Scouting, Volume 62, Number 1, January-February 1974 Page: 47
96, [12] p. : ill. ; 28 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Conference-goers'
days and nights
were filled with
exciting
activities, but
there was time for
the ever-popular
swapping of
patches and a
casual bike hike.
The Order of the Arrow is 58 years
old, but it's perkier than ever be-
fore. Since its infant days back in 1915
at Philadelphia's Treasure Island
Camp, it has grown to more than
300,000 members throughout the 50
states.
Last August, 4,000 Arrowmen from
more than 300 lodges across America
met at the University of California at
Santa Barbara. Their objective: A re-
newed dedication to Scouting, par-
ticularly Scout camping, and a reem-
phasis of American Indian customs
and traditions.
Delegates packed their days with
seminars on Indian culture, camping
promotion and lodge operation. Bi-
centennial observances planned by
the Boy Scouts of America got a big
portion of the spotlight, together with
sports, and a film festival. Nights were
a splash of color at spectacular shows
in the university stadium.
Arrowmen also had the chance to
chat with Miss Indian America, Maxine
Henrietta Norris, a 21-year-old Papago
from Casa Grande, Ariz.; Miss Teen-
age America, Melissa Galbraith of
Clarion, Pa.; Lt. Cmdr. Richard Truly,
an astronaut who has been selected
for the joint U.S.-Soviet space mission;
and San Francisco Forty-Niner foot-
ball players.
Beyond the fun and excitement was
their commitment to the conference
theme, "New Horizons of Service." In
seminars, training courses and bull
sessions, the representatives of the
more than 300 lodges of Scouting's
elected brotherhood of honor camp-
ers, found new ways to expand the
outdoor program of the Boy Scouts of
America.
Speaking at the first stadium show,
Chief Scout Executive Alden Barber,
himself an Arrowman, set the tone.
"As honor campers, our committed
leadership could fill every camp in
every council on every weekend and
all summer long. The Boy Scouts of
America has not scuttled camping or
the outdoor program. We do provide
for greater flexibility in program and in
advancement. But our camps are one
of our greatest resources for learning
and living experiences."
A major conference concern was In-
dian culture. Since its beginnings, the
Order of the Arrow has built a tradition
of perpetuating an understanding of
American Indian culture, especially
dancing. On hand to give expert guid-
ance on Indian lore, besides Miss In-
dian America, were Scott Tonemah,
noted Kiowa-Comanche speaker and
scholar on Indian affairs, and Toma-
sine Ruth Hill, a former Miss Indian
America and a member of the Ameri-
can Revolution Bicentennial Commis-
sion. They were key participants in In-
dian workshops on dance practiced by
Indians in all sections of the country,
on Indian song and Pan-lndianism.
The Indian emphasis was climaxed
with a stadium pageant called "Mind-
ful Now of Our Traditions" showing In-
dian life, past and present, and com-
petitive dancing — a longtime feature
of many Order of the Arrow lodges.
Explaining the show's theme, Steve
McMurtry, deputy national conference
chief for Indian affairs, said, "We are
trying to make the show reflect the In-
dian way of life in order to promote un-
derstanding of Indians as they are and
to suggest that the non-Indian has a
place in the Indian world if he demon-
strates a willingness to learn and un-
derstand." Miss Indian America, Max-
ine Norris, reemphasized this thought
when she praised Arrowmen for pro-
moting respect for the rich culture of
America's Indians.
To the beat of guest drummers from
the California Indian Hobbyist Asso-
ciation, Arrowmen competed in team
and individual dancing. Top winner for
team dancing: Occoneechee Lodge
104 of Raleigh, N.C. Its team swept the
division with an old-style dance called
the Sioux Sneak Up, winning first
place in overall competition and a spe-
cial award for authenticity. Second
place went to Wilgus Lodge 361 of
Missoula, Mont., for a pow-wow style
dance, and third place went to O-Shot-
Caw Lodge 265 of Miami, Fla., for a so-
cial dance.
During the Indian show, Arrowmen
collected about $1,000 to help defray
costs of Scout camping for Indian
Scouts.
Responding to an appeal by some
participants for more knowledge of In-
dian culture, McMurtry announced
that a pilot symposium on Indian crafts
and culture will be held July 28 to Aug.
11,1974, at Philmont Scout Ranch and
Explorer Base in Cimarron, N. Mex.
Each of the Order's 61 section coun-
cils of chiefs may send one Arrowman
there to study Indian culture, pre-
history and ethnology, archaeological
exploration, and crafts and dancing.
The final evening show focused on
the American Revolution Bicentennial,
with a pageant about the history of the
nation through the tradition of its
flags. The Grandland Singers of Los
47
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Reference the current page of this Periodical.
Boy Scouts of America. Scouting, Volume 62, Number 1, January-February 1974, periodical, January 1974; New Brunswick, New Jersey. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth353642/m1/47/: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Boy Scouts of America National Scouting Museum.