Owówičhak’u Wašté First Foods Access Pantry

Pronunciation: O-wo-wi-cha-k-oo Wa-sh-tay

Lakota to English translation: A place to nourish the people

Owówičhak’u Wašté – First Foods Access Pantry is reestablishing communal connection to traditional food and diets in an urban setting. Our program is guided by the teaching that food is medicine and guided by the responsibility people have to maintain reciprocal relationships with all living relatives.

The pantry is open to everyone and is designed to provide equitable access to traditional foods and medicines.

We encourage those who visit to take only what they need until their next visit to maximize the community this pantry can serve.

First Foods

The pantry provides a wide variety and changing selection of meats and fish such as bison, elk, rabbit, salmon, and oysters, grains and legumes such as blue cornmeal, wild rice, and pinto beans, fresh produce, honey, bee pollen, sage, sweetgrass, lavender, and other traditional foods and medicines.

In-House Made Traditional Medicines

Every third Sunday of the month, Owówičhak’u Wašté First Foods Access Pantry has traditional medicines (tincture, tea, salve, etc.), made in-house, available for guests. Unkitawa’s Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) interns are available to answer your questions and provide information about using these medicines. Sage is available on Wednesdays and on the third Sundays. However, the in-house made traditional medicines are only available on the third Sundays when TEK interns can provide additional information.