Order of the Arrow
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The Order of the Arrow (OA) is the national honor society of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). Founded in 1915, it uses American Indian traditions and ceremonies to bestow recognition on Scouts selected by their peers as best exemplifying the Scouting ideals of camping and cheerful service to others. Inducted members are known as Arrowmen and are organized into local youth-led lodges for fellowship and the rendering of service to Scout councils.
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[edit] Purposes
The four stated purposes of the Order of the Arrow are:
- To recognize those Scout campers 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.
[edit] Membership
More than 180,000 youths and adults are members of the Order of the Arrow, approximately one-eighth of the total number of those registered in the Boy Scout program. Since youth members are elected by their local unit, and since most of the members of their unit are generally not members of the Order of the Arrow, the OA is said to be the largest membership organization whose members are selected primarily by non-members. In the OA, youth members include all persons under 21 years of age while those over 21 are considered adult members.
As a program of the Boy Scout division, candidates for the Order of the Arrow are selected by elections held annually in Boy Scout troops and Varsity Scout teams. Youth are elected by majority vote of the youth members of their unit (Scout troop or Varsity team). To be eligible for election, a Scout must be at least First Class rank and have fulfilled specified camping requirements, as well as having the approval of his Scoutmaster or Varsity Coach. An election is held by secret ballot to help minimize peer pressure. Most lodges support an election team that a unit can invite to help hold the OA elections; it is charged to inform the unit of the service and duty required of an Arrowman, that only the most dedicated Scouts should be considered. In best practice, the election team counts the votes and notifies the Scoutmaster or Varsity Coach of the results.
Adults who had not previously joined the Order as a youth member may become members by being nominated by the unit, district or council committee and then approved by the lodge Adult Selection Committee. Adults must meet the same criteria as youth except the rank requirement.
After being elected or nominated, all candidates participate in a "calling-out ceremony" (formerly called "tap-out"), performed by OA members dressed in ceremonial Indian regalia. This call-out usually occurs sometime prior to the ordeal, and may be done at summer camp, a camporee, a call-out weekend or at a troop or team meeting.
[edit] Ordeal membership
The selected candidates subsequently participate in a weekend-long "Ordeal", to be formally inducted as Ordeal members of the OA. These colorful, symbolic ceremonies are kept shrouded in mystery, as Arrowmen are strongly admonished not to reveal certain OA rituals to non-members. Consequently, the OA has occasionally been viewed by some as a secret society. However, BSA guidelines now make clear that any concerned parent, guardian or religious leader may view the ceremonies, attend meetings, or read scripts upon request to a council, district, lodge or chapter official, to assure themselves that there is nothing objectionable. Such persons are asked to safeguard the details relating to ceremonies, for the sake of the participants.
Similarly, any kind of "hazing" or demeaning "initiation" pranks are strictly prohibited as part of a candidate's Ordeal.
[edit] Brotherhood membership
Upon completion of a minimum ten months as an Ordeal member, all Arrowmen are encouraged to become Brotherhood members (often seen as "full" membership or a "sealing" of OA membership). A demonstration of advanced knowledge of the Order of the Arrow and its traditions is required for the conferring of Brotherhood membership at ceremonies for that purpose.
[edit] Vigil Honor
After a minimum of two years as a Brotherhood member of the Order, Arrowmen are eligible to receive the Vigil Honor from their lodge. Selection is limited to one person for every 50 members of the lodge and is made annually based on exceptional service above and beyond the norm, whether through leadership, exemplary efforts, or dedication. As stated in the OA Fact Sheet, "The Vigil Honor is a high mark of distinction and recognition reserved for those Arrowmen who, by reason of exceptional service, personal effort, and unselfish interest, have made distinguished contributions beyond the immediate responsibilities of their position or office to one or more of the following: their lodge, the Order of the Arrow, Scouting, or their Scout camp. Under no circumstances should tenure in Scouting or the Order of the Arrow be considered as reason enough for a Vigil Honor recommendation."[1]
Recipients are given an Indian name and participate in traditional Native American ceremonies.
[edit] Symbols
Arrowmen are identified by a white sash bearing a red arrow that is worn over their right shoulder. An Ordeal member is recognized by a sash with a lone arrow. The Brotherhood sash bears an arrow with a red bar at each end of the arrow. A Vigil Honor sash has the bars of Brotherhood at each end of the arrow and a triangle superimposed on the center of the shaft. The triangle bears three small arrows arranged in a counterclockwise direction. The sash is worn with the scout uniform at Order of the Arrow functions and when specifically representing the Order of the Arrow.
Arrowmen indicate lodge affiliation by wearing a patch on the right pocket flap of their uniform shirt. Some lodges incorporate distinctive designs on these "Lodge Flaps", commemorating various events or level of membership. Collection and trading of Lodge Flaps from across the nation is a popular pastime for many.
