Fellow Members,
Appreciation of American Indian culture has been a part of the Order of the Arrow for most of its history. The National Order of the Arrow Committee created a task force in 2021 to review policies and programs that incorporate American Indian traditions and iconography, and to recommend how to best continue the appreciation of American Indian culture in OA programs.
This task force conducted a detailed program review which included surveys, discussions with Scouting America, focus groups, and input from groups outside the Order of the Arrow. On Dec. 28, 2022, the national OA committee accepted the task force’s recommendation:
Any program involving American Indian traditions—such as dancing, costuming, drumming, crafts, and pow-wows—must be done in conjunction with a state or federally recognized tribe.
Beginning on Jan. 1, 2026, only lodges that have a formal relationship established with a state or federally recognized tribe in their area may engage in American Indian programming.
The task force concluded that the determination of how to best and appropriately incorporate American Indian culture belongs to a local tribe, not the Order of the Arrow. The intent of the national OA committee in requiring this local partnership is to allow lodges to continue their long traditions of American Indian appreciation while assuring that the local tribe is involved in a collaborative manner.
By formalizing relationships with tribes, the national OA committee believes that the quality of programming will increase and the educational opportunities for Arrowmen to learn about American Indian history and traditions in their area will expand. This will provide new program opportunities that support the Order of the Arrow’s mission: “to achieve the mission of Scouting America through transformative fellowship that ignites limitless Scouting journeys.”
The local nature of tribal governance has led the national OA committee to determine that it is not appropriate to conduct American Indian programming beyond the lodge level. Competitions, training, and other American Indian programs at the section and national level will conclude in 2025; the issuance of American Indian Vigil Honor names will conclude in 2024.
The national OA committee will release resources for establishing tribal relationships (which several lodges have done already) and FAQs regarding specific policy questions and will host webinars to offer additional guidance. We encourage you to work closely with your council Scout executive to help establish and nurture these tribal relationships.
Lodge leadership will receive additional guidance on establishing tribal relationships by December 2024, and both webinars and educational materials will be released throughout 2025. Policy documents, ceremony scripts, and other materials will be updated over this same time period.
Our new mission challenges us to keep the OA relevant and impactful for all young people in Scouting America. As we work towards our vision of being why Scouts want to stay in Scouting, we will continue to evolve our program—while our values remain steadfast.
Please send questions, feedback, or requested areas of clarification to aia@oa-bsa.org. Responses will be addressed in FAQs or other future communications.
WWW,
Chris Grove
National OA Chair
Ed Lynes
Vice Chair, Mission & Reputation