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Traditional Lakota Food: Buffalo
Abstract
The human way of life is characterized by changes. Over the last few years, many aspects of the traditional way of life have undergone numerous changes. One area that has undergone considerable change is the dietary habits of man. In the past, human food was comprised of components that are conspicuously missing in todays meals. Good examples of people whose dietary habits are very different from todays people are the Lakota from ancient India. These people lived a life that is completely different from the life we live today. This research paper looks at the life of the Lakota and their way of life. The paper begins by giving a brief history of Lakota. The research then proceeds to discuss buffalo meat as a traditional Lakota delicacy. The research draws its strength from mainly secondary data gotten from several sources written on the subject. The research concludes by discussing a traditional ceremony associated with buffalo meat.
Introduction
The preparation and choice of food in society have undergone a tremendous revolution over the years. In the olden days, the preparation of food was a well-coordinated chore that had the participation of the whole clan. Todays culture has however changed this and the preparation of food is done on a family level. Unlike in the past, todays society does not respect the religious significance associated with some foods. The choice of food has also changed over the years and what was considered a delicacy back then is now considered trash. Unlike in the past, most foods taken today are packaged at the company and our role is only in preparing them. In the past, people ate all their food at a community level. This has since been replaced by a culture of individualism where we do not recognize outside people other than our immediate families. Provided a person has financial resources, obtaining food and preparation of the same is a matter of hours if not minutes. This has been brought about by the desire to serve the new and emerging needs in society. These among many other behaviors differentiate the whole ritual of meals that we practice as compared to those that were practiced by traditional communities like the Lakota. By understanding the whole ritual that was involved in the preparation of food in the olden days and comparing it to what is happening today, we can understand where we are coming from and where we are going as a society. This research paper gives background information on the Lakota, their beliefs, and some of their pertinent religious beliefs. The research paper also looks at some of the traditional foods in Lakota. (Purcell, 2009) For a better insight on the matter, the research has majored in buffalo meat as a source of food among the Lakota. The research mainly uses secondary data from reliable sources.
Mission
The mission of the paper is to make us appreciate diverse traditions that existed before us. While the paper details buffalo meat as one of the most nutritious foods in all history, it does not in any way advocate for the poaching of these endangered species. On the contrary, it seeks to enlighten people on the need for protecting these important wild animals.
Background Information
The Lakota tribe is found in an area that covers over 2 million square kilometers that lie between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains. A flood that once caused the Missouri river to rise drowned many Lakotas in an area where they camped. The climate experienced in this area consists of extreme summer temperatures and very cold winters. Before Lakotas were confined to settlement schemes, they spent summers on open plains hunting buffaloes. In cold weather, they sought protection from winds on the plains by moving towards more protected wooden places. The plains consisted of a limited variety of perennial grasses with trees along streams and watery areas. The Lakotas were hunters that mainly followed buffalo herds during much of the winter period. They however supplemented their diet with corns, berries, and other vegetations. Moreover, they traded with their neighbors who were farmers. These farmers provided them with alternative food for them to eat. Apart from the buffalo, the Lakota also hunted other animals like deer, elk, and antelopes. This was especially the case before they obtained horses to hunt the buffalo more efficiently and easily. (Purcell, 2009)
The Lakota is a division in the Sioux tribe. This society consisted of seven divisions, which in turn formed the seven council fires called oceti sakowin. These tribes came together annually to celebrate sacred events. (Hollabaugh, n.d.)The Lakota belonged to the largest of these groups called the Titunwan. This group spoke a common dialect and had some different customs from their relatives.