Arrowmen also exchange a special handshake as a token of brotherhood, along with other signs and passwords.[2].
The OA's official song, "Firm Bound in Brotherhood",[3] was written in 1921 by OA founder E. Urner Goodman and is sung to the Russian hymn tune God Save the Tsar, composed by Alexei Fyodorovich Lvov in the 19th century.
[edit] History
The Order of the Arrow was founded in 1915 at a Scout summer camp on Treasure Island, on the Delaware River near Philadelphia. The two men principally responsible for its creation were camp director E. Urner Goodman and his assistant Carroll A. Edson.
Goodman and Edson were looking for ways to improve the camp and to keep the older boys coming back. They looked at several sources in creating their new 'camp fraternity',[4][5] including:
- Edward Cave's Boy's Camp Book for the concept of a camp society that would perpetuate camp traditions.
- College fraternities for the concepts of Brotherhood and rituals, and the idea of new members pledging themselves to the new organization.
- Ernest Thompson Seton's Woodcraft Indians for the use of American Indian lore to make the organization interesting and appealing to youth, which lead them to incorporating traditions and legends of the local Lenni Lenape (Delaware) Indians in the OA's ceremonies. In fact, the true name of the Order means Brotherhood of Cheerful Service in the Lenape language.
- Brotherhood of Andrew and Phillip, a Presbyterian church youth group with which Goodman had been involved as a young man.
- Freemasonry and its traditions and rituals probably contributed more to the basic structure of the rituals than any other organization. In an interview with Carroll Edson during his later years, he recalled that the task of writing the first rituals of the Order of the Arrow was assigned to an early member who was "a 32nd degree Mason." Familiar terms such as "lodge" and "obligation," were borrowed from Masonic practice, as were some ceremonial practices. Even the early national meeting was called a "Grand Lodge," thought to be a Masonic reference. Goodman became a Mason only after the OA was established.
The Order earned official recognition as a BSA program experiment in 1922, along with several other honor societies.[6] It acquired its present name at the same time. A meeting of the National Lodge at the Owasippe Scout Reservation in 1933 voted to recommend that the BSA adopt it as part of its official program, which the National Council did in 1934. Full integration was completed in 1948.
The oldest Order of the Arrow lodge is Unami Lodge #1 of the Cradle of Liberty (Philadelphia) Council, founded at Treasure Island in 1915 by Goodman and Edson.
[edit] Organization
The basic unit of the order is the lodge, which is chartered to a local Boy Scout council. The highest official of the lodge is the local council's Scout executive, who holds the position of "Netami Gegeyjumhet" (first chief in Lenni-Lenape) and is referred to as the "Supreme Chief of the Fire".
The Order of the Arrow places great emphasis on being a youth-led organization. Only youth (under age 21) are voting members and are eligible to hold elective offices at lodge, section, region, or National levels as elected officers.
Adults serve the OA in advisory roles as non-voting members and may be appointed to specific positions such as lodge adviser and chapter adviser. They are also appointed as advisers to specific youth officers and committees in the lodge. Many others help with service projects and transportation, assuring that safety guidelines are observed.
The lodge chief is an elected youth who is responsible for the program and general operation of the lodge. Each lodge has its own bylaws (within general OA guidelines) and may have additional youth officers such as vice chiefs with specific areas of responsibility, a secretary, a treasurer, or perhaps others. Typically, lodges have standing committees responsible for ceremonies, service projects, publications, unit elections, camp promotions, Indian dance team, etc., all comprised entirely of youth members.
In larger councils, many lodges are sub-divided into chapters, which generally correspond to districts within the council. Lodge chapters may organize some local OA activities, primarily meetings, service projects, and unit elections.
Lodges from the same area are grouped into one or more sections, the primary purpose of which is to organize an annual gathering of all lodges in the section at a conclave, or weekend gathering at a camp, for training, inter-lodge competitions, and fellowship. Each section annually elects youths as section chief, section vice-chief, and section secretary.
At an annual planning meeting held at the BSA's national office in Irving, Texas, section chiefs gather and elect from their number the National chief and National vice-chief, followed by the four region chiefs. All section chiefs present participate in the balloting process for the National chief and National vice-chief, but only participate in the region chief election for their region.
At the National level, the Order is headed by the National Order of the Arrow Committee; a subcommittee of the National Boy Scout Committee, of which the National chief, National vice-chief, and the four region chiefs are voting members. The current chairman of the National committee is Bradley Haddock.
[edit] Awards
[edit] Activities
- For a list of National Order of the Arrow Conference and other national OA events, see List of Order of the Arrow national events
Most lodges hold several annual events, often at camps belonging to the local Boy Scout council, for the purpose of fellowship, inducting new members, and service work to improve the council camp. Annually, members of lodges who are grouped into a section (an administrative grouping of anywhere from two to ten lodges) gather at a Section Conclave for fellowship, training, competition, and to elect youth officers to lead the Section.
