Wasna or pemmican, a traditional Native recipe of dried buffalo meat and cranberries, has long been a mainstay in Lakota culture. No one knows the name of the first Lakota to make wasna, but the basics of preparing the dish have been passed down, generation to generation. Today, you can try wasna by enjoying a Tanka Bar. Join Lisa & Arlo Iron Cloud and Dawn Sherman, CEO of Native American Natural Foods, for a demonstration of the traditional process of making wasna and learn more about the role of wasna in the Lakota Nation’s history and future.
Niman Ranch is a community of 750 small, independent family farmers and ranchers raising cattle, pigs and lamb humanely and sustainably—with no antibiotics or hormones. Niman Ranch started with one cattle ranch in the Bay area and has grown one farm at a time to be the robust network it is today. All Niman Ranch farms are Certified Humane and hogs are raised on pasture or in deeply bedded pens.
Niman Ranch pays farmers a premium for their livestock, recognizing the work that goes into raising their animals to Niman’s strict protocols. Niman Ranch has been cited by many farmers as having saved the farm, providing a market for their pork where they are paid a fair price and don’t need to get bigger to survive.
