The eWakpmani site is owned by the Wakpamni Lake Community. It reflects some of the many economic development projects being undertaken by the Community and by the Community’s economic development arm, the Wakpamni Lake Community Corporation.

We are a traditional Lakota tribal community located on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. We are located a minimum of 4+ hours roundtrip - through the Badlands - from any major retailer or urban hub, and we are a food desert.  

The Wakpamni Lake Community prides itself on having one of the largest remaining concentrations of fluent Lakota speakers and traditional Lakota practitioners. We take our commitment to protect our elders and our traditional Lakota culture and values very seriously.

As such we focus on economic development projects that allow our community to create income without having to leave the Wakpamni Lake Community and try to steer away from projects that require large numbers to travel to our isolated community.

We focus on leveraging the internet to support and protect our community. We try to create different online based businesses and encourage our community to shop online when possible. We then redirect revenue generated online to create tangible opportunities in our own community. We raise and grow our food locally (Powwow Gardens, GeoGreenKitchen, Lakota Greens) and we focus on creating flexible and seasonal jobs that are a good cultural match for our community members

.