Blackfoot traditional knowledge, bison drive lines, and geospatial analysis

Abstract

Bison drive lines provide material evidence of ancestral Blackfoot practices. The spatial dimensions of drive lines highlight a sophisticated understanding of bison-environment interactions and the strategic use of geographic landforms and environmental features to maintain a critical lifeway. Here we examine broad-scale landscape use patterns among prehistoric Blackfoot bison hunters on the Northwestern Plains through an analysis of a network of drive lines in traditional Blackfoot territory (US) using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and previous archaeological and anthropological research. The findings of this study show that ancestral Blackfoot designed bison drive lines to be positioned in proximity to key landscape resources including water, forested areas, and wetlands and kettle lakes. This study builds on previous research that applies an Indigenous archaeological framework that incorporates ethnohistoric narratives and traditional knowledge to provide important context for understanding the relationship between ancestral Blackfoot, bison, and the cultural landscape. Examining the relationship between drive lines and landscape features helps advance our understanding of the Blackfoot knowledge system that has adapted and endured for millennia.