PLA President Dr. Brandy A. McNeil of The New York Public Library opened the PLA 2026 Closing Session in a packed auditorium. She thanked attendees for helping one another find lost phones, clothing, cookies, and skyways during the week and for making a point of supporting Twin Cities businesses when they could. McNeil then introduced Sean Sherman, an Oglala Lakota chef from Pine Ridge and the founder of North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems (NĀTIFS), which includes the Indigenous Food Lab. Sherman also opened the award-winning restaurant Owamni in Minneapolis. I heard only about half of his remarks before leaving for the airport, but the half I heard gave PLA 2026 a strong final question: what kinds of knowledge do public institutions preserve, normalize, and pass down? Food as Knowledge Sherman began with his own path. He grew up on Pine Ridge, spent hours reading, learned mainstream culinary technique, and…
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