What is wasna? Why this 'power food' became a South Dakota favorite

This article is about one of 18 South Dakota food favorites. For the complete list, go here.

Wasna: A combination of dried, pounded bison, elk or deer meat with dried chokecherry patties. The two are held together with tallow or fat. 

When Lisa Ironcloud thinks of wasna, she pictures the plants along the South Dakota landscape she'll need to harvest to prepare the food. The hills and valley of her family's land comes to mind, where she helped hunt a deer she used to dry meat for the wasna.

She can hear the crickets chirping and meadowlarks singing, smell the grass and trees and envision her children playing as they search for chokecherries and tinsella root. 

Wasna is the embodiment of the South Dakota landscape for Ironcloud, who works with food sovereignty programs regarding Lakota-style cooking. 

"The things that make up our food is what surrounds and makes up your home," Ironcloud said. 

Wasna has roots in Lakota heritage from before American Indians were placed on reservations throughout the country. The food was harvested in the summer and then dried and preserved so that it could be eaten in the winter or used during long trips, Ironcloud said.  

The food was also a "power food" because of its nutritious quality, Ironcloud said. 

"It was just more convenient. It didn't spoil and they were able to carry it on them and eat it when they were hungry," Ironcloud said. 

To prepare wasna, Ironcloud said it takes about two to three days to dry out the meat. Harvested chokecherries are ground together and shaped into chokecherry patties to store. Once the wasna is ready to be mixed, the fat from the animal is melted and mixed with the chokecherries and shredded, dried meat. 

As elders in the community started to age in recent decades, they've educated younger generations on how to prepare Lakota food, Ironcloud said. 

"I think food is playing a really important role in reconnecting people to where they come from," Ironcloud said. "When we think of wasna we think of grandma and grandpa and mom and dad. It's just that feeling of being reconnected." 

The top 18 South Dakota foods

• Bison
• Chili and Cinnamon/Caramel Rolls
• Chislic
• Cookies 'n Cream Ice Cream
• Gabubu Bread
• Indian Tacos
• Kolache
• Kuchen
• Pheasant
• Pickle Beer
• Red Beer
• Rushmore Mountain Taffy
• Tiger Meat
• Wall Drug Doughnuts
• Wall Drug Water
• Walleye
• Wasna
• Wojapi