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Otena History
OriginsHow it all got startedThe seed for the organization of the Otena Lodge was sowed some seventeen years before the lodge was chartered. This seed was the result of a Scout Troop going to another council's summer camp for a week of fun and adventure in 1928. Little did they know that this campout would eventually affect hundreds of Scouts in the next 67 years.Table of Contents Tribe of the Black ArrowThe seed for the organization of the Otena Lodge , Order of the Arrow, was sown some seventeen years before the lodge was chartered. This seed was the result of a Scout Troop 2 going to another council's summer camp for a week of fun and adventure in 1928. This troop spent much of their free time working with Chief Red Eagle on Indian lore. Little did they know that this camp would eventually affect hundreds of Scouts in the next 71 years. The Tribe of the Black Arrow was the very first Indian organization in the council. Gaitha Browning, along with C. L. Pouncey, were the the organizers of the group. In a letter dated February 18, 1973, Browning said that “This group did much to hold Scouting together in this area, going to many places to perform. It also produced several outstanding Indian Lore experts who got jobs with summer camps form Wisconsin to Florida, Georgia, Texas and over the South, 12:14 PM 12/17/99 thus spreading the once thin line of dancers to other places.” The idea for the Black Arrow organization came from the many hours Scouts spent at summer camp with Jim Red Eagle and his wife Inez. Browning said “He was a fine craftsman and we learned that from him. His programs by the campfire were wonderful indeed to a boy, and he held them spellbound each night with dances and really fine legends. It was the magic spell we needed before a nights sleep.”
It was from this group of Scouts who enjoyed Indian lore with Jim Red
Eagle that the Tribe of the Black Arrow was organized. It started out in
Troop 2 of Brownwood of which C. L. Pouncey was Scoutmaster and Gaitha
Browning and Stuart Painter were Scouts. After they returned from
summer camp at Camp Fawcett, they began to build Indian costumes and put
on ceremonies.
When C. L. Pouncey became the Acting Scout Executive of the Pecan Valley Council, the following month, he took that same group of boys from his troop, all friends of his sons, and organized what he called the “Council of Black Arrow” to promote Indian Lore and stimulate interest in Scouting around the council. The group was first used in September 26, 1930, when they had a special council campout at Paint Rock. A few days later he took some of the group to Lampasas to put on an Indian ceremony to stimulate the troop there. They later became known as the “Black Arrow Society.” Like many groups of its time, they became a very popular organization and had over 100 Scouts participating in the group. They created three “ranks” in the Tribe - Hunter, Brave and Warrior. To be a member of the Tribe one had to make leggings, breech clout, brow band and moccasins. One coup feather was presented to the new member by the Chief. In addition, they had to know all of the Second Class Indian Sign language, know toe-heel and single snake dance steps and make a fire by flint and steel. The Society was used over the next several years to put on Indian Ceremonies
in various towns and at special activities. Some of them taught Indian
lore at Scout camp. They continued to be active until they again
talked Pouncey into organizing the Kunieh Tribe.
Kunieh SocietyWhat was the Kunieh Tribe?In 1922, Arthur E. Roberts, Scout Executive and Camp Director of Camp Friedlander of the Cincinnati Area Council, founded the Tribe of Ku-Ni-Eh. It was founded as a Brotherhood of Honor Campers who exemplified the Scout Oath and Law. The Ku-Ni-Eh Tribe became almost as popular as the Order of the Arrow and was used by many other Councils because they felt that the OA wanted too large of a fee to join. Kunieh Tribe Organized in 1935
"The Kunieh Tribe (Lodge) was started at the original camp (Camp
Billy Gibbons) in 1935. Gaitha Browning had been a member in the Waco Camp,
came back and discussed this with Mr. C.L. Pouncy, who was then Scout Executive
(and his former Scoutmaster). Mr. Pouncy got the necessary materials from
the National Office and the first meetings were held in the first Billy
Gibbons Camp at the mouth of Brady Creek in the summer of 1935. The organization
continued to be well organized up until the time the National Scout Office
replaced this with the Order of the Arrow in 1945.
