We Are All The Same

I once learned of a philosophy while I was in the military.  It’s not something that is talked about a great deal.  But, the basic premise of the philosophy is this: “the public’s perception of a population is defined by 10% or less of that population”.  This means that what you and I know about a group of people is setup for us by less than 10% of that group of people.  

For example, a number of years ago the US Marine Corps had a bad public image.  It’s not because of the Marines, or the Department of Defense, or the Department of the Navy, or because of recruiting or anything like that.  It was because of ignorant buffoons doing stupid stuff that got themselves in the media.  This gave the public the impression that Marines were all mean, ill-tempered, drunk, abusive, and unfit for society.  

As a Marine myself, I have to admit we are mean (when it comes to warfare and each other), sometimes ill-tempered, and the US Marine Corps was founded in a tavern, so drunk often applies as well(that is something I believe the vast majority of Marines will agree to and wholeheartedly embrace).  But, very few of us, very few indeed, are abusive spouses.  And fewer still are 'unfit for society'.

But that doesn’t stop the media or the court of public opinion from lumping Marines into the general ‘@$$hat’ category because of the actions of a few.  Like I said, the small percentage of this group who are known for this behavior make a bad public image for the rest of us.  Despite the commercials of the clean-cut, sharply uniformed individuals on the Silent Drill Team, the amazing battle service record, or the Toys for Tots campaign that annually receives millions of donations a year to give to children in need.

So.  What does that have to do with the title?  I’m using the story above to point out that the Marines, and other groups’ or populations’ public impressions are not defined by the whole of the organization, but by a few or small percentage of that group.  So it is with Boy Scouts of America.

We who work in Scouting, whether as volunteers or professionals, each often do hundreds of Service Hours annually.  We serve in churches, community centers, local parks, schools, and many more places.  In 2013, there were 3,615,306 youth and adult scouts in the United States.  Let’s assume each of those scouts only did 10 hours of community service that year.  That’s nearly 37 Million service hours!  And that’s only if every scout averages 10 hours a year.  I know personally, I am putting closer to 100 hours myself every year.  Is that broadcast by national media?  Does BSA get recognized for being the largest service organization in the USA?  Or does non-inclusiveness mar BSA’s public perception?  Or is there something else that seems to be a large sticking point for the public?

We Scouts and Scouters also know there are many different portions of the Scouting program.  Tiger Cubs, Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Varsity Teams, Venture Crews, Explorer Posts, individual units, Districts, Areas, Regions, Lodges, Sections, National programs, Summer camp Programs, winter camp programs, and more.  But, to the average observer, all of these different points of input are all ‘Boy Scouts’.

Therein lies the problem I specified in my previous post. 

Say 10%, or 361,530, of those Scouts define the public’s perception of the Boy Scouts.  Which 10% will it be.  With the availability and ease of posting photos on the internet, we compound any potential problems as well. 

For example, Joe Cubmaster, the leader of 50 boys ranging in age from 6-11, wants to impress the boys with stories from a book he read about a noted Native American.  So, to make the story come alive more to the boys, he wraps himself in a serape or blanket, dabs a little paint on his face, and dons a dime-store headdress with green, purple, and orange feathers while portraying a character in the story.  Now, the boys know he isn’t ‘an Indian’ – he’s Cubmaster Joe.  Joe knows he is not trying to represent anyone or anything in any kind of poor light – he was just trying to help the boys see the story come to life better.  He meant no disrespect, the boys saw no disrespect.  But, then Sally, Joe’s wife, wants to share how impressed the boys were with her friends on Facebook.  And one of her friends shared one of those photos of Joe to another group who has nothing to do with the Pack, but is aware Joe exists in the world.  And one of those people shows the photo to another, and eventually this photo is shared on Pinterest, Imgur, Reddit, or some other web service that shares such things.  And suddenly Joe’s image is a meme plastered across the internet with thousands of views, laughed at, defended, complained about, derided, scorned, or used as ‘proof’ that Boy Scouts are disrespecting Native American culture.

Now, let’s change that story up.  A scout unit or camp program was founded 50 years ago.  The gentleman who started the program, we’ll call him Fred Campmaster, was well respected by everyone in his community for being generous, understanding, accepting, and educated.  He had friends in every ethnic community in the area and elsewhere, he was invited to dinners, and was taught everything there was to know about those cultures.  These folks offered him help in incorporating some of their ideals and cultural differences into a camp program he wanted to start.  Graciously he accepted and they set about teaching and learning everything they could about each other’s culture and how to best invigorate this fledgling program with those high ideals and traditions.  Now, however, 50 years later, the outfits that were once accepted due to many variables - like rural locale, available funding, lack of complete cultural understanding, lack of availability of documentation, hindsight, etc. – are no longer even remotely appropriate.  But, the group involved maintains they are just perpetuating the program that was presented 50 years ago, and it helps get boys to the camp.  They don’t know they are perpetuating stereotypes, they aren’t aware the outfits are offensive, and some would say they may not care because of their desire to uphold their own traditions regardless of outcome.  And like the previous example, photos make their way to social media in a matter of moments.  And the ensuing problems occur again.

Now, John Scoutmaster, leads a small troop of 30 Boy Scouts, aged 11-18, along with several Adults as support.  He took his troop to that out-of-council camp where Fred Campmaster’s program is being run.  The boys fell in love with the program, and without oversight, brought it back to their troop program, several States away.  They run their program based on what they think the camp program intended, without further research or understanding.  But, they learned from someone who claimed it was authentic and reverent.  They didn’t intend to hurt anyone’s feelings, perpetuate stereotypes, or cause any difficulty.

Who’s at fault, though?  Who’s responsible?  Not the Cub Scout leader.  Not the Camp Director or the people who continue their program.  Not the Scoutmaster or the boys in his group.  Boy Scouts of America is responsible.  At least that is what Public Opinion says.  Despite what you or I might think or debate about this. 

And they aren’t wholly incorrect.  Certainly, research should be done by anyone involved.  And, true, these Scouts need to recognize that the outfits they are wearing don’t look anything like any photos of Native Americans taken since photography was invented.  And the local unit leaders should be aware that Disney or Hollywood movies are not wholly accurate, and if the outfits the boys use look anything like a Disney movie, they shouldn’t be used.  And certainly, when confronted by those of us who have some experience in this context, they should accept constructive criticism and understand we are only trying to protect the boys from harm.

