Wasná
Wasná is the Lakota term for pemmican, a food made of dried meat, fat, and berries known for its high nutrient density and stable shelf life. Pemmican has been an important part of North American Indigenous foods for centuries due to its nutritional value. Wasná is traditionally made of meat from large game such as bison, deer, or caribou, but fish is also used in some instances. The meat is cut into thin slices and then dried until the consistency is hard and brittle. The dried slices are broken up and pounded into a powder and mixed in equal parts with melted fat and sometimes berries such as blueberries, chokecherries, saskatoon barriers, or cranberries. The mixture is then left to harden in rawhidebags and can be consumed as jerky, fried, or cooked in a stew. Due to its portability, nutritional value, and long lifespan, pemmican has often been used as a travel or survival food and is used today among Indigenous communities for personal, communal, and ceremonial uses.
Health Benefits:
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Method of Use:
Ingest
Carried
Alternative Names:
Pemmican
Cultural Narrative
A participant describes how food items can also carry medicinal qualities. She talks about wasná, a mixture of berries and meat that is pressed into jerky to be easily carried. She describes how it can be made in a variety of ways, and how now we only make it for traditional ceremonies. She tells of her personal use for wasná, in which she carries it in a medicine bag along with some other herbs and will smell the contents to center and ground herself. Donna also reflects on the purpose and value of medicine bags beyond utility, but also to carry around scents and medicines that invite good memories and help to center oneself.