Otena LodgeOtena Lodge chartered in 1945The Otena Lodge was born out of the Kunieh Tribe and was chartered on May 24, 1945. Application for a charter was made by the Comanche Trail Council on May 1, 1945, by the Council Executive board. E.J. Miller was President of the Council, Henry Wilson, Chairman of the Camping Committee and Guy N. Quirl was Scout Executive. The first Lodge Chief was Connie Mack Hood of Breckenridge, now living in Midland. The first members of the lodge, of course, were all the current members of the Kunieh Tribe. The Lodge was given the number 279 as it was the 279th Lodge to be chartered by the Order of the Arrow. The members soon named their new Lodge "Otena Lodge".Table of Contents Meaning of Lodge name and TotemThe name "Otena" is translated as "place of the adobe", "place of the teepee", or "lodging". Thus, the totem of the Lodge was a tepee and was used for many years on their patches and neckerchiefs. The Indian headdress has replaced the tepee as the totem of the Lodge.Table of Contents First candidates called outIn 1946 the Lodge held its first campfire to call out new candidates. Some 48 new members were inducted at the old Camp Billy Gibbons. The new Lodge played a major role in moving the camp equipment to the new Camp Billy Gibbons later that year as its first service project. By the end of their first full year as a lodge they had 132 members registered having inducted 48 new members during the year. That same year the first two Brotherhood members were inducted in ceremonies at another lodge.Table of Contents 1953 was another big yearBy 1953 there were 94 youth and 25 adults as registered members of the Lodge with a yearly budget of $127.00. The first edition of "Onward and Upward" was printed and for the first time Otena sent delegates to the National Order of the Arrow Conference. The first Spring Conference of the Lodge was held at Camp Billy Gibbons on March 10-12, 1954 while Dabney Kennedy served as Lodge Chief. Under the leadership fo Lodge Chief Bryan Healer, the Lodge was divided into two chapters in 1956. He picked up the idea during the Lodge's participation in the 9-D Area Meeting held at Camp Karankawa in August of 1956. At the same time a call went out to the Lodge by the Lodge Chief for members to design its first flap patch. The rules stated that "The patch must contain the information of the Lodge, such as: Otena Lodge #295, Comanche Trail Council." A prize was to be given for the best design at the Christmas Banquet.Table of Contents OA Lodge built at Camp Billy Gibbons
CeremoniesCalling out CeremoniesMrs. J.C. Gibson fo Richland Springs wrote a story about the calling out ceremony held by the Lodge at Camp Billy Gibbons. Her son, John Gibson, of Richland Springs Troop 36, was inducted into the Order of the Arrow in the summer of 1976. He received his Brotherhood in in 1978 and served on the summer camp staff. Here is her story. "The moon is almost full and sheds its soft light. As you cross Plum
Hollow you are told to remain silent - cross your arms Indian fashion.
As you near the Council Ring of the Otena Lodge you hear the chant of young
Scout Braves.
Editor's note: Mrs. Gibson pretty well describes what the calling out
ceremony has been for many years at Camp Billy Gibbons. Only a few changes
have been made over the years. The Scouts no longer remove their shirts
before having a wreath placed around them and they are treated more gently
as they are led around the council ring to the bluff, all brought about
by changes in time. But as she said, "Many are called, but few are chosen."
In the fifty-three year history of the lodge over 1,500 Scouts and Scouters
in the Comanche Trail Council have been called to membership in the OA.
