Well, after decades of painstaking research, the mystery of why Belgians are called Buffaloes may have been solved.
It seems that back around the turn of the century (from the 19th to the 20th), Buffalo Bill Cody took his Wild West Show to Belgium (among other European countries), where the people of Ghent took to him in a big way.
The football team there - K.A.A. Gent - took as its nickname the Buffaloes, and their logo is an Indian chief in profile.
It seems that many of the Belgians moving to the Detroit area came from that part of Flanders, and brought their team affiliation with them.
A mystery neatly solved.
It seems that back around the turn of the century (from the 19th to the 20th), Buffalo Bill Cody took his Wild West Show to Belgium (among other European countries), where the people of Ghent took to him in a big way.
The football team there - K.A.A. Gent - took as its nickname the Buffaloes, and their logo is an Indian chief in profile.
It seems that many of the Belgians moving to the Detroit area came from that part of Flanders, and brought their team affiliation with them.
A mystery neatly solved.
16 comments:
Wow, I arrived here through Googling and I wanted to tell you thanks for posting about the Belgium-Buffalo connection. I just spent 6 months living in Ghent and thought it was seriously odd that their soccer team was the Buffaloes, not even getting started on the mascot!
I didn't realize it was also used as a nickname for Belgians in the US.
Thanks, Ursula.
I think you'll find that Buffalo as a nickname for Belgian is a very regional thing. It seems to happen only on the East side of Detroit and its suburbs, where there is a fairly large Belgian population.
Folks on the West side of Detroit typically don't know it either.
My mother was 100% Buffalo…born in Rock Island, Illinois in 1909. (surname DeMeere) I know of a Buffalo Club of Belgians in Minnesota, so the name wasn't just confined to Detroit's East Side. It could, however, be just Flemish Belgians used the term, and not Walloons, which could account for other Belgians not knowing of it. (that's a guess)
Thank you for the explanation. I've always known that Belgians are "Buffaloes." That's what my Grandpa called them. He was Canadian, but during Prohibition he used to run liquor to -- you guessed it -- the east side of Detroit!
I am of Belgian descent and grew up in Superior, Wisconsin. There were many events that we attended at the Belgian Club also known as the Buffalo Club. It is still in existence!
I grew up in the Northern suburbs of Detroit. I am of 100 % Belgian descent. Both sets of my grandparents settled on the East side of Detroit after they arriv d from Belgium. They always referred to us as Belgium Buffalos. They were Flemish Belgiums. I always wondered where that originated from. Thank you for the info.
I always thought it was because we are stubborn! Ha Ha.
!
Chris, I think my wife might agree with you!
I think the stubbornness runs in our Belgium family too.
Does it not have to do with many Belgians originally going to Buffalo NY when they first arrived in the states?
Lefere36 - I have definitely heard that explanation as well.
Of course, maybe they went to Buffalo because it reminded them of their favourite football team!
Thanks for commenting.
My Father was from Belgium and He told me that they are called Buffalos because they would hold on to their nickels so tight that the Buffalo would be imprinted into their hand.
That Buffalo Nickel explanation may be the best one so far!
And two Hollanders invented copper wire when they were fighting over a penny that one found.
My grandfather came to Grosse Pointe & East side of Detroit with his parents from Belgium. My great grandfather was a builder who bootlegged during prohibition. They called themselves Buffalo
My grandfather also told me Belgians are Buffalos. He lived in St Clair Shores and used to be part of a Belgian club in the Detroit area. When I asked why, he only said, “ The French are called ‘frogs’ and the Belgians are called ‘buffalos.’” I instinctively decided it had something to do with strength and perseverance, and have used it as a sort of talisman when faced with challenges to success.
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