The City of Lethbridge is accepting submissions for the 2024 Winter Count.
A Winter Count is a historical record that is written on an animal hide. The City says it uses paint and images to capture significant events and environmental details. The images, or pictographs, are arranged in a spiral pattern that represents the sun. The historical accounts are recorded every year until the hide is filled.
The Winter Count coincides with the winter solstice, with Saturday, December 21 marking the start of the season and the day of the year with the fewest daylight hours.
The Lethbridge Winter Count for 2023 is on display at the Cavendish Farms Centre and was included as part of the first-ever Lethbridge Blackfoot Winter Solstice.
Community members can submit any monumental local events from 2024, with three chosen to be transformed into a pictograph by a Blackfoot artist, Api’soomaahka – William Singer III, and included on the city’s 2024 Winter Count.
Submissions can be made online until 4:30 p.m. on Monday, December 16.
The 2024 Blackfoot Winter Solstice will be on Saturday, December 21, with events planned at the Cavendish Farms Centre.
READ MORE: Local elder shares tradition of calling back the sun during Winter Solstice Ceremony