First Brotherhood membersThe first Brotherhood members were welcomed into the Lodge in 1950. Their ceremony was held in another lodge as there was no one in the lodge who could do the honors. Only one member was known to be in the lodge in 1951. We do not know who these persons were. The following year thirteen Otena members were inducted into the Brotherhood Honor. The induction was held during and Area meeting at Camp Tom Wooten located just outside Austin, Texas on Bull Creek. A special calling out ceremony was used in 1953 to call out the Brotherhood candidates at camp.Table of Contents Twenty-fifth AnniversaryLodge celebrates its 25th AnniversaryThe Lodge celebrated its 25th Anniversary during 1970. A special weekend campout was held by the Lodge on the weekend of May 23-24 at Camp Billy Gibbons to celebrate that anniversary. Everyone brought their own food and camping equipment to the event. They had a water carnival and Pow-Wow on Saturday and a sunrise "Inspirational Service" early Sunday morning. The weekend ran from noon Saturday until 10 AM on Sunday.Table of Contents 25th Annual BanquetThe 25th Anniversary banquet of the Lodge was held in Richardson Hall of Howard Payne College, December 8, 1970, under the leadership of Ernie Mayer, Lodge Chief. B. Edward Luckett, Sr. of Fort Worth, and a member of the National Committee of the Order of the Arrow was present. The new officers and the new Vigil Honors members were recognized. The highlight of the evening was the presentation of a history of the Order and Otena Lodge that had been gathered by Ernie Meyer.Table of Contents Lodge FirstsLodge NewsletterThe first copy of the Lodge newsletter Volume 1, Number 1, "Onward and Upward" was published on February 1, 1955. It was a one page newsletter printed on a mimeograph machine on tan legal size paper. The first newsletter gave a report on the 1954 Christmas Banquet and Winter camp. There were one hundred Arrowmen and their guests present at the December 28th banquet. It was held at the Brownwood Hotel Roof Garden and they had to "battle the snow storm on their way home after bringing to a close the most sucessful Third Annual Banquet of the Order of the Arrow.Table of Contents Chief's headdress builtThe Vigil Committee built an Indian headdress in 1970 as part of the 25th Anniversary celebration for the lodge chief. It was made of imitation eagle feathers, seed beads and bear fur. The members took 250 volunteer service hours to build this special headdress. When finished a picture of it was published in the April 27, 1970 Brownwood Bulletin showing Jimmy Erwin holding up the headdress. The Lodge Chief's headdress was refurbished in 1991 by Jeff Lee and Mike Barkley. The headdress, with new feathers, was first worn by Perry A. Wakefield, Jr.Table of Contents First women inducted into the LodgeReve Ponder, Assistant Scoutmaster of Troop 1, Brownwood who had spent many weekends with her dad at camp years before, and Betty Hart, an Assistant Scoutmaster of Troop 103, Eastland, were the first women inducted into the Otena Lodge. This was accomplished at the summer induction in 1991 during Perry A. "Butch" Wakefield, Jr.'s term as Lodge Chief. In the summer of 1993, Cathy Maples, Assistant Scoutmaster of Troop 99 of Lampasas was inducted into the Ordeal, thus becoming the third female to be in the Lodge.Table of Contents Patches/NeckerchiefsPatches of the LodgeThe first patch of the Lodge was created in 1952 and was designed to be worn on the right pocket of the uniform as a temporary patch. Dabney Kennedy, Lodge Secretary, designed the patch with a red border. In the center was a tepee with an arrow going up at an angle from left to right. The words "Comanche trail Council, B.S.A., WWW" were printed across the top of the circle. In the center of the tepee was "Otena Lodge 295." This first patch had the "Arrow" pointed from left to right on the patch because that was the symbol of the "Ordeal." A person wore a the sash with the Arrow pointing over his "Brotherhood Honor" he switched his sash to his right shoulder to symbolize that honor.Table of Contents First Pocket FlapDuring 1956 the first Lodge patch for wear on the right pocket flap of the Scout uniform was designed and sold to members in the Lodge for thirty-five cents each. The patch was designed by Dabney Kennedy after seeing them at an Area meeting. This first pocket flap had a white background with a black border. Across the top of the patch was a gold arrow pointed to the right with the word "Otena" inscribed on top of the arrow. Below this was a tepee with "295" in the center. A "W" was located on each side of the tepee with one inside the tepee just above the "295." Feathers hung below the flap. The present Ordeal Patch was designed around 1968 and had seven colors. It had a black border and a blue background with twenty feathers hanging from the bottom of the flap. One could buy the patch for $1.00. The tepee was kept on the design from the old patch but moved to the left side of