Order Of the Arrow
The Arrowhead Lodge
#60 -
AINA TOPA HUTSI
|
 |
History
of Order of the Arrow
The Order of the Arrow is a recognized official program activity of the Boy Scouts of America, intended to recognize those scouts who best exemplify the scout virtues of cheerful service, camping and leadership.
The OA is the Honor Society of Scouting. It was founded
in 1915; just seven years after Robert Baden-Powell
started scouting in Great Britain. It is a uniquely
American "honor society of scouting".
E. Urner Goodman, was a scoutmaster who worked as Director of the Philadelphia scout council's camp. Goodman wanted a way to teach scouts that there was more to scouting than skill proficiency. He wanted to see that the principles embodied in the Scout Oath and Law should become realities in the lives of scouts.
Goodman and the Assistant Camp Director Carroll A.
Edson researched the lore and language of the Delaware
Indians who had lived in the area of the camp. They
also combine characters from James Fenimore Cooper's "Last of the Mohicans", to develop dramatic induction ceremonies for the "Order of the Arrow", as the new honor society was named. Today, these rites still make a lasting impression on scouts who have been elected to the "Order of the Arrow".
By 1921, the idea had spread to a score of scout
councils in the northeast and the first national
meeting of the Order of the Arrow was held. Initially,
the OA was viewed with suspicion by some scouters
as a secret society, if not an affront to the egalitarian
ideas of scouting. Chief Scout Executive James E.
West permitted those councils desiring Order of the
Arrow lodges to establish them as an "experimental" program under a "National Lodge".
OA was not fully incorporated into the scouting program
until 1948.
The Order of the Arrow celebrated its Diamond Anniversary in 1990. Membership has grown to 160,000 of the one million Boy Scouts who are eligible in the U.S. There are almost 400 lodges throughout the United States. It is unusual for a council not to have an OA lodge with its own Indian name and totem or emblem.
OA helps older boys retain interest in scouting once they have reached high school age. OA guidelines place great importance on preserving Lodge leadership in the hands of its youth members, headed by a Chief, Vice Chief(s), and an Executive Committee. All must be under age 21. The youth plan and implement Lodge activities, service projects, ceremonies, publications, budgets, and conduct troop elections as arranged with Scoutmasters. Many adults find participation in the OA to be rewarding. They are an important part of the OA's success as advisors and resources, such as transportation and service project skills. They help to keep the spirit of brotherhood in scouting's honor society.
Purpose
The purpose of the Order of the Arrow is:
- To recognize those Scouts who best exemplify
the Scout Oath and Law in their daily lives
- To
develop
and maintain
camping traditions and spirit
- To promote Scout camping
- To crystallize the Scout habit of helpfulness
into a life purpose of leadership in cheerful service
to others
Membership
To be inducted into the Order of the Arrow, a Scout must:
- Be a registered member of a Boy Scout troop or
Varsity Scout team
- Be at least First Class rank
- Have at least 15 nights of camping, including
a 6-day long-term camp
during the two-year period prior to his
election
- Participate in the "Ordeal" and induction ceremony, after election by his Boy Scout or Varsity unit
Each Scout troop may schedule an Order of the
Arrow election once annually. All registered active
youth troop members have a vote, both current Arrowmen
and non-Arrowmen. Membership selection is thus
predominantly by nonmembers.
Explorer Posts cannot
have OA election. However, a boy who holds dual
registration with a troop (or Varsity unity) and
a post, is eligible for election by his troop or
unit.
Adult scouters may be proposed
for membership in the Order of the Arrow by unit
or district committees or the Lodge. Once selected,
they, too, undergo the "Ordeal" and participate in the induction ceremonies.
Induction
The induction ceremony, called the Ordeal, is conducted at a Scout camp and is the first step toward full membership. During the experience, candidates maintain complete silence, receive small amounts of food, work on camp improvement projects, and are required to sleep alone, apart from other campers, which teaches significant values.
To alleviate lingering concerns in some quarters regarding the ceremonial aspects of the order of the Arrow, the BSA has officially stated:
" The induction is not
a hazing or an initiation ceremony. The order
is not a secret scout organization,
and its ceremonies are open to any parent, Scout
leader, or religious leader. There is an element
of mystery in the ceremony for the sake of its
effect on the candidates. For this reason, ceremonies
are not put on in public. The ceremonies are not
objectionable to any religious group."
Brotherhood Membership
Following 10 months as an "Ordeal" member, the Arrowmen may participate in the "Brotherhood" ceremony, which signifies the sealing of his membership and an additional emphasis on OA ideals and purposes. Completion of this ceremony signifies full membership in the OA.
Vigil Honor
After an additional 2 years as a Brotherhood member have passed, exceptional OA leaders may be recognized by conferring of the "Vigil Honor". Approval of the national Order of the Arrow Committee is required. Generally speaking, only two percent of the Lodge membership may be selected each year for this highest of Lodge honors. A special ceremony celebrates this experience.
All Order of the Arrow members are reminded that their primary duty always remains to their own troop, which elected them in the first place as a result of their cheerful service to their fellow unit members. OA Lodge activities are intended to SUPPLEMENT, and not REPLACE, troop activities. Probably the single most often-heard complaint directed towards the OA program is that of Arrowmen who have forgotten this cardinal principle.
Lodges
Each Order of the Arrow lodge is granted a charter from the National BSA Council. The OA lodge helps the local council provide a quality Scouting program through recognition of the Scouting spirit and performance, youth leadership development, service, and enhanced membership tenure. The Aina Topa Hutsi Lodge is located in the Alamo Area Council
Chapters
In larger councils, lodges are often subdivided into "chapters", with youth chapter
officers and committeemen running chapter events.
Sections
An Order of the Arrow section consists of lodges within a geographic area of
the region. Once every year, representatives of lodges in the
section come together for a conclave to share in fellowship, skills, and training.
All of
the elected
section chiefs form the conference committee for a national
OA event,
which is held under the guidance of the national OA Committee. At the
Section, Regional,
and National levels, Chiefs and Vice-Chiefs are typically young
men of college age, since Arrowmen are considered youth members until age 21.
OA Lodges meet with other lodges in their sections each year and attend a nationwide
gathering held on the campus of a major university every 2
years.
These National Conferences, as they are called, feature individual and
Lodge competitions
in
ceremonies, Indian dancing and costumes, and sports, along
with seminars and
gala arena shows. More than 6,000 Arrowmen attend, which for
many is an exciting highlight of the scouting experience on a par with a National
Jamboree.
|
