Buffalo Nation



The Buffalo Nation is one of the territories of Equestria.

Demographics
Its population is primarily made up of Buffalo but it also features large settlements of Ponies and Cattle.

History
See also Timeline.

Prior to Equestrian incorporation, the population of the territory was entirely composed of independent Buffalo tribes.

Gold rush
In the mid-ninth century, as trade between Equestria and Buffalo tribes increased, Equestrian traders were astonished by the amount of gold nuggets that some tribes seemed to possess. As these traders returned to Equestrian cities and told their tales, rumors began to spread about massive amounts of gold in the Buffalo lands.

Because of these rumors, Ponies began moving to Buffalo lands in the search of gold.

Because of the semi-nomadic lifestyle of Buffalo tribes, in their culture land wasn't considered to have a permanent owner but rather to be used freely by whoever happens to inhabit it as long as the usage is sustainable so that the next inhabitants can enjoy the same resources.

This meant that when Ponies started building settlements, the Buffalo didn't consider them to be invading any specific tribe as they hadn't directly displaced anyone. Yet the new settlements created tension as they made intensive use of the few resources the land offered such as water, timber or fertile land, leaving less and less for the native population.

These settlements also got a strong immigration of Cattle from Shahr as they required skilled farmers familiar with the climate to become food-independent.

Consolidation
As more and more resources were claimed by permanent settlements, the Buffalo tribes began settling fertile lands and water more aggressively to avoid losing access to those resources. This led to more direct conflicts as Ponies wanted those resources to feed the growing population; conflicts which usually ended poorly for the Buffalo whose weapons weren't as technologically advanced as the ones carried by Ponies.

At the same time, the tensions between the settlers and Equestria itself grew as the Equestrian government saw a new population of creatures who left to ungoverned territory to avoid paying taxes, and indeed there was refusal to incorporate the settled lands into Equestria to avoid having to follow Equestrian law and pay Equestrian taxes.

In the meantime, the settlements were lead by whichever creatures could assert themselves as the leader, that is, whoever could pay off the biggest local militia and gain control of enough resources to maintain that control. Despite being seen by the settlers as a place where anyone could become wealthy, gold rush era Buffalo Nation was a place where the wealthiest Ponies were the ones who were wealthy before they left Equestria.

However, the population of the new settlements soon saw itself in a precarious situation as the native population still outnumbered them and could eventually win a war despite their worse weaponry. Ultimately, the leaders of major settlements reached an agreement with the Equestrian government that they would receive help in a war against the Buffalo in exchange of allowing being consolidated into a new Equestrian province.

As major settlements became the new province of Buffalia, smaller settlements soon joined and soon private militias and Equestrian soldiers worked together to crush the leadership of Buffalo tribes and force annexation, bringing the whole region into unified Equestrian control.

At the time, Buffalia was a plutocracy, with a governor chosen by the leaders of the major gold mining enterprises who had the militias to back them up.

Resistance and dearth
The conflicts didn't end as Buffalo saw themselves forced to rely on the most sterile terrain that remained unclaimed for food production or the purchase of food from settlements with whatever gold nuggets they still possessed, of which they only had a limited amount as any significant deposits had been claimed by Ponies as well.

Eventually this lead to crime as Buffalo resorted to robbing caravans transporting goods between settlements to subsist. Sometimes, these robberies were punishment through the massacre of nearby tribes, regardless of whether they were involved in the theft or not. A few of these cases arrived to Equestrian courts, leading to some compensation towards the survivors.

Regardless, things weren't going too well for the Pony settlements. As major gold deposits began running out, gold mining became a less profitable enterprise that could only be profitably performed by organized mining operations with more advanced tools and machinery. Some tried to keep making a living on agriculture, but this was unsuccessful as plantations of cash crops that weren't adapted to the local climate couldn't compete with the more well established plantations in the more fitting climate of the north.

More and more Ponies left Buffalia for the Equestrian provinces they originated from, causing the Buffalo population to become larger in comparison. The Cattle population largely stayed in their farms, continuing to produce food and selling it at cheaper prices to the local Buffalo population.

At the same time, private militias were dissolved as the remaining gold mines became less profitable and it became harder to continue paying the significant cost of maintaining them.

A new government
With militias dissolved, the Equestrian army recalled and a dwindling Pony population, the Buffalo began protesting in front of the government, asking to be allowed to take part in it.

The governor begged for the remaining militias to uphold the government and crush the protests, but the militias barely had enough members to hold control of the mines and sending enough militiaponies to ensure a successful attack on the protest would leave the mines vulnerable to be easily taken. Thus, Buffalian gold tycoons decided to let the government fall.

The governor's mansion was put under siege by the protestors. As a last desperate bid, the governor asked the Equestrian government for help and Equestria promised to reinstate the government of Buffalia if it was toppled but otherwise it was the governor's job to take care of internal issues. However, the protestors hadn't toppled the government and were simply demanding changes, so the governor couldn't rely on help from the national government.

Eventually, with no one allowed to come in or out of the mansion, the governor conceded and gave tribal leaders the possibility to propose and block policies by a majority vote.

Buffalia was renamed to the Buffalo Nation to reflect the change in government and a new flag was designed, inspired by the feathers in the headdress of tribal leaders. Militias were banned. Farms and mines were allowed to continue their operations as long as they paid part of their products to the tribes that formerly occupied the lands.

Black gold
As the gold rush was put in the past, a similar phenomenon struck the Buffalo Nation. At a time where the Equestrian industry had a growing thirst for petroleum, old gold miners noted the thick black liquid that was found in some mining expeditions in Buffalia.

Ponies who still owned abandoned gold mines were enticed by the prospect of the near worthless land gaining some value. Prospectors were brought over from major Equestrian cities and some oil fields were found, leading to oil towers being built.

Local Cattle farmers who had seen their profits dwindle due to taxes and lowered demand from emigration were hired to perform the dangerous job of constructing the oil towers and working on them to extract the oil.

The Buffalo population protested the exploitation of oil as they feared that events would play out similarly to the gold rush. Although tensions still exist, drilling operations are ongoing.

Economy
Agriculture is a major aspect of Buffalo economy. Buffalos generally rotate crops between corn, beans and squash.

Gold mining remains a significant economic activity despite the end of the gold rush. Oil drilling has largely taken its place as the most profitable economic activity in the area.

Culture
Cotton weaving is an important art in the Buffalo Nation. Buffalo weaves feature intricate designs and they are a prized luxury in much of Equus.

Initially, the patterns were constrained by the dyes natively available to the Buffalo lands, but after contact with Equestrians, the availability of foreign dyes caused an increase in the variety of colors.

Religion
Buffalo believe that the world is one in a series of many that get destroyed and created with living creatures migrating between them.

It's believed that these beliefs are tied to the Buffalo's nomadic roots.

Ecology
The fauna of the Buffalo Nation features the cactus cat.