>Or, is it just a few raw foodists who eat pemmican, and the rest
avoid/abhor it?
>And, certainly pemmican does have a long shelf life. It might be perfect
for long >journeys, or as a standby in times of scarcity. But, eating it as
"the" staple part of the >diet?

The point - as far as I've understood - is that pemmican, if properly
prepared (very low temp dehydration and rendering), should maintain the same
qualities of raw meat. + it keeps for longer and it is more convenient.

I must admit I myself can't comprehend the pemmican-craze that sweeps many
paleo\raw sites... I've read of people who's been living exclusively on
pemmican for years... 
I find it to be extremely time consuming to prepare and not very palatable,
but de gustibus... On the other hand is very convenient when you go hiking
or running (that is what it was meant for in the first place).

There seem to be a pemmican religion with its orthodoxy and its priests.
I've read people debating for hours on the use of berries in pemmican...