But, ultimately, the Cub Scout leader is not singled out for his portrayal, the Camp director is not singled out for his inaccuracies, and the Scout leader is not singled out for perpetuating stereotypes.  Boy Scouts of America is blamed for their failings.  And Boy Scouts of America is responsible for the fallout.  And if confronted, each and every one of us who wear a uniform will be held accountable by the people who are offended by these incidents.

Now, I can safely say there are many Boy Scout instructors or advisors who are active in modern Native American culture, who are respected for what they do, and are accepted among their Native American friends and communities.  But, the approximately 400 people (note, I do not have cold data to support an exact number) spread across all 50 States who have had any significant training on the varied subjects related to Native American cultures, are simply too small a number. 

So, let’s be generous and say 1,000 adults in the entire BSA program have a decent amount of education about, experience with, or involvement in the Native Cultures of the USA.  A little quick figuring determines that each of those 1,000 are ‘responsible’ for educating 3,615 others.  It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that is simply impossible.  Each of those 1,000 can do their individual best in bringing information to the 3.6 Million other Scouts in the US.  But, it will not be enough. 

I don’t want to sound defeatist.  But, the numbers are against us.  How do we counter that?  We get buy-in from larger programs that affect more scouts than you or I can individually.  Summer Camp programs have to modernize and accept that their traditions reinforce stereotypes, and that needs to change.  ALL Scout leaders (no matter the level or type of unit) should receive training that focuses on diversity, stereotypes, and how to avoid them, right along with the Youth Protection training they are required to have annually.  And those groups who insist on continuing their out-of-date, stereotype-prone, or offensive programs should receive immediate attention to correct the problems. 

And why should we do this?  Because if we don’t, we run the risk of losing any program related to any Native American culture – the Order of the Arrow, Dance Troupes like the Koshare and Kwahadi dancers, Summer Camp programs like Mic-O-Say, and likely more – no matter who approved or validated them initially, or how old the program is, or how effective it is at bring kids together, or how many Native tribal leaders may approve of the program.  It took over 20 years for the University of Illinois to get rid of their parody of a Siouxan Chieftain, called ‘Chief Illiniwek’.  And the school was 'given the right' in the long-distant past.  But, times change and the use of the image & character didn't.  And, they were eventually forced to get rid of the half-time dances, the cheerleader in the facepaint, the use of the beadwork on that same outfit, and the logo because ALL were offensive to Native Americans.  And the tide is turning on that Washington team, too.  Eventually all instances of these team mascots will be removed and repaired.

But, more importantly, we should change our approach because it is the right thing to do.  It's time to be the change.

We are all the same, and must be culpable for the entirety of the BSA’s Native American programs.  After all, the public opinion, especially the Native American opinion, is that we are already responsible for these different programs.  The small percentage of Boy Scouts who are unaware they are dressing inappropriately have defined a public perception that the Boy Scouts of America are 'playing Indian'.  In that public perception of the programs of the BSA we are all the same.

'Setting Them Up For Failure', or, 'Missed Opportunities'

General opinion

The Boy Scouts of America and the Order of the Arrow are not well thought of in many Native American circles.  One need only visit a couple of websites or have conversations with participants at powwows or other American Indian events to be aware of this fact.  A general defensive posture is taken by some Native Americans when discussing the Boy Scouts in general.  This has very little to do with the ideals or morals of the Boy Scouts at all.  It has more to do with the impression that individual Boy Scouts or BSA groups have given, by not being accurate or respectful, etc.  Names such as ‘wannabe’ and ‘hobbyist’ can take on derogatory meanings, and can even become derisive epithets, when uttered in these venues. It is to the point where internet memes have been created.

The issue these persons take with the Boy Scouts stems from the impression that Boy Scouts “dress up like Indians”.  Though the BSA and the OA have had ties with Native American cultures since their inception and have had good relations with many American Indian groups, many feel that because many Scouts are simply dressing up in costumes, they are not really reflecting the qualities or the cultures they are supposed to be representing.  This applies to the ceremonies used in the Cub Scouts, Boy Scout Summer Camp, the OA, and to teaching Native American dance styles or the Indian Lore Merit Badge.

The arguments from both sides go back and forth, sometimes heatedly, debating whether the BSA/OA are ‘engendering hatred’, ‘honoring the culture’, ‘preserving traditions’ – whether of the organization or a tribal culture - or ‘abusing cultures’, etc.  Some would blame the entire organization of enforcing stereotypes based on the actions of a few.  Others would defend their organization as helping preserve a dying culture.  But, the fact is this:  if a group does something, that group should do it right.  And if another group takes offense at the goings-on in BSA, then we are not ‘doing it right’.  A friend of mine, Pat Collins, once said: “We’re borrowing a culture.  We either borrow it correctly or we don’t borrow it at all.”

Scouting’s failings

We, in the Boy Scouts on a large scale do not ‘do it right’ when it comes to training about Native American cultures and issues.  Though there are various programs, such as NOAC (National Order of the Arrow Conference) and various lodge programs, as well as a few Scout or Venture Unit programs that focus on teaching as much as possible about the varied cultures, outfitting, and other aspects, this is not indicative of the entire program. 

Many, if not most, of the volunteer personnel in the Boy Scouts, even when involved in the OA program, still fall back on stereotypes when putting any outfits together or when portraying a particular person through ceremonials.  The stereotypical actions occur, whether the person knows it or not, simply because for many people that is the only exposure they have ever had to a different culture.  Their access to decent libraries or tribal cultural centers or events may be limited, and more.  

Scouting in general does not do enough to effectively promote the cultural awareness of the Native American community, though many of us are actively involved in both Scouting and the Native Community.  Many of the ideals and fundamentals that Scouting was founding on in North America come from traditions and teachings that go back hundreds of years, if not more, in the various American Indian cultures.  So, if part of what Scouting was founded on is based on Native teachings, should not Scouting teach Scouts about the Native Cultures for a better understanding of those ideals?  Take a look at my previous posts about authenticity to get a better idea of how the OAs founder felt on that subject  - 40 years ago.

