Stories and Legends

The Chinook

There is a legend in Southern Alberta about an Aboriginal girl of awesome beauty whose name is Chinook. One cold winter day, she wandered into the Stoney Mountains and did not return. A search party of brave warriors searched and called in vain until all were half frozen and near exhaustion. Suddenly, from over the mountains came a warm caressing breeze. The snow and ice began to melt and the warriors, now happily warm, gazed at each other in wonder and whispered "It is Chinook's breath-all is well with her." The legend of Chinook's breath is still observed today.

The Legend of Head-Smashed-In

A long time ago, the people of the Plains were driving a great herd of buffalo toward a stony cliff. However, one young man decided to wait at the bottom. He wanted to watch the buffalo as they tumbled over the edge. For protection, he stood beneath a rocky ledge and pressed himself against the cliff. That day, the hunt was very successful and many buffalo fell. Bodies piled upon bodies, and soon the young man found himself trapped-wedged between the buffalo and the cliff. When the hunt ended, the people gathered at the bottom of the cliff. There, among the animals, they found the body of the young man. The weight of the buffaloes had crushed his head. From that moment on, the people of the Plains called that place Head-Smashed-In.

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