Indian Tacos

"Frybread is the story of our survival."

-Sherman Alexie

(All pow wow pictures were taken by me on 7/4/09 at the 111th Arlee Celebration and Pow Wow in Arlee, Montana)

Walking up to the pow-wow grounds is like walking up to any fair or flea market. The dusty earth swirls in the hot summer air. The smell of grease and deep fried foods weigh heavy in your nostrils as you make the trek from your car to the celebration. Colors overawe the eyes looking from shades of skin to shifts of dyes. Yet, something makes it different from a typical state fair feeling… something in the background catches your interest and sight. Constant drumming, the jingling of bells and adornments on the dancers’ elaborate regalia, and the mixture of chant, song, and laughter permeates your ears and takes this ground to a place that is more than earth, more than fried food, jewelry, blankets, and bumper stickers. The pow-wow is community. It is a strong tying point for the Native community, but it also allows a glimpse into the culture for those that are not a member of an indigenous tribe.

My favorite part of the pow-wow is watching the grand entry of the dancers while sitting in the bleachers, indulging in a tasty Indian taco. Indian tacos are a customary treat at pow-wows. The base to any Indian Taco, and what makes an Indian Taco different from other treats is frybread. Frybread has a long and interesting history. It rose from the darkness of the days of manifest destiny, of the times of forced mass migrations

of native people and the poverty and suffering that followed. The original ingredients of frybread were composed purely of government subsidies. Government supplied lard, sugar, and flour gave rise to a new tradition in Native communities. Frybread sits heavy in the stomach much like the history of the tribes in America.

For an interesting article on the tumultuous history of frybread, follow this link:

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/people-places/frybread.html

Its history may be tumultuous, but fry bread has worked its tasty way into the Native American culture. When I was a kid, my mom used to make fry bread for us and would often make it when my brothers' boy scout troop met at our house. When she made it, she brushed it with butter and sprinkled it with sugar and cinnamon to turn it into a sweet treat. I knew I loved the taste and texture of her fry bread recipe, so I asked her to send it to me instead of looking up a random recipe online. I later learned that this was a good thing, because fry bread recipes all have similar ingredients, but vary greatly between tribes. According to a friend of mine, frybread from the Crow and Cheyenne tribes tends to be thicker and chewier. Whereas southwestern and west coast tribes tend toward a crisper, thinner bread. My mamma's recipe is a nice balance: crisp outside crust with a soft bready bubbles interspersed throughout.

Mamma Susie's Frybread

4+ cups flour
5 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar
(sugar is optional: if you are making indian tacos leave the sugar out, if you are going to top the bread with cinnamon and sugar or butter and honey put the sugar in!)
1 pkg dry yeast
2 cups warm water
vegetable oil for frying








Mix dry ingredients, add warm water, mix into dough with floured hands.

Pat the dough out on a floured surface,

adding more flour if needed.

Take a large piece of dough (a little bigger than a biscuit) and pull it out into a misshapen circle (try as you may, your circle will not be circular!).

Deep fry in 365 degree oil until well browned.

If you are using a frying pan like we did, be sure to flip your fry bread to brown

each side!

I had to work all day, so I enlisted the help my good friend and fellow Indian taco enthusiast to make the chili to top the tacos. She was happy to provide a steaming crock pot of her own "cheater chili," as she called it. It may be cheating, but it sure is tasty!

Vickie's Cheater Chili
2 15 oz can pinto beans 1 15 oz can kidney beans 2 small cans tomato sauce 2 lbs fresh salsa, medium 1 cup frozen corn
1 lb ground beef, bison, pork or turkey
(the chili pictured is made with ground bison)
1 medium diced onion
1/2 tsp garlic
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp chili powder

Combine beans, tomato sauce, salsa, and frozen corn in crock pot on high. While these ingredients are heating up, brown the meat and onion. Add meat to crock pot and season with garlic, pepper, and chili powder. Stir all ingredients together well. Cook on high for 2 hours, or on low for 6-8. Stir occasionally, adding more seasoning if desired. (Note: added salt is not necessary because the canned beans already contain a healthy amount of sodium.)
To make the Indian tacos:

Cut up some tomatoes, onion and lettuce to top the tacos.

Finally you layer all of the beautiful ingredients into an amazing amalgam of goodness:

Frybread, chili, lettuce, onion, tomato, and cheese, all topped off with a dollop of sour cream!