Many people feel that question doesn’t need to be answered, though.  Many feel that is answered in the sheer number of boys and adults who visit or dance at powwows or in the fact that such programs as NOAC's AIA program exist at all.  There was and is a desire among Scouts and Scouters to learn what could be learned about the pre-Columbian cultures and their descendants, so a centralized program for better referencing was created. 

Think of programs like NOAC as a Library of data that everyone who is interested can utilize when they want.  The only problem is that information is centralized and not disseminated.  The Smithsonian is great for people who either live near or get the opportunity to visit Washington DC.  But, it isn’t as great for those who don’t get the opportunity to visit.

So, how do we disseminate that information?  We make it available to everyone through training and sharing.  And we offer an open opportunity to access that information whenever needed.  But, we in Scouting, and especially in the Order of the Arrow, are not doing that effectively enough.

  

Why We’ve Failed

The “Cub Scouting, Boy Scouting, and Venturing in American Indian Communities Guidelines” booklet states on page 25, “We have come a long way in portraying African Americans – we would never think of suggesting a blackface skit or a group of African Americans sitting around eating watermelon.  We should also avoid such things as Indian Halloween costumes and kids whooping it up with a couple of feathers in a headband.  No characterizations.  No stereotypes.”

I have been witness to several incidents which only emphasize this.  They are the kind of incidents that I personally have discussed, and sometimes preached, about for the last several years.  For emphasis, I will mention again that much of the Native Community does not like Boy Scouts participating in Native Culture in general.  Examples like these are good indication as to some reasons why that might be.

At a 2003 Section Conclave, a boy wore a warbonnet made of turkey feathers.  The warbonnet is reserved for persons of note, usually tribal elders or leaders who are given permission by the tribe, and is only rarely worn in the dance arena by those individuals.

At a 2004 Section Conclave, one dancer wore animal faces on his knees like knee-pads, along with a headdress comprised of a beaver skull, wolf-skin, feather-drops, and deer-antlers.

In 2005, a drum group from Wichita Falls went to a different lodge’s program to teach singing and to sing for the powwow that night.  The group of singers was never paid for their effort, but the Council they came from was paid, instead.  That, however, is inappropriate as the Council had nothing to do with arranging the singers for and was not related in any way to the event. 

Once again at a 2005 Section Conclave, the judges counseled at least three boys who danced in competition without any kind of footwear.  At that same event, another boy danced with a ‘crooked staff’.

At a Lodge Powwow, one of the dancers performed an acrobatic move during competition and fell.  Normally the back-flip wouldn’t have been an issue, had he been a Fancy Dancer.  However, as a Grass Dancer the move was completely improper.  In addition to this, the dancer won an award when he would have been disqualified at Section, Region, or National level or at any contest powwow in the Native community.

More recently, boys performing in a Crossover ceremony decided to go their own way with the outfitting.  Two of the youth decided they would wear headgear from a summer camp program in Missouri – headbands with feathers sticking up from behind the head, like female dancers wear at powwows today.  Yet another of the youth decided he would roll the sleeves of his ribbon shirt up to make it a short-sleeved shirt, which made the outfit look comical. 

Another year, Arrowmen ventured out to dance at a local college powwow.  They were wearing Grass Dance outfits, but the Arena Director asked them to leave the arena because they were not wearing any kind of footwear, even though I had addressed that issue with one of the boys before the dance began.  The major problem with this incident is that elders and other notable members of the community knew without a doubt that the boys were Boy Scouts and had negative comments regarding them.  And several of those elders came to me asking why they entered without shoes and held me accountable.

Individually, each of these incidents is isolated and incidental, and certainly not done by the same individuals.  Most people wouldn’t understand why any of these could be offensive.  And certainly not all of these boys were from the same Lodge, even.  But, one tribally-affiliated person who takes offense at one of these incidents is all it would take to cause our Districts, Lodges, BSA, or the Order of the Arrow more trouble than anyone wants.  When all these incidents are combined in the eyes of those same people, we are in effect allowing Boy Scouts to ‘pretend to be Indians’, which is viewed by Native Americans as the equivalent of an Anglo actor portraying someone of African descent by wearing black face paint - which is expressly forbidden in BSA Publications.  "...No characterizations.  No Stereotypes."

We can defend our position of maintaining traditions that are nearly 100 years old, certainly.  But, when those traditions are not being practiced properly or appropriately, or worse, in a way as to be offensive to a group of people, then we really are doing an injustice to our own program as well as the Native American community by enforcing stereotypes and worse.  And we’re putting our youth in an untenable position that will cause them embarrassment and undue discomfort.  One only need visit the chat forums on powwows.com to see how that turns out for a boy asking questions who espouses the "I'm helping save your culture" line of argument.  

What’s worse is we are asking our youth, who have little or no experience to train other youth.  So, we are forcing the youth of our Lodge to give classes on something they know very little about, which is like asking a High School student to give a Trigonometry class his Freshman year.  Though it is possible that once in a while someone out there will be able to flourish in this situation, it is not commonplace.  And again, this puts the youth in a position where they may cause themselves embarrassment.  This seems counter-productive to what adults in the OA are there for – to help the boys succeed.  How can we expect the boys to give instruction on a people or society or culture, when the only experience they have had is the limited training given them (read: 3 hours of instruction during the Lodge Powwow, 3 hours of training at a Section Conclave, 20 minutes of dance demos at 4 Ordeals a year, and possibly 4 hours at various additional training days).

The Native Community truly believes it takes a village to raise a child, which means that all instructors and advisors are responsible for the education and instruction of the youth.  Because of that, all Boy Scouts are held to a very high standard when it comes to involvement in the Native Community.  We, individually and as an organization, must be accountable when the youth we have not trained properly or given the appropriate opportunities to, make mistakes.  Even if the youth must be free to make those mistakes.

This is the fundamental reason we are failing.  Non-Indians do not understand the way American Indians think.  Our Western society doesn’t teach respect the way Indian cultures do.  Western cultures do not have the ‘long memories’ that Native American societies do, and we tend to decide things faster than most Native Societies are willing to.

