The biannual Kiowa calendar divides the year into summer and winter. To differentiate the seasons, the calendar keeper used a pictograph of the Sun Dance lodge for summer and perhaps hand game sticks or zohn-ahl sticks for winter. It is commonly believed that Jòhâusàn was the earliest calendar keeper in the Kiowa tribe.
After the death of Jòhâusàn in the winter of 1866–1867, other Kiowa men began keeping calendars as well. As time progressed into the twentieth century the number of calendars grew as the calendar keepers began recording for individual communities. Eventually, calendar keeping fell into nonexistence.
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