You may remember that last September we had the honor and privilege of going out to the Standing Rock Reservation to harvest a buffalo — or bison for those who prefer the scientific name — for the second season of the WildFed TV show.
Our friend Travis hosted us, showed us around, and introduced us not only to the buffalo, but to the people and the Dakota culture too. He was with us for the hunt, and he and Daniel broke that buffalo down together on the prairie too. It was an incredible experience.
While we were there we were particularly taken by two other species, both traditional foods of the prairie. One that we ate, the prairie turnip, or what the Dakota and Lakota call Tinpsila, a tuber that can be eaten raw or cooked, and that when dried lasts nearly indefinitely. Folks there keep long braids of it they make by peeling the tuber itself — which looks something like a small, white potato — but leaving the tap roots on which they plate into beautiful braids that make these vegetables easy to store, transport, and hang up as decorations until they’re ready to be used.
We had them cooked into a buffalo stew, and we were so impressed by their flavor, texture and nutritional composition that we knew we'd have to come back to experience the harvest myself.
The other species was the Prairie Dog, a very gregarious ground squirrel that lives in enormous colonies called “towns” that dot the prairie’s landscape. These subterranean dwellers are always popping out of their burrows and standing tall on their mounds, surveying the surrounding grassy plains, which they keep mowed short to prevent hidden avenues of approach for predators that might like to dine on the prairie's most iconic small game species.
Both having the prefix “prairie” in their common name was a coincidence that we couldn’t overlook, and we spent the winter daydreaming about going back to harvest both for a meal that would become an episode of the third season of WildFed.
Well, it happened, which brings us to today’s podcast — a conversation with Travis “Good Bull Man” Condon, Daniel, and WildFed producers Grant and Oliver who were there filming and directing the episode. Just as before, our time on the plains was inspiring and refreshing, as the beauty of the reservation lands is almost indescribable. Big sky, tall grass undulating in the wind like waves in the sea, and vistas that stretch on for a hundred miles. It was also a little poignant too, as it's all too easy to see and feel what’s been lost in the last few hundred years of Westward expansion, industrialization, agricultural and urban development, and of course, the denuding of the landscape's native flora and fauna. Still, despite these insults to the land and the people, the prairie still radiates a power and strength, as if it is ready to rise again, restoring itself to its former glory.
Whatever the future holds, we hope the journey and adventure of life keep bringing us back to this incredible place and the incredible people who live there.
Also, before we go, we wanted to give a quick shout-out to Linda and Luke Black Elk who prepared the incredible meal for the show at their annual tinpsila camp, along with their son Wawikiya, Linda’s sister Lisa, and Luke’s mom Candice. It was a real pleasure working with you all and learning about Tinpsila and the harvest and preparation of this incredible plant.
Wophila — thank you.
View full show notes, including links to resources from this episode here: https://www.wild-fed.com/podcast/138