Because of this, the way we have been teaching the boys is not appropriate – we’re giving them half-truths and not divulging complete information.  We expect them to fully grasp concepts that take sometimes years of exposure to begin to grasp.  We teach assuming that they already know, and that is obviously not the case.  I have been dancing for 35 years and I learn something new at every event or encounter, simply because there are so many cultures represented from all parts of North America.  And there is simply no way to know it all.  But, if we truly focused on what we teach and how to get the most out of it, I think we'd get something vastly improved out of our Scouts. 

And we must be allowed to give them more opportunities to explore this training.  At this point, in a given year we offer the Lodge Powwow, Winter Camp, and a few additional training days.  The Lodge Powwow is our best training opportunity, but it only offers about three hours of cultural education in the form of dance classes and a couple of hours of craft classes.  The Winter Camp training consists of a day of exposure to Native cultures and examples of living quarters.  The quarterly training days account for a potential of 4 hours of training, provided the information for these dates actually makes it to the Lodge Membership.  Other than this we offer 2 opportunities to dance yearly – one at the Lodge Powwow and one at Winter Camp – and approximately 4 dance demos of 20-30 minutes each after the Lodge Orientation at Ordeals.  The Section also offers the opportunity to dance once a year, but the training at the Section Conclave is limited to about 3 hours in the morning just like our Lodge Powwow. If we were fortunate to have a young person available and present at each opportunity, we’ve given them less than 24 hours of cultural exposure or training in a year.  Many corporations will not promote employees who do not take more than 24 hours of self-improvement courses in a year.

Beyond these limited opportunities, the Lodge assumes that all training in this venue must occur at the Chapter level.  The major issue with that thinking is the vast majority of experience in this venue is not spread evenly across the Lodge.  Because of that, the training in the chapters will be relegated to a limited few.  If we truly utilized the resources available to us, the Lodge program and the boys who are interested would be better served.  Otherwise we are setting them up for failure.

How we can fix this

We could approach the training much like Oak Leaf or SALT training does - a full-day or all weekend event that offers every aspect of what a person should or could expect under normal circumstances at a powwow.  We could even offer a course specifically on history and culture and how it relates to our ceremonies.  Teach from the bottom up, giving basics in the morning, from the different styles and etiquette and basic outfits.  Then teach more advanced classes in the afternoon, such as specific footwork and advanced outfitting, etc. But, this event would not have a dance in the evening as a culmination of the training.  It would simply be an educational event where a great deal of dialog can be had and questions can be answered fully.

We could even arrange an event which focuses only on one style of dance, for example, Grass Dance.  The event could cover history of the dance, etiquette in and out of the arena, outfitting, dance steps, different songs for Grass Dancers, etc.  Then we could have another event for another style, then another event for historical recreations for ceremonies, etc.  But each separate event would be specifically designed to teach everything to anyone who is interested in that particular aspect of the culture. 

Other Training opportunities for events such as this at Section and higher levels are taught by adults with experience in that field.  There are plenty of people in this area, Scouts, non-scouts, native and non-native who would be willing to help out for this. 

But, the point is we are not getting the necessary information to those who are interested and we assume that the ones who are interested will go out and discover everything on their own.  That doesn't work.  If they are interested and we have the means to teach them the right way, we should be doing it.  Otherwise all we do is a disservice to the boys and allow them to be embarrassed like this and embarrass our organization through a lack of information and education.

I have been saying this for at least a decade now, and though there was some improvement for a while, there has also been some backsliding.  I have often compared what is going on with our Lodge AIA training with High School.  Imagine if a teacher the first day of a Freshman year, said, "Here's the book, here's the test, here's your diploma, good luck!" and yet that child was supposed to go out in the world and be expected to know everything there was to know about that subject.  It wouldn't work.  The child would be resentful of the system, and would fail.  As an adult advisor in the OA, and as a Scout leader in general, our job is to help the youth succeed.  If we only give them half the information, we aren't helping them succeed, we are only setting them up for failure.

I want to make sure no one makes another etiquette mistake like the ones above, if there is anything I can do to prevent it.  Not for my own purposes, but because that is the way I was taught.

Paying it forward

I was taught at an early age, even though the terms didn’t come along until later, “pay it forward if you can’t pay it back.”  I’ve been trying to do this all my life.  It’s not always as easy as it sounds though.  Sometimes the road is rough, filled with obstacles to overcome.  But, for the most part is has been truly rewarding. 

Last night, at our Council’s annual Winter Camp, I helped put on a Native American style powwow.  This one was as much “edutainment” as it was a traditional powwow – we want the audience to come away from the event better informed and more aware of other cultures when they leave for the night.  For many years in the past I have danced in the Grand Entry at this event.  This year, however, I opted to be the MC and not dance.  This allowed me enough time to ensure the greatest number of dancers were dressed and ready to dance, as well.  And it afforded me one less stressor during the dance.

There are a lot of people who attend our Winter Camp, usually around 1500 people.  Despite the 7.5 inches of rain we received which immediately preceded the temperature dropping to the freezing point, people left their campsites to come be in the heated dining hall and learn what they could about these Native American traditions.  And to stay warm.  But, mostly to learn about Native traditions. 

We had a Grand Entry wherein the US flag and the state flag were escorted by a group of veterans who helped out.  We had many, but not all of the military branches represented.  And I really appreciated the willingness of all those folks who helped out, especially since they felt honored by being asked to help.  I just wish there was more I could have done for them or said to them to indicate how much I appreciated them escorting our flags in to the arena. 

But, the important part was that the boys I am helping teach were able to dance, get some more valuable time in their outfits, practicing the new skills they are learning, and fellowship with other like-minded individuals.  We had Southern Straight dancers, Northern Traditional dancers, Chicken dancers, and Grass dancers represented from the men, and from the beautiful ladies in attendance, we had both northern and southern cloth styles represented.  And all of them danced well and beautifully.  And we were able to exhibition each of those styles for the guests in attendance.

Then another man took the mic from me.

I gave him that time, since he is the adult in charge of the Winter Camp program in its entirety anyway.  I am also training him to take my role as the Dance Team Advisor – so I can focus on teaching dance while he handles the running of the program.  He doesn’t really need my instruction, actually.  He was a senior enlisted man in the Marines.  He has run his own business.  He’s been a Scoutmaster – anyone who has will tell you that is a feat in and of itself.  He is very organized.  When you want something done, he is one of the guys who can help you get it done.  Period. 

