Historically, Plains Indian tribes preserved the passage of time through oral history, recalling important events to mark the year and passing those stories down through the generations. This winter count, a pictographic calendar created by the Lakota that records these stories from 1798-1904; a one hundred and six year glimpse of Lakota history. A winter count records important events that happened one specific winter, and this record is held by a keeper who is responsible for its content and remembering the stories associated with each year. Each winter count varies slightly, often recording events that were shared tribally, but also recognizes events that may have happened in the specific village of origin. There were originally drawn on hide, and the images were transferred to muslin cloth when the hide became too worn. The Institute's winter count is painted on muslin, and the sequence of events starts in the upper left hand corner and moves in a clockwise direction. Like the Institute's winter count, most Lakota winter counts start with an image of a calumet decorated with feathers which symbolizes a ceremony that blesses the elderly, expectant mothers and the children. Winter counts preserves important aspects of Plains Indian history through the eyes of the people who were there.