In the time of my ancestors, Wanietu Iyawapi or Winter Count, was the way we recorded our history from “first snow winter to first snow winter.” To be chosen by the community to record the Winter Count was an honor, as it would survive for generations.
Families came together for the Winter Count to share food, stories, and remembrances of the past year. Everyone contributed. The previous year’s Winter Count was read as a way of remembering and passing down the history.
In modern times, we continue as best we can with love, knowledge, and sharing at the center of all we do. We are all called to be witnesses for the next generation. To teach them to connect the “Then” and the “Now” with good medicine.
Wopila Tanka. Hehakapa Mahto