Lakota Food Summit is huge success

Attendants enjoy a buffalo dinner at the close of the Lakota Food Summit on Thursday, February 20. (Photo courtesy Diane Amiotte-Seidel)

RAPID CITY – After Alex White Plumes talk about hemp on Thursday, February 20, the Lakota Food Summit went into its end of day remarks, closing prayer, and a buffalo dinner to wrap up the event.
Dianne Amiotte-Seidel, the organizer of the event, said “It was way beyond what I expected, it was a great success. Everything just flowed so well.” When Native Sun News Today had contact with Amiotte-Seidel weeks before the event, she admitted her fatigue of event planning by saying “right now I just can’t wait for it to be over,” but when asked if we could expect her to organize the 2nd annual Lakota Food Summit, she eagerly said “yes”
Attending the food tasting that was hosted by Sean Sherman, the Sioux Chef, it was easy to see that the remainder of the event would be a success. Amiotte-Seidel estimated nearly 300 attendants for the free food tasting. The food tasting featured 12 Native American chefs using decolonized ingredients. Among the dishes there was timpsila, cactus, buffalo, wild rice and many other ingredients.
Amiotte-Seidel said “we had people come from all over. Tribes like Winnebago, Standing Rock, Northern Cheyenne, Cheyenne River, Sisseton Wahpeton, and Yankton”
Of the 250 promotional items and programs that were made, none were left by the end of the second day. All the booth spaces were purchased for the event and featured organizations like Dakota Rural Action, Bird Cage Book Store, the Intertribal Buffalo Council, SDSU, and the Native Sun News Today among others.
Eight schools traveled from all over the state to the Lakota Food Summit with students participating in the poster competition and an open forum. Amiotte-Seidel was pleased with the involvement of tribal schools in the event, but next year the Summit will surely host more.
Amiotte-Seidel wanted to extend her gratitude to the Holiday Inn for the ability of placing a tipi in the lobby and the use of the kitchen for the food tasting. She also wanted to thank Partnership with Native Americans along with all of the other sponsors, the Oglala Sioux Tribe for providing buffalo meat, the presenters, Whitney Rencounter for being the MC, and most of all she wanted to thank the attendants.

(Contact Travis at travisldewes@gmail.com)

Visit Original Source