So, when he asked for a couple of minutes to say a few words during the dance, I didn’t think anything of it.  Then he asked me to step onto the arena floor from my perch on the dais at the microphone.  And he asked the Head Singer, another very good friend of mine, to step up as well.  And he had a couple of items in his hand.  He said some nice, encouraging words.  He told the audience he valued what the two of us had done for our lodge’s programs, by constantly being willing to help where needed, teach, and handle all the little details we handle on an ongoing basis – and there are many.

Then he presented each of us a Swagger Stick.  Many of you readers won’t know what that is.  But, in days of yore, leaders obtained or were issued these sticks like a badge of office.  In medieval ages, Marshals of armies were issued rods or batons of office denoting their rank or title.  Depending on the service the individual was in, this could take the form of a short cane or a riding crop.  In some services, it was more like a shillelagh. 

The ones he presented are made from an oak tree from his home.  He had them turned by another friend, a former lodge advisor.  It was then stained with 4 coats of stain, lacquered with 10 layers of protectant, and had several coats of wax over that to bring it to high-gloss shine.  He obtained a .50 caliber round for the butt end from another friend who sings with us at the drum.  For the head of the stick, he used an armor-piercing M-1 Garand round that he chambered in the rifle and ejected without firing.  He had yet another friend make bags to keep the swagger sticks in as well, to protect them.  He told the audience this was something he wanted to give to people he respected and appreciated highly.

And for a few minutes I was speechless.  I wasn’t a high-ranking Marine.  I didn’t serve overseas, I never saw combat, or any special duty like Recruiting.  I was ‘just a guy’ in an artillery unit, who was trained to be a forward observer.  I just did my job like so many others.  But, to be awarded a symbol of leadership, based solely on respect for the job I do in teaching and coaching young people, is, well, daunting to me.  I guess I’m not a boastful person, I try to be humble.  But, it is still nice to be recognized for what a person does.  And I couldn’t talk for a bit.

It took me a minute.  Or three.  My wife said I ‘did that thing with my mouth’ I apparently do, when trying to not be emotional.  Then it hit me.  These folks in the audience needed to know the reason behind the award.  So, I laid it out for them.

I told them about my grandfathers, blood-family and adopted, I told them they taught me to pay forward what I could not pay back.  And since they taught me so well, I can only hope to emulate them in what I am doing.  I let the audience know that we love what we do.  We love singing, dancing, seeing the light of accomplishment shining in the eyes of a young man who realizes he’s having a great time, despite the temperature, weather, or amount of work he’s actually doing.  To be issued a swagger stick in recognition of a job well done, while doing something I love to do, is just a bonus.  It’s the icing on the cake, the whipped cream on warm apple pie, the bow on the present Christmas morning.  It’s… well, it’s nice.

And I get to share my upbringing, my teachings, my stories with people who want to listen and learn.  And I am left speechless by the love of friends and family. 

In honor of how they feel about what I do, I will continue to pay forward the teachings I was given by my elders when I was a small person.  And hopefully, someday, my legacy will be the same as theirs.  Some grown man, who will have been a young man when I taught him, will continue to teach young people what he learned from me.  He will continue to educate himself and immerse himself in a culture that maybe he wasn’t born to, so that he will better understand how that culture and his interact and grow together.  And, unlike Robert Frost’s poem about two roads diverging, maybe this man will be able to walk two parallel roads, one red and one white, and be a bridge between people. 

And pay it forward.

For Better or Worse

Back in 2005, the comic strip, "For Better or Worse" detailed the life of a young teacher who moved to a fictional Ojibwa town to teach young Native kids.  This was a long series, and may be an off-and-on bit still.  But, this was interesting to note because of the critical acclaim these strips garnered.  

Not only did this artist continue the normal humor of the strip about life, family, etc., but also included historical relevance, current events, modern culture, language issues, tribal issues, and most especially Native humor.  One particular series has the teacher character visiting a local powwow.  Normally, most artists would miss the mark when trying to convey the significance of an event like this.  But, the artist captured not only a white-person's 'outsider' perspective, but also the Native perspective very well.

At the time I tried to capture all the strips relevant to this powwow, as I felt this would be important one day.  Maybe as a tool to teach.  Maybe as a reference subject.  But, I wanted to share them now, so others could enjoy them, and maybe learn from them.

These can also be found at: http://catalog.fborfw.com/indexkeywords2.php?s=31&q=mtigwaki


This seems to be a constant theme at many dances and places of worship...


Giveaways are important.  Not just because recognizing someone's importance to you with a gift is nice, but also as a token reminder of a time when the leadership of many tribes gave away many of their belongings to ensure the tribe was safe, healthy, and secure.


Crop circles are made by Grass Dancers!


This implies Eagle feathers fall on the ground often, which isn't the case.  But, when it does happen, the entire event comes to a complete stop while the need is attended to.


So. Very. Much. Cool. Stuff!


It is always important to introduce yourself before asking for a photograph with the dancer.  There are individuals who will not want their photo taken, but most will be happy to oblige. And questions about their outfits will be answered - the outfits are all personal and have a story.


Note: sometimes 'the call' is a little difficult to answer when wearing these outfits!


This doesn't happen at all dances.   But, if invited to participate, please do!  


My mother often says something she heard from her parents, and I say it often myself: "You learn something new every day".

Suggestions on Authenticity

Suggestions on Authenticity

 “Dr. E. Urner Goodman, founder of the OA, reports that along these lines we should remember the respect and importance accorded to the American Indian culture by our founders.  They believed that the Indians showed us a way of life that represented the highest ideals of the Boy Scouts America.  In turn, we should concern ourselves with continuing and heightening this interest and respect.

One of the most enjoyable elements of the OA program is Indian lore.  The phrase “Indian lore”, however, has come to represent a rather narrow approach taken too many times toward Indian culture by Scout groups.  We in the OA have also been guilty of this.  We should look toward the Indians as a civilization made of many varied cultures and representing the way of life we hope to emulate.

