The Kiowa Calendar And What It Recorded

The Kiowa maintained a historical record in the form of pictographic calendars — winter counts, as similar records are called among many Plains peoples — that documented each year by its most significant event.

These calendars were maintained by specific individuals and passed down through families, providing a record of Kiowa history in Kiowa terms.

The calendars that cover the Red River War period record the events of 1874-1875 as significant markers in Kiowa history.

The Kiowa calendar system used two events per year — a winter event and a summer event — to identify each year.