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Wótapi: Indigenous Perspectives Of Food

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12/14/2016

Wasná

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Josh Skye came to our class to teach us how to make wasná.
While prepping the ingredients our class talked about the spiritual significance of wasna, how it is used in ceremonies and how it is used to feed the spirits.  The processes, you will see, take up a great deal of time and effort. But modern coveniences made the processes easier. 
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​First, we acquired a small elk roast from Deanna, who cooks for the children of kids kampus and the immersion school. After letting it thaw overnight we were ready to slice it into thin pieces so that it could be dried in the oven.
 
Waŋna tȟaló kiŋ uŋkáblapi.  Kablá: to slice meat thin for drying. 
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​Then we dried the meat on a cookie sheet in the oven that was turned on low. At this point we discussed ways our ancestors would have dried the meat, as well as the ways our grandmothers or aunts dry their meat today. Deanna for example, said she uses a dehydrator. The meat took hours in the oven to dry, but it was ready for grinding by the following Tuesday. 
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​When our class met again, we were ready to grind and combine ingredients.  To make wasná you need these 3 base ingredients: dried meat (like an elk or buffalo roast), some dried berries (like chokecherries, blueberries, or cranberries) and a fat (like kidney fat, fat from bone marrow, or shortening)…For our wasná we used dried elk, dried cranberries, and coconut oil.
 
We just mixed the dried meat and cranberries in the food processor or blender, then mixed in the melted coconut oil afterwards. 
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​Now we have our wasná. We split our wasná into little baggies, divvied it up, and made sure to give some to Josh and Deanna, and took some home to share with our families.
 
One student sums of the experience of making wasna: “The process of this whole project is time consuming but in the end there is food that can be put away for a long time and stored as well so that there will be something to eat through the years. I thought this whole process was very interesting and I hope to use this technique in the future when food may become scarce” (LD). 
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12/7/2016

Tȟaló wašté

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Below is an understanding of Tȟaló Wašté, or "good meat"
presented by student and parent Floris White Bull. 
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woyutapi_final_presentation_004.pptx
File Size: 236 kb
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Click Link above for Floris's Full Presentation. 
​
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Traditionally and today we hunt. In doing so we participate in the ceremony of life. Energy is exerted to chase our meat. Prayers are said and thanks is given to the animal forit giving it's life to sustain our families. There is a respect given. These animals have lives that they live. They are still a part of the land and are a part of life's cycles. 
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Many of the cattle that are born into slaughterhouses live strictly for the purpose of being slaughtered. They are kept in confined spaces, fed, and injected with hormones and antibiotics. Their lives are given no prayer or respect, no thanks. Their lives are taken so unceremoniously. There is a whole disconnection of where our food comes from today. 
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When we think of costs of eating buffalo as opposed to buffalo,
price can be a reason as to why we do not make this a viable 
choice to feed our families. One way to put into context is serving
size. A serving size of meat for an adult is about the size of a stack
of cards. With this knowledge, having a healthier choice of protein is doable. Diabetes is prevalent in our communities. A part of that is due to our diet. With awareness of serving size, healthier choices, and exercise (which can be counted in hunting), we can help make our communities healtier. 

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    Our course

    Sitting Bull College students participated in a course entitled "Indigenous Perspectives of Food" for the Fall 2016 semester.   This course examined the roles of indigenous peoples in historical and contemporary food systems and analyzed concepts such as safety, security, sustainability, and spirituality as they pertain to Native communities and food. This course also offered hands on experience in meal planning, food harvesting, and food preparation in a contemporary Native context.

    The following posts are insights into the themes and activities students encountered while taking this course that can be used to help other students, parents, and their families gain new, yet indigenous understandings of what they eat and drink. Please be aware that this is not a nutrition course, yet critically thinking about nutrition and access to nutritional foods was a big part of the conversations we had as a class. This blog is not meant to provide any nutritional advice to any particular person, but to bring together issues, concerns, and ideas concerning the foods we as Native peoples eat, how we eat them, why we eat them, and changes we can possibly make in our eating to help better our communities. 

    The hands on learning materials, such as kitchen gear and the food itself, was purchased through funds from the American Indian College Fund's Restorative Teaching Grant, and to them we say Wophila Tȟaŋka for providing us the materials necessary to gain deeper understanding of our food. There were many others who helped form this class and they will be named and thanked throughout this blog, or remain annonymous as per their wishes. Most of the students of the class chose to remain annonymous, however you can reach me, the instructor of the course, at tasha.hauff@sittingbull.edu, if you have any questions about the course or ​

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  • About Us
    • 2021-2022 School Year >
      • 2021 Waníyetu Wópazo
      • 2021 ANA Community Share Out
      • 2021-22 Staff
      • 2022 Spring Parent Training >
        • 2-9-22 Spring Parent Orientation
        • Group 1
        • Group 2
      • 2021-2022 Parent Portal
    • Get Involved
    • In the News
    • Policies
    • Donate
  • Programs
    • 2020-2021 School Year >
      • 2020-2021 Staff
      • 2020 Waníyetu Wópazo
      • 2020-2021 Parent Training >
        • 1-27-21 Zoom Class Materials
        • 2-4-21 Assignment
        • 2-18-21 Assignment
        • 3-4-21 Assignment
      • 2020 Wétu Wópazo
    • 2019-2020 School Year >
      • 2019-2020 Staff
    • 2017-2018 School Year
    • 2016-2017 School Year >
      • Indigenous Perspectives of Foods
    • Past School Years >
      • 2015-2016 School Year >
        • New Family Classes
        • Returning Family Classes
        • Spring Open House
        • Fall 2015 Applications
      • 2014-2015 School Year >
        • Spring 2015 Raffle
        • 2015 Spring Carnival
      • 2013-2014 School Year >
        • Fall Parent Handouts [PDFs] >
          • FALL 2013 Week 10 Pumpkin & Squash
          • FALL 2013 Week 11 & 12 Birds and Hibernation
          • FALL 2013 Week 13 & 14 Hibernation and Harvest
          • FALL 2013 Week 15 & 16 Story Telling & Snow
          • FALL 2013 Week 17 Sitting Bull and Chiefs
        • Spring Parent Handouts [PDFs] >
          • SPRING 2014 January
          • SPRING 2014 February
          • SPRING 2014 March
      • 2012-2013 SCHOOL YEAR
  • Learning Resources
    • Basic Phrases [w/Audio]
    • Grace Video
    • Language Research
    • Classroom Rules & Meal Prayer
    • Songs From The Nest
    • Lakota Book Translations
  • Contact