Pictographic Representation

Meya, Will
The Semiotics of Winter Counts

The central theoretical observation of the winter count complex is the idea of meaning generation through a symbol system. In the case of the Lakota, winter counts centralize and materialize ideas of self, history, and assumptions of place and purpose. Winter counts consequently serve not just as texts of overt historical relevance, but also as texts of socially conceived and shared semiotic systems created with clear intent and function. This paper attempts to understand the historical Lakota by examining the foundation of their sign system and through exploring the design of winter counts as internal instruments of meaning.

Smyth, David
Blackfoot Winter Counts

While extensive research exists on winter counts of the Sioux, far less is known of those kept by the four Blackfoot-speaking peoples. There are at least 12 extensive Blackfoot winter counts dating from the pre-reserve era (pre-1880s). Only two of these winter counts contain pictographs (one dating from 1764); only four have ever been published. This paper will examine a number of topics: comparison of these Blackfoot counts with those kept by other Plains peoples; types of information contained in these counts; problems in interpretation; and, specific issues in Blackfoot history addressed in these counts.

Szabo, Joyce
Drawing Life's Changes: Late Nineteenth-Century Drawings from Hampton and Carlisle

Drawings created by Plains students at late nineteenth-century boarding schools offer important views of the assimilation process such institutions were established to effect. Works created between 1878 and 1900 at Hampton Institute and Carlisle Indian School are examined as autobiographical documents of lives in transition and as multiple-voiced narratives required in these new environments. Battle drawings were the initial culturally specific models for the Plains boys who came to off-reservation boarding schools, but, contrary to much previous generalization about their discouragement, drawings of diverse subjects, including life on the Plains, became part of the curriculum readily employed by non-Native teachers.