Log Cabin Village
Connect With The Ancestors
“Set-t'an Annual Calendar of the Kiowa, depicting the years 1833-1892.”
-BeyondTexasHistory.net
Marking the Year:
Kiowa Counts & Community Histories
Many of our Indigenous ancestors kept calendars to record the history of their people. Our Kiowa ancestors divided their calendar into two seasons: summer and winter. The calendar keeper, usually an artist, drew one image for each season. Each image depicted an important event that had taken place during the year. In the mid-19th century, calendar keepers used animal hides as a canvas but later these calendars were re-drawn on thick manila sheets or in ledgers.
Since the calendar had two images (one for summer and one for winter), the calendar keeper used a special symbol to represent each season. Summer events had a depiction of a Medicine Lodge where summer gatherings and ceremonies took place; winter events had a vertical black line underneath that season’s pictograph.
Summer 1866 pictograph depicting the Flat Metal or German Silver Sun Dance.
From the calendar keeper Jòhâusàn
-Oklahoma History Center
Winter 1879 pictograph depicting when a medicine man anticipated a night attack on a Kiowa war party.
From the calendar keeper Jòhâusàn
-Oklahoma History Center
The pictographs represented local events, beliefs, history, and traditions. No universal pictograph language existed; our Comanche ancestors used different types of images than our Kiowa or Lakota ancestors. While most Indigenous communities today no longer keep a winter count, the tradition of sharing stories continues at community gatherings like powwows and family get-togethers.
The Count Continues
In January 2024, Log Cabin Village partnered with the Fort Worth ISD American Indian Education Program (AIEP) for a special day of learning. Students in the program and their families learned how our Indigenous ancestors made paints using natural materials found nearby. The students worked together using their paints to create this Winter Count-inspired piece to remember the day's events.
Many of our Indigenous ancestors, like the Kiowa, Lakota, Mandan, and Blackfeet, made Winter Counts to record important hunts, battles, and events for their respective tribes on an animal hide. Over time, calendar keepers added to the count, visually representing the tribe’s history. The students collaborated on their design to document their presence at the Village and their connection to one another.
This AIEP count includes several symbols reflecting the students’ experience at Log Cabin Village. The students centered the Medicine Wheel, a representation of the sacred circle seen in many tribes, on the hide. The wavy black lines embody the wind that made the morning of the program a cold day. The tipi at the lower right-hand corner symbolizes Log Cabin Village. Each participant then added their handprint connecting them to the count, each other, and Log Cabin Village.
We are honored that the students decided to give the Village their count to help educate others about our Indigenous relatives, both past and present.
En enero de 2024, Log Cabin Village se asoció con el Programa de Educación para Indígenas Americanos (AIEP) de Fort Worth ISD para un día especial de aprendizaje. Los estudiantes del programa y sus familias aprendieron cómo nuestros ancestros indígenas hacían pinturas utilizando materiales naturales que se encontraban as su alrededor. Los estudiantes trabajaron juntos usando sus pinturas para crear esta pieza inspirada en un Winter Count para recordar los eventos del día.
Muchos de nuestros ancestros indígenas, como los Kiowa, Lakota, Mandan y Blackfeet, crearon Winter Counts para registrar cacerías, batallas y eventos importantes para sus respectivas tribus en una piel de animal. Con el tiempo, los encargados del calendario aumentaron el recuento, representando visualmente la historia de la tribu. Los estudiantes colaboraron en su diseño para documentar su presencia en Village y su conexión entre ellos mismos.
Este recuento de AIEP incluye varios símbolos que reflejan la experiencia de los estudiantes en Log Cabin Village. Los estudiantes centraron en la piel la Rueda Medicinal, una representación del círculo sagrado visto en muchas tribus. Las líneas negras onduladas representan el viento que hubo en la mañana del programa recordando el día frío. El tipi en la esquina derecha hacia abajo simboliza Log Cabin Village. Luego, cada participante agregó la huella de su mano conectándolos con el relato, entre sí y con Log Cabin Village.
Nos sentimos honrados de que los estudiantes hayan decidido dar su cuento a el Village para ayudar a educar a otros sobre nuestros parientes indígenas, tanto pasados como presentes.