Traditional Food
The buffalo played an important role in the Lakotas way of life. It was central to their traditions and had many symbolic meanings to them. With the introduction of the horse by the Spanish, the Lakota were able to cover extensive land easily in the hunt of buffaloes. There were plenty of buffalos on the grasslands to a point where it was said that the prairie was darkened as far as the eye could see. These buffaloes provided food, fuel, and clothing. For food, the best part of the meat was the tongue, hump, and raw liver. Every part of the buffalo was used meaning that none went to waste. (Purcell, 2009)
Before the introduction of the horse by the Spanish, the Lakota hunted buffalos on foot. Buffalos have poor eyesight but an excellent sense of smell. The Lakotas would therefore cover themselves in wolfs skins to disguise their smell since wolves were not a threat to the buffalos and would not be alarmed by their smell. They would then crawl carefully close to the herds. In hunting the buffaloes, they used arrows and other handmade weapons to kill the animal. Another famous method of hunting was communal drive. This is a method where an appointed man who was considered holy would direct the buffaloes to a cliff. According to historians, an entire band that had surrounded the animals would then rush the herd over the cliff. During winter, an alternative wind was driving the animals into a snowdrift. This formed an easy target since the animals would be stuck in the ice. After the arrival of the horse, hunting methods changed completely . (Purcell, 2009) There were special horses that were trained for hunting. These were called buffalo runners and assisted in hunting down buffaloes. Buffalo runners could be very dangerous hence did members of a warrior society that was called Akieita warrior society control the need for careful planning. Sometimes, the whole community went hunting. The men took on the role of hunting while the women would skin the dead buffaloes. Large amounts of meat would then be carried back to the village. A particular type of hunt that was not very common was one where hunters surrounded buffaloes on horseback. The men would then direct the buffaloes in a central position for ease of killing them. The method had many disadvantages since the charging buffaloes would gore some people and their horses to death. (Purcell, 2009)
The Lakotas had a seasonal pattern of hunting the buffaloes. This was developed from the observation of the migration patterns and behaviors of buffaloes. Beginning from August to around December, groups of valiant men would move from one location to the other looking for buffaloes. The meat gotten during this time would last the society through the winter season. Moreover, hides were needed in plenty to protect the community from the winters cold. Large quantities of meat and vegetables were thus stored during this period. The Lakota were a kind community where those with plenty always gave to the needy and the poor. (Purcell, 2009)
The Lakota cut large strips of meat and hung them out in the sun to dry for later consumption. These dried pieces of meat were referred to as jerseys. The dried meat was also used to make wasna. The mixture that was usually called Pemmican by the English men was a mixture of dried meat together with berries. Both jersey and wasna were methods that were used primarily for the preservation of food. These could either be eaten directly or added to stews and soups. (Purcell, 2009)
The most important meal of the Lakota, which has been passed to our generation, is wasna, which has been described in part. As has been seen, the Lakotas diet consisted mainly of buffalo meat. These people had sometimes plenty of food to eat like when they had successfully hunted buffaloes or had very little to eat at times. Wasna comes from two Indian words was that means anything and snap that means ground up. As the name suggests, the mixture includes dried buffalo meat, dried berries, fat, and bone marrow. These were ground together by the Lakota using a stone that was used for pounding. This meal was greatly valued and was used as medicine. Wasna is very rich in proteins. The meal was considered sacred and used at ceremonies and ritual events. Generally, buffalo meat is richer in proteins and contains lesser fat and cholesterol when compared to beef meat. Scientists say that four ounces of Buffalo meat consist of more proteins than that of a half dozen eggs. This is why wasna can raise a persons iron level just within 15 minutes. Lakotas say that their ancestors had no diseases like heart diseases, cancer, and diabetes common in our society today. This can be attributed to the nutrient-rich and healing properties of Wasna. (Purcell, 2009)
The Lakotas made use of every part of the buffalo. The parts that were a delicacy among the people were the liver, the hump, and the tongue. The bones that remained after the meat had been eaten were used to make weapons that were used during the war. The tendons were used for making strings used in bows and for sewing fabrics. The Lakota tanned hides with a mixture that included brains from the buffalo. This was used for clothing. The hooves that many of us view as of no use were boiled to extract glue whereas the stomach was fashioned to be used as a water carrier. With a scarcity of trees and wood, the fire would be insufficient if it were not for dried dung, which was in plentiful supply. This was easy to find and provided a good quality fire. (Purcell, 2009)
Some parts of the buffalo were also used for religious purposes as can be seen from the table below.