For several years, the Order has sponsored special service groups to the three National High Adventure Bases. This started with the Order of the Arrow Trail Crew at the Philmont Scout Ranch, which has worked to build new trails and repair old ones. Later this expanded to the Northern Tier National High Adventure Bases with the OA Wilderness Voyage, which has repaired the portage trails in the Boundary Waters area. Most recently, the OA began the "Ocean Adventure" at the Florida National High Adventure Sea Base in the Florida Keys, which offers scuba diving certification and works to repair reefs in the Florida Keys.
In a new program of national service planned for the summer of 2008, the OA will offer "ArrowCorp5" to both youth and adult Arrowmen. Described as "one of the largest conservation efforts in Scouting's history" by the Boy Scouts of America, more than 5,000 Arrowmen will converge on five national forests to work on various conservation projects such as building new trails and helping preserve nearly extinct species, in cooperation with the U.S. Forest Service.
Since the 1950s, the Order has fielded a Service Corps for national scout jamborees. At recent jamborees, this has expanded with a major show and "The Outdoor Adventure Program".
[edit] National Order of the Arrow Conferences
Since the early 1920's, the Order of the Arrow (OA) has regularly held national gatherings of its membership. Now usually occurring once every two years, a National Order of the Arrow Conference (NOAC) is a multi-day event which takes place on a university campus, bringing together thousands of delegates from OA Lodges around the nation for training and activities. As a youth-led organization, these national conferences are organized and directed by the elected section and region youth officers, who serve on committees responsible for various conference aspects under the leadership of the conference vice-chief.
During a NOAC, Arrowmen participate in several events:
- "Meet the Man"
- Training events, which include program, leadership, American Indian culture, and more
- TOAP, The Outdoor Adventure Place
- Founder's Day
- Goodman Games
- athletic competitions between lodges
- ceremonial competitions between lodges
- dance team and individual dance competitions
- OA Museum
- Camp Promotion Exhibits
- Outdoor & Camping exhibitors
- Service work
- Patch Trading
Evening shows have different themes. Shows include one on American Indian culture, and recognition of dance competition winners. An awards show includes presentations of the OA Distinguished Service Award.
The next NOAC will be held at Indiana University in 2009.
[edit] Philbreak
Philbreak is an "alternate spring break" program started in 2003 to help restore Philmont Scout Ranch after devastating forest fires the previous year. Since 2004, the participants have been working on the Urraca Trail, which is intended as a day hike for those attending the Philmont Training Center. Participants in the seven day program are expected to work eight or nine hour days in all types of conditions. The program takes place during three separate weeks during March. Upon arrival at Philmont, participants meet their trained staff and immediately begin project orientation. Work crews perform meaningful service projects for Philmont and build their understanding of wilderness conservation and the outdoors. Participants also have an opportunity to take a ski break at Angel Fire. Participants are required to be a registered with the BSA in their local council, be between the ages of 18 and 26. The Order usually provides a large number of the participants through its Philbreak recruiting efforts. The program's goals are to:
- To provide Philmont with approximately 72 scouters for service to Philmont.
- To provide a qualified pool of potential staff members.
- To enhance and build participant's leadership skills.
[edit] Training
In addition to training courses available at a NOAC or section conclave, the OA offers specialized leadership training as weekend events for members:
- Lodge Leadership Development (LLD) – a one-day or two-day event conducted by a lodge to train their officers and advisers, making use of an OA website to create a customized training syllabus based on survey data entered by lodge officers and advisers.
- National Leadership Seminars (NLS) – conducted by regions for lodge officers and advisers. Typically, each region schedules three or four NLS weekends annually, at geographically dispersed locations within the region.
- National Lodge Adviser Training Seminar (NLATS) – for adults, usually held in conjunction with an NLS and conducted by regions, on the role of advisers in the OA.
[edit] References
- ^ OA Fact Sheet. Order of the Arrow, Boy Scouts of America. Retrieved on March 5, 2007.
- ^ The Handclasp of the Lodge. Order of the Arrow. Retrieved on April 11, 2006.
- ^ Firm Bound in Brotherhood. Russian Anthems museum. Retrieved on April 11, 2006.
- ^ Davis, Ken (2000). Brotherhood of Cheerful Service: A History of the Order of the Arrow, 3rd edition. Order of the Arrow.
- ^ Block, Nelson (2000). A Thing of the Spirit, The Life of E. Urner Goodman. Boy Scouts of America.
- ^ Other camping honor societies were created subsequent to 1915 at various Scout camps (see Scout Honor Societies. U.S. Scouting Service Project.) As of 2007, only two BSA councils do not have associated OA lodges: Long Beach Area Council in California has the Tribe of Tahquitz and the Pony Express Council in Missouri has the Tribe of Mic-O-Say.
