Abstract ID: 3.11750 | Accepted as Talk | Talk/Oral | TBA | TBA

These sites explore the historical and cultural connections between high-altitude mountainous regions, specifically the Wind River Range of Western Wyoming, and the lowland plains of the surrounding areas, focusing on Native American communal buffalo hunting structures and jumps. Captain Reynolds wrote, “the Shoshone held the Buffalo in the mountains and killed them as they needed them”. The oral histories suggest use from numerous tribes who have long relied on the buffalo as a central resource for sustenance, clothing, and tools. The Wind River Range, with its rugged terrain, provided both physical and symbolic connections to the hunting grounds on the plains below. This study examines how these highland-lowland relationships were essential to the survival and societal structures of these tribes, emphasizing the strategic use of buffalo jumps—natural cliffs where buffalo were driven over to their deaths. The project integrates archaeological, ethnographic, oral histories, and environmental data to understand how these regions were navigated for hunting, the shared knowledge between highland and lowland communities, and the role of the buffalo in shaping both cultural and ecological landscapes. This work contributes to a deeper understanding of the interconnectedness of mountain and prairie ecosystems in the context of Native American life and resource management.