The Buffalo was very significant in the lives of the Lakota people. To expound on this, I will now consider the most important ceremony of the Lakota referred to as the sun dance, and how the buffalo was at the center of this ceremony. The feast was held only once a year for five days and it lasted a whole day. This ceremony was used to show continuity between life and death. It showed that as much as there was death, there was no true end to life. Life consisted of a cycle of rebirths and deaths. The ceremony involved supplication and sacrifice to ensure that harmony and balance were maintained between all living things on earth. The buffalo formed the major theme of these ceremonies. The symbolic meaning of the buffalo could be seen in these ceremonies. The relationship between the buffalo and the people was also shown in the sundance ceremony. (Sundance, n.d.)
Traditionally, buffaloes signified life since people used them to determine the caliber of life. One way in which the buffalo was incorporated into the sun dance was by the requirement that all essential items used in this sacrifice be from the buffalo. In this process, a penis from the buffalo that had prior been dried would be placed along a pole denoting the sun. This was a symbolic gesture to show that the dancers had stamina. A skull from the buffalo was used to erect the altar used during the sundance. People would then bring offerings to the base of the skull. The ceremony comprised of stuffing the eyes of the skull with green grass. This was meant to show that once the buffaloes ate the grass they would remain healthy and the people would in return have enough meat to eat. (Sundance, n.d.) To others, the buffalo bones signified life in its fullness.
The act of reducing a living being to a skeleton was therefore seen as a rebirth. The buffalo also played an important role in visions. A dancer could also charge towards a buffalo that was advancing toward him. One was supposed to stand firm against the buffalo since its only then that they could get whatever they wanted. This ceremony represented how the buffalo provided benediction to people. Although the buffalo was killed and eaten, it was treated with reverence during this ceremony. This ceremony was therefore a way in which people got a chance of reconciling with the buffalo. (Sundance, n.d.)
The buffalo was seen as a powerful and wise creature that was closer to the creator. The people believed that it was the buffalo, which voluntarily gave itself to them to be used as food. Their part was therefore to offer thanks to this creature during this dance ceremony. This explains the dancing, self-inflicted torture, and thirst among other methods that were used by the people to return something to the buffalo and nature. The dancer considered himself reborn physically and spiritually during these ceremonies. After the culmination of the sun dance, the participating dancers were laid in beds to meditate and recite what they had observed to priests. These visions consisted of new dancing styles, new songs, and prophecies. The general outcome of these ceremonies was a renewal feeling among all the participants. After everything was done and the camp was now ready to go, all items that were considered sacred were left in a pile by the pole of the sun. This is because these items were considered too sacred for anyone to keep as a personal possession. (Sundance, n.d.)
The Lakota tradition held the white buffalo in high esteem since it was perceived to be the most sacred animal in the universe. An appearance of a white buffalo was interpreted to mean that prayers had been answered and that the sacrifice was honored. The Lakotas believed that the buffalo did not easily run from hunters because it was so willing to give them gifts provided by its body. Using buffalo medicine was equivalent to smoking the tobacco pipe in a manner described as sacred. It meant smoking for other people of all nations and races so that their different needs could be met. One who had drawn the buffalo card was asked to pray for others, using his energy. This was considered to bring joy to others even if it brought sadness to others; just the way the buffalo sacrificed its body for people to be happy. (Jamie, & David, 1988)
Conclusion
The Lakota people had a very rich culture. This was something that was reflected in their meals. Elements of religion, adaptation to their environments, and understanding nature can be seen in how they hunted, prepared, ate, and used parts of the buffalo. Although parts of these elements still form part of our eating culture in the modern world, many of these elements have been eroded and re-designed as the modern man adapts to the physical and unseen environment. Adapting to the environment has and will in my opinion remain the most overriding element of any culture.
Reference
Hollabaugh, M. (n.d.).Ethnastronomy of the Lakota. Bloomington, Minnesota. Web.
Jamie, S, & David, C. (1988). Medicine cards . The discovery power. Santa Fe: Bear and Company. Web.
Purcell, W. (2009).WHY WAS THE BUFFALO SO IMPORTANT? Web.
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