For instance, the dance team chief seeks a new type of dance and means of costuming from a particular tribe to widen the lodge team’s repertory.  In doing so, he must make every effort to conduct a full investigation of the tribe, the dance, the costuming and its significance, etc.  He should seek to discover if the particular dance is an acceptable performance for non-Indians to use.  He should also be extremely careful to seek authenticity before conducting it.  Above all, he should use the process of research and information to acquaint his lodge members interested in learning what the Indians, as a people, were trying to say.

The Order of the Arrow serves many purposes.  Highest among these is developing character and understanding.  We have a great opportunity to do this through study of Indian people and cultures.  In this sense, by learning to better understand each Indian tribe, we can ultimately learn to better understand ourselves.”

- Order of the Arrow National Bulletin, First Issue 1973

“The American Indian has been many things to many people.  To us, the Order of the Arrow, he is the symbol of nobility and freedom.  This was true before the westward advance of the white Europeans. After this, however, he was all but exterminated from the continent and crowded onto government reservations.

Because the Order of the Arrow has borrowed the culture and crafts from the American Indian, we – as an Order – must maintain the highest standards of authenticity.”

-  Dr. E. Urner Goodman, Order of the Arrow National Bulletin, Third Issue 1974

I have heard many arguments in the past as to the ‘why’ of Boy Scouting’s use of Native American culture and imagery.  I don’t want to debate that at the moment.  But, suffice it to say, at the turn of the 20^th century, there were many organizations being created to help children get outside, back to nature.  And the imagery of the Native American in his finery while in the outdoors held a somewhat-romantic appeal (there is a great book by Philip J. Deloria titled Playing Indian, that details much of that time period and the various organizations and their choices for using Native American-style imagery and outfits).  The appeal of the outdoors is what scouting is all about – a young man I knew once said, “4/5^ths of Scouting is ‘outing’”.  But, the Order of the Arrow, founded shortly after the BSA, began from its earliest roots on the stories of the Lenni Lenape.  So it pulled imagery from that history – some of which was idealized and immortalized by James Fenimore Cooper.  This helped encourage young people to get outdoors again and helped them focus on specific skills – campcraft, tracking, and so much more - by using the image of the Native American as the exemplar. 

Political opinions aside, the problem we face as Scouts and Scouters is authenticity.  For the OA’s ceremonies, which are more like plays or reenactments than Native American Ceremonies (notice the capitalization), the National Order of the Arrow Committee suggests that each Lodge emulate a local tribe and a time period for the outfits they use in the various ceremonies of the Lodge. 

This presents some difficulty, obviously.  Comanche outfits are entirely different than Haida, Seminole, Huron, Ojibwe, or Hopi, just to name a few.  And vice versa.  So, a Lodge in Wyoming could emulate a few different tribes like Cheyenne, many of the Lakota tribes or bands, Shoshoni, Crow, or others.  And they would have easier access to persons from those tribes for reference material, etc., than say someone from South Carolina or New York.  But, this is not a requirement.  Because of the lack of requirement, and the inability to find local resources, often lodges resort to what many people call a ‘Pan-Indian’ or ‘Hollywood’ style of outfit.   

And this is where the trouble really begins.  In the above photo, there is nothing truly offensive about the outfits.  But, there is nothing that identifies the outfits with any particular tribe, either.  It’s really more a vague impression of ‘Indian-ness’.  And the fact that each person is wearing a nearly identical version of the other outfits is out of character for an individual.  This pan–Indian look is more common in representing Native American style dress than you can imagine, actually.  In fact, it is prevalent among Scouts and Scouters, unfortunately – my Lodge included.  But, the above photo looks nothing like this one of a Sioux Delegation from 1870:

A lack of specifications begets a lack of research.  Lack of research begets lack of knowledge or understanding.  Lack of knowledge begets indifference.  And Indifference begets insensitivity.  And then we offend people.  Not all Boy Scouts are guilty of this insensitivity or of offending someone.  I know most would be offended at themselves for offending someone else.  But, the case often is a matter of “they didn’t know what they didn’t know”.  But, through lack of education or knowledge, some have made mistakes, and some have unfortunately caused heinous errors of judgement.

Now, I am not going to speak to the random Cub Scout Leader who finds an idea on the internet and runs with it, but tries to do something memorable and misses the mark on accuracy.  I’m not going to speak to the various individual Troop or Crew programs out there which teach a tradition nearly 50 years old, either.  Nor am I going to speak to the Summer Camp programs with their own ‘tribe’ who may have a great program for getting kids to staff Summer Camp, but miss the mark on what is ‘Native American’.  What I am going to speak to is how the Order of the Arrow can improve its accuracy across the board.  The OA may not be able to affect a change on the local Council or Unit level, but they can be an example of how to do things the correct way, at the very least.  And they can certainly be a resource for those local units who may have questions from time to time.

Please understand, although there can be some crossover of usage of individual pieces between dance outfits and ceremonies outfits, Dance Outfits are not appropriate for ceremonies for several reasons.  First, bells make noise, and therefore cause distraction during what is intended to be a solemn occasion.  Second, bustles block line of sight to important figures.  Third, modern dance outfits are not historically accurate to a specific time period, except the here and now.  Finally, modern dance outfits are very often not specific to one tribe. 

Authenticity requires research and validation.  Research, by itself is good.  But, you might find that a Yupik warrior once wore an otter skin turban in a photo.  But without validation, you would have no idea why that Yupik person would be wearing that headdress.  But, when you research more than photos, you might find that the photographer wanted the Yupik man to ‘look more Indian’ and put the southern plains style headgear on the Alaskan Native’s head just for the phone.  You might even find that this same headdress appears in photos with Shoshoni, Pawnee, Seminole, and other individuals. 

Validation requires further research, too.  So, let’s say I am going to choose the Comanche tribe from the 1890s for my Lodge’s ceremonies team.  I will very likely find a number of photos of Quanah Parker.  You may even find a great quantity of other Comanche individuals from that time period.  But, in almost all of those old photos, the outfits the men are wearing look like dark-colored longhandle underwear, for lack of a better term. 

