Wife, Mother, Provider, Defender, God: Women in Lakota Winter Counts

Re-Visioning the Winter Count

“…Literally translated, waniyetu wówapi means winters they draw (Thornton, 2002). Another Lakota term used to describe these calendars was hekta yawapi, meaning count back (Risch, 2003).…”

“…The placement and sequence of the pictographs differed from winter count to winter count. The pictographs that represented each year may have been arranged in several different patterns: some were placed in a spiral that was read from the center outward or the edge inward, and some were linear from left to right and followed that same pattern for each line, or alternated with right to left in the next line (Greene, 2005;Risch, 2003). For some, ''the most important factor was maintaining the sequence of the pictographs and, thus, the chronology of events as they occurred'' (Burke, 2007a, p. 1).…”

“…This represented a shift in the form and function of the winter counts. According to Risch (2003), this shift was related to the literacy of the winter count keepers and this was when the symbols of the document shifted from pictography to alphabetic writing, the documents themselves may have become somewhat alien to their producers. Now, instead of being produced exclusively by a traditional storyteller, winter counts were created by families or individuals of their own volition.…”

“…Originally, the pictographs were usually painted on bison, antelope, or deer hide. Then, other materials such as muslin or cloth were used when they became available, and finally paper such as ledger, journal, or account books were used to record a nonpictographic form of the winter count (Grange, 1963;Greene, 2005;Risch, 2003), or even an army deserters form (Chamberlain, 1984). This change in the material used to make the winter counts was also accompanied by a change in the medium used to RE-VISIONING THE WINTER COUNT draw the pictographs from paint or charcoal to ink or crayon (Finister, 1968;Risch, 2003;Thornton, 2002).…”

“…Winter counts also represent sources of knowledge about intertribal intercourse, tribal locations, and other important elements of the Dakota culture (Howard, 1960b). Risch (2003) used winter counts to examine how Lakota women were portrayed in the historical records. She found that women were represented in several different roles, such as that of makers, keepers, wives, mothers, and defenders of the home.…”