Fr. Buechel, S.J.'s Collection of Winter Count
Buechel Winter Counts
Buechel Memorial Lakota Musem
Big Missouri Wintercounts:
There are several copies/versions of the Big Missouri winter count, including at the Journey Museum (Rapid City), a text version at Marquette University collected by Buechel, and there may be one in the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Washington, D. C. After Big Missouri died, a man named Kills Two (also known as Beads) produced copies of the calendar and added new year-events into the 1920s.
Big Missouri Winter Count
Fr. Eugene Buechel, S.J. photographed Bull Ring pointing to the count year on which he was born using this specific count.
Big Missouri Winter Count
High Hawk Wintercounts:
Battiste Good, also known as Wapostan Gi (Brown Hat) made several copies of his winter count. After his death in 1894, his son, High Hawk, added year-events and also made several copies. These are in collections literally throughout the U.S., including at the Library of Congress, National Anthropological Archives (at the Smithsonian), Denver Art Museum, Journey Museum (2 copies), and the Southwest Museum in Los Angeles. There may also be one at the W.H. Over Museum at the University of South Dakota.
High Hawk Winter Count
High Hawk Winter Count
Thin Elk Wintercounts:
There is not much information published on this winter count. Linea Sundstrom, an archaeologist from Custer, SD whose research focuses on petroglyphs, is revising a paper about the Thin Elk calendar begun in 1990, and to be published electronically as part of this exhibit.
Thin Elk Winter Count
Thin Elk Winter Count
Unattributed Wintercounts:
Unattributed Winter Count
Unattributed Winter Count
Buechel Winter Counts
Marquette University Archives
COLLECTED BY EUGENE BUECHEL, SJ & CATECHISTS Holy Rosary Mission Series 7-1 (Jesuit Papers) Box 14, Folder 4
BIG MISSOURI (MINISISE TANKA) COUNT, winters of 1795 to 1917. By Big Missouri to 1887-1888, received by Kills Two in 1920, and continued by him. Lakota, handwritten on lined paper, blue ink, 21 pages with 11 loose sheets. (HR00001-HR00021)
BIG MISSOURI (MINISISE TANKA) COUNT, winters of 1796 to 1925. English, typescript by John A. Anderson. 136, 11 pages with 11 loose sheets. (HR00022-HR00032)
BIG MISSOURI (MINISISE TANKA) COUNT, winters of 1795-1796 to 1917-1918 or winters 1 to 122. By Big Missouri to 1887-1888, received by Kills Two in 1920, and continued by him. Also dictated by Kills Two in 1920. Lakota, handwritten on lined paper, graphite pencil with additions in blue, brown and red ink, 12 pages with 12 loose sheets. (HR00033-HR00044)
BULL RING COUNT, winters 1808-1809 to 1919-1920 or winters 1 to 104. Dictated in 1917 through 1916-1917. Lakota, handwritten on lined paper, graphite pencil with additions in black ink, 6 pages with 6 loose sheets. (HR00045-HR00050)
SILAS FILLS THE PIPE COUNT, winters of 1762 to 1893. Lakota, handwritten on lined paper, pencil with additions in black ink, 6 pages with 3 loose sheets. (HR00051-HR00056)
JOHN NO EARS COUNT, winters of 1759 to 1915. Transcribed in 1915 with information from John No Ears who in turn had acquired information form his father. Lakota, handwritten on unlined paper, brown ink with addition in blue and graphite pencil and brown, blue and red ink. 10 pages from 5 folded sheets shard with Bull Ring count (7) and Big Missouri Count (8). (HR00057-HR00066)
BULL RING COUNT, winters of 1808-1809 to 1919-1920. Lakota, handwritten on unlined paper, brown ink with additions in graphite pencil and brown, blue and red ink. 7 pages from 4 folded sheets shared with John No Ears Count (6). (HR00067-HR00073)
BIG MISSOURI (MINISISE TANKA) COUNT, 1795-1796 to 1917-1918. Transcribed in 1920. Lakota, handwritten on unlined paper, brown ink with additions in graphite pencil and blue and red ink. 10 pages from 1 sheet shared with John No Ears Count (6), 3 folded sheets shared with Steamboat Count (9), and 1 sheet with other pages blank. (HR00074-HR00083)
STEAMBOAT (WATA PETA) COUNT, winters of 1821-1822 to 1877-1878. Lakota, handwritten on unlined paper, blue ink with additions in graphite pencil. 5 pages from 3 folded sheets shard with Big Missouri Count (8). (HR00084-HR00088)
WALKING ON SKY (WAKENIYEN SKA) COUNT, winters of 1812 to 1931 or winters 1 to 129. By father of Clarence Walking on Sky, 1830?-1930, and transcribed by John Little. 7 pages. Lakota, handwritten on lined paper, pencil. 8 pages with 8 loose sheets. (HR00089-HR00096)
WALKING ON SKY (WAKENIYEN SKA) COUNT, winters of 1810 to 1929 or winters 1 to 121. By Lakota, handwritten on lined paper, pencil with additions in pencil 6 pages with 6 loose sheets. (HR00097-HR00102)
STEAMBOAT (WATA PETA) COUNT, winters of 1821-1877-1878 to 1931 or winters 1 to 56. Lakota, handwritten on lined paper, pencil with additions in blue and brown ink. 7 pages with 7 loose sheets. (HR00103-HR00109)
UNKNOWN AUTHOR COUNT, winters of 1813 to 1915 or winters 1 to 102. Lakota, handwritten on lined paper, pencil. 3 pages with loose sheets. (HR00110-HR00112)
SODALITY COUNT (?), ST MARY & ST JOSEPH SOCIETY REGISTER, ST ALPHONSUS CHAPEL (COPY), HRM4 B2 F 9
, winters of 1898-1913 by Joe [Bad] Yellow Hair, president and secretary. Lakota, handwritten on lined paper, ink. 1 page in bound ledger book. (HR00120-HR00120)
UNIDENTIFIED COUNT, 1762-1913. Lakota, handwritten on lined paper, ink. 5 pages in bound ledger book. Probably kept by Joe [Bad] Yellow Hair. (HR00121-HR00125)
UNIDENTIFIED COUNT, 1887-1913. Fragment. Lakota, handwritten on lined paper, ink. 1 page in bound ledger book. Probably kept by Joe [Bad] Yellow Hair. (HR126-HR00126)
These winter counts are stored at Marquette both in their original paper form and as microfilm. Microfilm copies are also available at the Buechel Memorial Lakota Museum.