Just because the photo seems to indicate we could dress up some boys in some dark blue longjohns, doesn’t mean we are ready yet.  If we research further, with terms like “Comanche leggings”, for example, we will likely find photos of leather leggings that have a green or yellow dye on them – specifically light colors.  Further investigation might reveal that the photography technology at the time could not always distinguish colors well, and made most colors appear dark or washed-out.  In fact, there are scientists and curators who have spent lifetimes proving that the dark grey next to the other dark grey in the beadwork worn by ‘notable person A’ in this ‘photo dated G’ is in fact yellow next to pink, or something similar.

This is but one example of why research and validation are paramount in creating authentic outfits.  There are literally hundreds of books on Native American outfits, culture, and historical photos.  There are hundreds, if not thousands, of public libraries, college libraries, or online resources that could be utilized.  Most of those online resources have people willing to discuss meanings and techniques behind the photos and stories you can find.  Which is a far cry better than when I was a boy trying to find any data whatsoever.  I was lucky if a library had a book 50 years out of print that had speculation at best as to why ‘tribe x wore item y’. 

http://www.bia.gov/cs/groups/webteam/documents/document/idc1-029026.pdf contains a list of the 560+ Federally recognized Tribes in the United States.  This does not include State Recognized tribes, nor does it include tribes recognized in Canada, Mexico, or other South American countries.  But, each of these tribes has their own histories, stories, traditions, culture, languages, etc.  Each of them will approach everything from a different aspect.  It behooves us, as Scouts, to live by the Scout Law and be Friendly, Courteous, and Reverent when approaching outfits for use in our events.  And to do so, we must evaluate our goals, we must re-evaluate our outfits, and we must absolutely ask ourselves questions like, ‘why is this found in that photo’, ‘would there be a reason for that tribe to have worn that item’, ‘is it possible this item wasn’t traditional to that tribe, but maybe a war-trophy’, ‘could that color be different than what I assume it is because of the black and white nature of the photo’, and ‘is there another source with a color photo of that item I could find’, among others.

Our Order’s founder more than stipulated that authenticity in our outfits is important, he outright said we should conduct a full investigation.  He said we should learn more about the Native American tribes we wish to emulate and this would help us better understand ourselves.  How about researching the history of a tribe from your local area to discover the town you have grown up in is named after one particular Native individual or group who had a major impact on the local area.  Then you might discover why that person, or persons, was significant.  This might lead you to learn more about how he or they might have dressed, and therefore drive deeper understanding of how your locale came to be.  Then you might more accurately be able to portray those tribal traditions in your outfits. 

But, it starts with you.  You must be willing to put some time into the research.  Ask questions of librarians.  Ask questions of local historians.  Visit a local college and discover what you can.  Visit museums and take notes.  Travel to a local modern powwow to see how the folks in your area participate in their culture today.  Introduce yourself to folks there and ask if they would be willing to offer any insight on their tribe’s history.  You will be surprised what you might find out.  And you may make a friend.

Historical Information

Prior to my birth, my father was a Boy Scout Leader.  He had been a Boy Scout growing up, in the various towns and cities he grew up in.  He was the son of a military man, and as such, moved from city to city, duty station to duty station.  So, the one constant for my father was Scouting.  

My grandfather was born and raised in Southern Alabama.  He joined one of the first Scout Troops in Alabama in the 1920s, which his father - my great-grandfather - started.  He earned his Eagle award around the time he joined the Service for duty in World War II, where he served in the Pacific as a Pharmacist's mate and Corpsman to Marines in places like Iwo Jima.

When my grandfather returned from the War, injured, he met my grandmother.  My grandmother later discovered she was going to be the Troop Mom for a brand new Scout Troop that would later host my father and uncle.

In the mid-1960s, the family moved to what would become my hometown many years later.  Here, both my father and uncle would be active in Scouting.  It is here that my grandfather met two other gentlemen, one a Kiowa who had been an Army Medic in Europe during WWII, and his best friend, a Comanche gentleman.  Both of these men were active in Boy Scouts as well - teaching young men about Native culture, music, dance, and philosophy. 

This is the setting to which I was born.  

My father, upon returning from the Navy, felt compelled to give back to Scouting.  He became an Assistant Scout Master for a troop.  And the race was on!  I was then only a toddler.  But, my grandfather had moved to East Texas and became Scoutmaster of a troop there as well.  So, now there are three generations of Scoutmaster in my family before me, and me barely able to walk.  

Flash forward a few years, while I am a young boy.  I have become involved in Cub Scouts, my father was the Cub Scout Leader, and my mother was a Den Leader.  I was involved in all kinds of activities - baseball, bicycling, magic shows, animal care, and so much more. 

And then this gentleman my father seemed to know pretty well, showed up at our Blue & Gold Banquet - an annual event where the Cub Scouts celebrated their accomplishments for the year.  This man laid out furs, bells, beads, and numerous items on several tables for display.  He then commenced to telling some of the strangest stories I had ever heard of: 'How Coyote's tail became long', 'why moccasins have two tabs on the heel', 'why we wear bells when we dance', and more.  

He had this one stuffed fox that he seemed convinced - or at least was trying to convince us - was alive.  And it moved like it was alive - it even jumped at us from the crook of his arm! - but as soon as he finished his story it went back to its stationary 'life'!  This guy was a master story-teller. He had us all captured with his tales.  And my father knew him from way-back.  Which I thought was totally the coolest ever.  In a day where Star Wars was the game kids played on the playground, I wanted to be like this Kiowa man - telling stories, dancing, and singing.  Oh, I played with the Star Wars toys too, and I became Luke Skywalker on the playground as well.  But, this Kiowa story-teller had captured a different part of my imagination.

Now, my grandfather, as a younger man, had danced with Native Americans, and had learned quite a bit from them.  His knowledge allowed him to dance in Snake Dances - wherein he held a Coral Snake in each hand, and even one in his mouth while dancing.  I've seen it with my own eyes, and I can tell you, even being near one of these deadly snakes is frightening, let alone holding one in an ungloved hand or in one's mouth!  But, there he was dancing to the beat of the drum to a song I found incomprehensible at the time with three of these snakes on or about his person.  

And he also knew this Kiowa story-teller, George. In fact, they were old friends - brothers, even - since they returned from the War and became fast friends.  They had similar stories - both medical personnel for soldiers, both Scoutmasters, both dancers.  By the time I was 10, my grandfather and the Kiowa story-teller, a descendant of the Kiowa Chief, Satank, had become so close, people called both of them my grandfather interchangeably, which in 'the Indian way' they were.  

