It was late fall on a remote reservation in South Dakota. The tribe asked their new chief if the coming winter would be cold or mild.
As a modern chief, he hadn't learned the old ways of reading the sky. Unsure, he advised his people to gather firewood, just to be safe.
Being practical, he later called the National Weather Service. "Will the winter be cold?" he asked.
"It looks quite cold," the meteorologist replied.
The chief urged his tribe to gather even more firewood. A week later, he called again for confirmation.
"Yes, a very cold winter," was the answer.
He ordered his people to collect every scrap of wood they could find. Two weeks later, he called once more.
"Are you absolutely sure?"
"Absolutely," the weatherman said. "It's shaping up to be one of the coldest winters we've seen."
"How can you be so sure?" the chief asked.
The weatherman replied, "Because the Indians are collecting firewood like crazy."