ANC Buffalo Feeds

Honoring Tradition Through Community: Aaniiih Nakoda College Buffalo Feeds

In recent months, Aaniiih Nakoda College has brought students, staff, and community members together through one of the most meaningful traditions on campus — the buffalo feed. These gatherings are more than meals; they are acts of cultural continuity, community learning, and shared celebration.

Each feed begins long before the first plate is served. Under the guidance of Al Kulbeck, owner of Walking Sun Custom Cuts, LLC, and this semester's welding instructor, in collaboration with the Fort Belknap Tribal Buffalo Program, a buffalo is respectfully harvested, skinned, and quartered using ANC’s Harvest Trailer. The process follows traditional and modern methods that ensure the animal is honored.

Once the buffalo is prepared, the next step happens in the middle of the night. Around midnight, Kulbeck and his team start the fire in a large pit on campus. By 2 a.m., the seasoned meat is wrapped in foil, bundled in chicken wire, and carefully placed onto a custom welded grate that lowers into the pit for slow cooking.

That grate was built by ANC’s welding students, the table features sturdy joints and a welded inscription reading Aaniiih Nakoda College along one side — a symbol of student pride and craftsmanship. Each student played a role in constructing or operating the grate, applying their classroom skills to a hands-on cultural project that benefits the entire campus.

The college has hosted two major pit cooks so far: one during Native American Week on September 25, 2025, and another during Buffalo Treaty Day on November 4, 2025. Both events were open to the public, welcoming community members to share food, stories, and connection.

By integrating cultural practices with hands-on technical learning — from welding and culinary preparation to teamwork and leadership — the buffalo feeds embody ANC's mission in action. They bridge classroom instruction with Indigenous knowledge, creating space for students to learn through doing, honoring, and sharing.

ANC plans to host additional community feeds in the spring, continuing this meaningful tradition of learning, connection, and nourishment.

Special Thanks to welding students:

Joseph Arensmeyer

Jacoby Ball

Diondre First Raised

William Has the Eagle

Carl John Healy Jr.

Logan Jones

Cash Messerly

Danielle Messerly

Tylon Mount

Kaleb Oats

Kadin Racine

Damon Shambo

Gilbert Snow

Kyan Stead

James Sullivan

Kaleb Walker