When I was 10, George put me in my first dance outfit, gave me some instruction, and sent me onto the dance floor.  To be fair, it was a demonstration for other Cub Scouts, not a full Native Powwow.  But, it was the first step into the arena.  By the time I was in High School, I had incorporated outfit pieces from my grandfather, the outfit George gave me, and some I made into my own outfit, and was dancing at monthly powwows in my town and across North Texas.

By today's standards, I might be a bit embarassed of that original outfit.  But, it was mine, pieces given me by people I loved and respected, and other pieces I made myself.

In the early 1980s a couple of things happened: a) I was introduced to a Comanche gentleman who helped guide me in better outfit construction techniques and styles, b) another Comanche family took a liking to my family for an as-yet-unexplained reason, and c) George passed away.  

Bob, the Comanche gent, also helped a lot of other Scouts - he had his own craft store he ran out of his house - Tipi American.  So, he had access to craft materials that we could not gather anywhere else.  He also had resources I had been unaware existed prior to meeting him - other dancers, other Native people who could give advice, books the local library didn't have, and so much more.  Between his house and George's I had spent countless hours learning, crafting, and absorbing like a sponge anything I could from them.

After George passed, I still saw Bob quite often, especially when he came out to Scouting events, as a member of the Order of the Arrow.  I helped promote his store and teach what I knew and he kept teaching me what he knew.  At that point, he wasn't dancing much, but he was still going to local dances and selling craft items.

Then, at a local powwow in a National Guard Armory, my mother began talking with a Comanche lady.  It turned out they worked in the same office, and didn't realize we had been attending many of the same events together.  The two have been good friends since.  Fern's husband at the time was a Head Singer, so she often sat with the drum.  But, she would come over to give hugs and say hello.  It was this love that kept me in the circle after George passed.  Even though Bob helped teach me, Aunt Fern really inspired me to keep dancing.  In fact, her son, and my younger brother often goofed off during dances while I danced and the families watched or participated.

Then I graduated High School, and left Scouting behind - I was an adult in Scouting's rules, but not yet ready to be an Adult Leader like three generations before me.  I joined the Marines instead.  And didn't look back at Scouts for many years to come.

However, I continue dancing.  At least until 1997, when my oldest daughter was born.  I didn't really think about it at the time, but I left the circle then.  She has a heart condition that is life-threatening.  You can't tell just by looking at her, but she only has half a heart - not an exaggeration.  Because of this condition, focus was put on her, and all extraneous things became less important.  I had left the circle.

In 2001, my heart-baby was now 4 and we had a newborn with no health concerns.  But, I hadn't thought about dancing in four years.  Then one day, quite out of the blue, my mother asked me if I was planning on going to a local powwow.  And I began to make excuses.  First, I didn't want to.  Then, my outfit was shoddy.  Then, I said I couldn't remember the music.  

One excuse after another until I realized what I was doing.  So, I gathered my outfit, and took my family to the dance.  My wife had no idea what she was in for.  She's Irish, Scottish, Austrian, and a whole lot of Cajun added in for spice.  She was so nervous, and truthfully, so was I.  But, my parents insisted we go.  So we did.  And we had a great time.

Much of that outfit was my pieces of my original outfit.  It was, as we say, still growing.  But, I was an adult, now, and outfit styles were changing.  Those fads left my outfit in the dust.  So, it was time to modernize.

But, that dance made me realize I was missing something else.  It took me a couple of weeks to realize what it was - Scouting.  Apparently, I was ready to take on the mantle of Scout Leader, like three generations before me had done.  So, I did some web-searching.  Websites weren't great in that day, but I found one for my old chapter of my old lodge in the Order of the Arrow and reached out.  Not only did they like the fact that I wanted to come back, but they put me to work immediately.  I contacted my grandparents, and let them know - and let me tell you, my grandfather was so happy.  He asked me to come out to his place, and of course, bring the babies, where he handed me a couple of boxes of his old Scout stuff - patches, sashes, photos, neckerchiefs, craft items he'd made over the years - and a few more dance outfit pieces.

I was immediately put to use in the Chapter as the Dance Team Advisor, and the next year I was promoted to the Lodge Dance Team Advisor.  Teaching boys Native American dance and singing, educating on authenticity and craft skills.  And all the while making dance outfits for my kids, for the boys in the OA, and others.  

But, in the intervening years, Bob, that old Comanche man - one of my two 'adopted grandfathers'  - had passed away.  The Lodge made an award in his name - which is exceedingly cool.  And a couple years after I returned to Scouting, my blood-Grandfather also passed away.  I took his ashes to Camp Pioneer in Arkansas to spread there.  While I was there, the Old Timers took me to this museum they had established.  In the museum, they had some items on display they wanted me to have - all of which belonged to my grandfather.  Several of the items I did not recognize at all - had never seen them in his hands for that matter.  But, one item stood out like a beacon to me.  He had worn it when he danced with those Coral snakes so many years before, and they would not let me leave without it.  I was the only person who had any knowledge for which this fingerwoven sash was intended.

I told my 'Aunt Fern' about this a time later.  She said she was happy that my grandfather was able to leave me something so significant.  Then she invited me to a Wardance in Oklahoma.  I explained to her that I didn't have clothes for a wardance, and she just smiled.  I had been taught that when an elder invites you, you do everything in your power to go - no matter what.  So, I set about making Southern Traditional clothes based around this fingerwoven sash my grandfather had once worn.  And went to the dance.  And the rest, as they say, is history.  

I've met some interesting folks since then - all of whom have given me good advice, some have become mentors, and others friends.  I'm proud of what I have done and continue to do.  And I so very much love teaching what I know - carrying on a tradition given to me by three preceding generations of Scout Leaders in my family, and by two specific Native American men, who became grandfathers to me in their own way.  All of my daughters dance, my parents, and my wife as well.  And, they love it as much as I do, respecting all the traditions we have been taught by friends and family.  

I spend a lot of time singing and dancing, teaching young men like I was taught, and passing on some of those 'why' stories I learned as a young man.  I'm not near as good a story-teller as George.  But, I try.  And I remember.