of hunting, already relying principally on horses.

Next week, look forward to learning some of the fascinating conclusions which have been reached due to hunting at this ‘big hole’ near Sundance, WY.

 

(Clara Caufield can be reached at acheyennevoice@gmail.com)

 

 

 

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