by Jim Dickson
When we think of the Sioux Indians we think of buffalo and that leads to the question: “How did they fix it and how good was it?”
Wonder no longer because the Sioux are using their ancient buffalo pemmican recipes to make commercial pemmican bars called Tanka Bars. The only concession to the 21st Century is the substitution of cranberries for the local wild berries which weren’t available in commercial quantities. Trust me, that hasn’t hurt anything; these things are delicious.
So far I have tried the Tanka Bites Spicy Pepper, which thankfully wasn’t too spicy, the Tanka Stick Apple Orange Peel which was not greasy like most meat sticks, the TankaFund.org Turkey Buffalo Cranberry Jerky, the Tanka Warrior Bar Pepper blend, which also did not have too much pepper, and the basic Tanka bar.
They were all good, but nothing beats the basic slow-smoked original Tanka bar consisting of buffalo meat with cranberries. Buffalo and beaver are the two greatest delicacies in North America and the original basic Tanka bar is a gourmet item. It also is a great energy source when weight lifting, when you need a lot of energy but a full stomach would slow you down. I have dumbbells that I use up to 110 pounds apiece and when I have an energy crisis I need a Tanka bar not gasoline or electricity. The Tanka Bar is my solution to the energy crisis. It works equally well when hunting or trapping and it is easily carried afield with you. Its packaging will keep it clean and dry in your pockets no matter how wet and dirty the pockets are. It has a soft texture and a bit of smoke flavor but most of all it’s something that you can make a great meal off if you have enough of them.
This is a genuine Oglala Lakota operation from the 2.7 million-acre Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. Tanka bars are the first national Indian brand. The firm, Native American Natural Foods LLC, was founded in 2005 as a community based company where the employees share ownership. Most of these are Sioux. The company was intended to be a model of equity investment and community ownership. This is important because the 35,000 Sioux that have been on this reservation since 1889 have suffered some of the worst poverty in America since the loss of the buffalo herds in the 19th century.
The obvious answer all these years has been to bring back the buffalo and that is now the Indians’ plan for they realize that a buffalo-based economy is the key to ending their poverty. For this reason the Tanka Fund was established to restore the buffalo to one million acres of the reservation. Anyone interested in more information or donating can reach them online at: tankafund.com.
The buffalo is also a vital element in the prairie ecosystem and the true prairie with all its diverse life forms cannot exist without them. Big animals shape their environment. It’s similar to the wooly mammoth. With him you have grassland. Without him you have tundra and that’s why the Russians are working so hard to clone mammoths. Grassland produces more food and profits than tundra.
The Indians understand the importance of the buffalo and the Tanka Fund is a donor-advised fund of the American Indian Land Tenure Foundation that is coordinated by Native American Natural Foods LLC. They even donate 10% of the price of their Turkey Buffalo Cranberry Jerky to the fund.
When you buy Tanka Bars you are not only getting the best tasting buffalo bars ever made, you are helping to bring the Sioux and their beloved buffalo back together and lift the tribe out of poverty. You are also getting the best food you can take hunting since the Army MREs. Just don’t forget your canteen. A meal without water equals thirst.
You can get Tanka Bars directly from their website: TankaBar.com. The company’s address is: Native American Natural Foods LLC, Pine Ridge Reservation, 287 Water Tower Road, Kyle, SD 57752; phone: 800-416-7212. To find retailers carrying Tanka bars you can go to: tinurl.com/tankastorelocator. Some of the many stores currently carrying Tanka Bars include REI, Costco Wholesale, Amazon, Smoothie King and Mississippi Market.
