October on the northern Great Plains brings falling leaves and fattened game. As the full hunter’s moon rises over Dakota Territory, it is time, once again, for the Iron Alliance, made up of the Pembina Chippewa, Cree, Assiniboine, and Metis/Michif relatives to rendezvous for a biannual buffalo hunt, in hopes of lying in a store of provisions for the long winter ahead. The Alliance, also known as Nahiyaw Pwat, had become a dominant force on the Northern Plains by the middle of the 1800s, using horses, guns, and the Red River Cart to their advantage, resources that were also critical to a successful hunt.

The beginning of the buffalo hunts were marked with entire communities coming together, massive Red River Cart caravans snaking their way across the vast grasslands. The carts were packed to the brim, loaded with provisions, supplies, and buffalo hides and poles, ready to be erected into shelters once the travelers had reached camp. Braves rode ahead of the caravan, scouting the terrain, hoping for a glimpse of a buffalo herd. When a herd was spotted, someone was sent back to instruct the rest of the travelers to make camp.

Wigwams were constructed and carts were unloaded. Children roamed the surrounding prairie gathering buffalo chips, or dung, to use as fuel. The Red River Carts were placed in a circle in the camp, a makeshift corral for the valuable ponies at night. As the sun was peeking over the horizon, the Nahiyaw Pwat was preparing for the hunt. The younger men left camp in pursuit of the buffalo, while the old men, women, and children stayed in the camp, eager for the return of the hunters.

As they approached the herd, the hunters would quietly position themselves downwind of the animals, knowing full well that one sniff of them would ruin the entire hunt. Once in position, the hunters would race toward the herd, each man with his focus on the buffalo he intended to kill. Once inside the herd, they would ride their prized horses amongst the buffalo, killing as many as they could.

Eventually, for numerous reasons, buffalo hunting would die off and the camaraderie of the Iron Alliance would decline, leaving behind a legacy of a formidable force on the Great Plains, one whose acquisition and reliance on horses, guns, and carts for survival, success, and dominance is historic.