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Winter Count

ca. 1902
Not on view
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.
The keeper of this winter count maintained and created a pictorial history for his village. Each year, from one winter to the next, he drew an important event in Lakota life. The images served as memory aids for the keeper, who would recite the history to others. This count begins in the upper left corner, with the picture of a person dragging a sled, probably in 1826–27; the image may symbolize a harsh winter.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Winter Count
  • Date: ca. 1902
  • Geography: United States, South Dakota
  • Culture: Brulé Lakota (Teton Sioux)
  • Medium: Ink and watercolor on muslin
  • Dimensions: Height: 30 1/2 in. (77.5 cm)
    Length: 41 1/4 in. × 2 in. (104.8 × 5.1 cm)
  • Classification: Textiles-Painted
  • Credit Line: The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Missouri, Gift of George Terasaki (2005.30)
  • Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing