Order of the Arrow
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Image:OA-logo.jpg Template:Portalpar The Order of the Arrow (OA) is a program of the Boy Scout division of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). It is the BSA's national honor society for experienced campers, based on Native American traditions, and dedicated to the ideal of cheerful service. Members of the OA are called Arrowmen.
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Purposes
The 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, and
- To crystallize the Scout habit of helpfulness into a life purpose of leadership in cheerful service to others
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 just the arrow. The Brotherhood sash consists of an arrow with two red bars, while the Vigil sash adds with a triangle going through the arrow shaft, the triangle bearing three small arrows going in a counterclockwise direction. The sash is worn only at official Order of the Arrow functions and when specifically representing the Order of the Arrow– such as when conducting an election of Order of the Arrow members.
Arrowmen indicate lodge affiliation by wearing a patch on the right pocket flap of the uniform, known as a Lodge Flap. They may also wear the OA Pocket Device, a silver arrow suspended from red and white ribbon that is worn on the right pocket button. Membership is also shown by a special handshake<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>, signs and passwords. The official song "Firm Bound in Brotherhood"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> was written in 1921 by the founder and is based on the tune of God Save the Tsar by Alexei Fyodorovich Lvov.
History
The OA 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 Dr. E. Urner Goodman, and his assistant Carroll A. Edson. Many Scout camps at this time had created honor societies<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> for Scouts who had attended them; Goodman and Edson based their society on these organizations. They also took a cue from Ernest Thompson Seton, who used Native American culture in his Woodcraft Indians program, and included the traditions and legends of the local Lenni Lenape (Delaware) Indians in the OA's ceremonies. In fact, the order's original name meant Brotherhood of Cheerful Service in the Lenape language.
The OA earned official recognition as a BSA program experiment in 1922, along with several other honor societies. 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.
Numerous other camp honor societies existed at some point during the BSA's history. Some faded into history. Some are still active today. Others eventually became Order of the Arrow lodges. Among the more widespread of these societies are the Tribe of Mic-O-Say, Firecrafter, Nani-Ba-Zhu, Tribe of Quivira, Ku-Ni-Eh, PGT, The Buckskin Sons of Wauwepex, and The Clan of the Mystic Oak.
Organization
The basic unit of the order is the lodge, which is chartered to a local council. The lodge is lead by the Lodge Chief, a young man under the age of 21, with an adult Lodge Adviser tasked with guiding the chief and the lodge in general. Many lodges are further divided into chapters, which generally correspond to a district within the council. OA activities, primarily meetings and service projects, are usually organized by the chapters.
Lodges are grouped into sections, the primary purpose of which is to organize an annual weekend campout known as a conclave which combines training performed for the membership of the lodges and inter-lodge competition, including ceremony competitions. The sections are subdivisions of BSA areas, which in turn are subdivisons of four BSA regions. Each section annually elects a Section Chief and Vice-Chief. The Section Chiefs come together and from their number elect the Region Chiefs and Vice-Chiefs the National Chief and Vice-Chief. During NOAC years, those not elected to those positions are elected to a position of Conference Vice-Chief in charge of one if the areas at NOAC or other national events. The order is headed by the National Order of the Arrow Committee— a subcommittee of the BSA's National Boy Scout Committee —of which the National Chief, National Vice-Chief, and the four Region Chiefs are voting members.
Two councils today do not have associated OA lodges: the Long Beach Area Council in California instead has the Tribe of Tahquitz, and the Pony Express Council in Missouri has the Tribe of Mic-O-Say.
Membership
Membership in the Order of the Arrow totals over 180,000 youth and adult members, roughly one eighth the number of those involved 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 order is said to be the largest membership organization whose members are elected primarily by non-members.
Youth under 21 (including any adults under 21) are elected by members of their unit. The Order of the Arrow is a program of the Boy Scout division, thus elections are open to only members of troops and teams. Youth candidates to the order must first be elected by a majority vote of their fellow Scouts (including non-OA members) in their troop or team. Any Scout who has reached the rank of First Class, has fulfilled camping requirements , and has been approved by his Scoutmaster or Coach is eligible for election.
Adults (over 21) who had not previously joined the OA as a youth member can 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.
After being elected or nominated, all candidates participate in a call-out ceremony, typically performed by OA members dressed in ceremonial Native American regalia. This usually occurs sometime prior to the next induction, and may be done at summer camp, a camporee, a call-out weekend or at a troop or team meeting. The candidates then participate in the induction that leads to becoming an Ordeal member.
Like the BSA, the Order is a youth ran organization. Youth are voting members and serve at lodge, section, region, and national levels as elected officers, while adults are non-voting members and serve in advisory capacities. Select adults are appointed to specific adviser positions such as lodge adviser, chapter adviser and section advisers and co-advisers. Advisers may also be appointed to specific youth officers and committees.
With the exception of a national list of Vigil members, membership records have not been maintained by the Order of the Arrow National Office. The lack of accurate records has caused problems when lodges merged or records are lost due to poor internal controls at the local lodge. Beginning in 2006 the National Office of the Order of the Arrow will operate a nationwide database and will provide software to each of the 300+ lodges with which they can maintain their records in a permanent format.
Awards
Activities
- For a list of NOAC 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 who run the Section.
For several years, the OA has sponsored special service groups to the three National High Adventure Bases. This started with the OA 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 they have started the OA Ocean Adventure at the Florida National High Adventure Sea Base, which works to repair reefs in the Florida Keys.
Since the 1950s, the OA has fielded a Service Corps for the National Scout Jamboree. At recent Jamborees this has expanded with a major show and TOAP (The Outdoor Adventure Place).
National Order of the Arrow Conference
Once every two years, the National Order of the Arrow Conference (NOAC), a multi-day event, is held on the campus of a major university. NOAC is a national gathering of the Arrowmen which serves to bring Arrowmen together from around the world for training and activities. During the conference, arrowmen participate in several events:
- Meet the Man
- Training events, which include program, leadership, Native American 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
Evening shows have different themes. Shows include one on Native American culture, and the dance champions are noted. An awards show includes presentations of the OA Distinguished Service Award.
Philbreak
Image:Philbreak.gif 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 seperate 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 OA 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.
Training
In recent years, leadership development has become an important part of the Order. To support these, several training events have been developed.
- Lodge Leadership Development (LLD), originally Lodge Leadership Development Conference, is a training event conducted by lodge to train their officers and advisers. It has gone thru several revisions, and currently makes use of a website for lodges to develop their events. LLD is a customizable event, where lodges organize a one-day or two-day events using the website. They enter in survey information from officers and advisers, and the site puts together a tailored training event for the lodge, including pre-written session syllabi.
- National Leadership Seminars (NLS), is an intense leadership development weekend training event for lodge officers and advisers, ideally after they have completed LLD. It is conducted by the Regions, with 3-4 events around the region. Due to this, only a limited number of Arrowmen can attend these events. NLS started off with the Southeast Region Training Conference in 1976. This was extended and rolled out as a national program afterwards. More recently, NLS was totally revamped into a leadership development event. Currently, participants must complete a set of three goals to truly complete the course and receive their patch.
- National Lodge Advisers Training Seminar (NLATS), is an intense weekend training event for Lodge Advisers, and other OA adults. It is recommended that participants have gone thru NLS. It is conducted by the Regions, with about 2-3 events around the region, usually held in conjunction with NLS. This course focuses on the role of advisers in the OA, and builds on the "Framework of Advisership". The course is still being developed. It had been developed at the Philmont Training Center, but now is only being made available thru the weekend events.
Controversies
Secrecy
The Order of the Arrow does not readily disclose the contents of its ceremonies, partly because giving inductees advance knowledge would take away from the mystery of the experience, the purpose of which is to teach scouts about themselves. As a result, it has occasionally been classified as a secret society. This perception stems from the fact that non-members are usually not present at its ceremonies and functions.
The Boy Scouts of America maintains a strict policy that the Order of the Arrow is not a secret society, as secret societies are forbidden by the policies of the Boy Scouts of America, as is the mention of anything 'secret' in nature. Although its ceremonies are safeguarded from non-members without a specific reason to know, any concerned person (usually a parent, guardian or religious leader) can view the ceremonies or read scripts upon request. Attendance at business meetings by non-members falls under a similar request process.
Elections
Some have criticized the youth Arrow elections as popularity contests where the most popular Scout in a troop will be elected to the OA, regardless of his attitudes towards Scouting or his abilities in outdoor camping and Scouting techniques. To counter any such tendency, the OA election process is held by a secret ballot to help minimize any peer pressure. The election team is charged to inform the unit of the service and duty required of an Arrowman and that only the most dedicated Scouts should be considered.
See also
References
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