the patch. A new Indian Head, which would later replace the tepee as the Lodge totem, was placed on the right side of the patch for the first time.Table of Contents Brotherhood/Vigil patch issuedAn announcement was made in the July 30, 1969 issue of the Lodge Newsletter that the Lodge now had a special flap for Brotherhood and Vigil members. The patch was fully embroidered in ten colors and had two red Brotherhood bars on the left side of the patch and a red Vigil triangle on the right side of the patch. A Region 9 shield was in the middle with its five feathers dropping below the bottom of the flap. The Indian head was superimposed over the shield. This patch was only available at lodge functions at Camp Billy Gibbons.Table of Contents Feathers dropped from patchesIn the late seventies National came out with a rule that nothing could extend out from the pocket flap, such as feathers, and that the Scout emblem or "BSA" had to be somewhere on the patch. So the Ordeal patch was redesigned to fit the new rule. The feathers were dropped from the flap and "BSA" was added to the patch design in the left corner. To balance the design out the Lodge number "295" was moved from the center to the right corner.Table of Contents O-Ten-AIn 1978 Jimmy Erwin designed a new patch with "O-Ten-A" across the top. The other Lodge patch was getting too expensive to buy and the Lodge wanted a less expensive patch so that more Arrowmen could buy and trade the patch. They found out, however, that no one would trade for the new patch; they had to give them away. So some of the members bought them all up and took them to a Conclave to get rid of them so that the Lodge could have yet another new patch.Table of Contents First Vigil patch issuedAbout this same time Jimmy Erwin designed a patch just for Vigil members. It had a gold and black double border and the Vigil triangle replaced the Region 9 emblem in the center of the design. The Vigil emblem was then dropped off the old Brotherhood/Vigil patch, a bar was added on each side of the design and this became just the Brotherhood patch. This was used for only one issue. A new patch was designed in the late seventies, probably when Region 9 became the South Central Region. The Region 9 shield was replaced with and Arrowhead with the Indian head superimposed over it. Thus the Lodge today has three different patches, one for each of the three honors in OA - Ordeal, Brotherhood, and Vigil.Table of Contents Arrowhead patches issuedFrom 1970 through 1972 a series of Arrowhead shape patches were issued to encourage Arrowmen to attend Spring Conferences. They would only be worn on the right pocket of the uniform and were discontinued after a few years.Table of Contents First Fiftieth Anniversary patchBelieving that the Lodge was 50 years old as of 1990, a special patch was issued to celebrate both the 50th anniversary of the Lodge and the 75th anniversary of the Order of the Arrow. Only one of these events proved to be true! This was not discovered until the following year when interest was generated to write a history of the Lodge a couple of years later. Gordon Place designed the colorful patch. An Arrowman could purchase one patch at each activity that he attended plus an extra one when he paid his dues. All patches were sold out within one year.Table of Contents Second Fiftieth Anniversary patchA new Fiftieth Anniversary patch was designed in 1994 for the "real" anniversary. The Lodge decided to reissue the original 1956 Lodge patch but add "1945-1995" to the patch and a white Scout emblem in the background. The patch was made available to anyone who wanted to purchase it.Table of Contents Lodge Neckerchief designedDuring 1960 the first official neckerchief for the Lodge was made available. The neckerchief was in five colors and has red bunting. All members of the Lodge were urged to purchase the neckerchief to wear the following summer when the lodge hosted their second Area 9-D meeting. The neckerchief, which sold for $1.00, "was not to be traded, sold, or given away to any member of another lodge."Table of Contents Second Lodge NeckerchiefThe second Lodge neckerchief was designed by Jimmy Erwin and made available to the members of Otena in the Spring of 1967. A fully embroidered, for $2.25, was designed to be sewn on the back of a white satin neckerchief with fringe. Each member was urged to buy the patch and make their own neckerchief. Later, the neckerchief with patch sewed on was made available by the Lodge. When all the patches were gone, each member made and wore just the neckerchief with fringe. Today that is the official neckerchief of the Lodge.Table of Contents Third Lodge neckerchief designedIn recognition of the 50th Anniversary of the Lodge a new neckerchief patch was designed by the Lodge and issued in the Fall of 1994. This design featured all the previous emblems of various flaps. It had the tepee, Indian head and Arrowhead plus Ordeal, Brotherhood, and Vigil sashes.Table of Contents New neckerchief designsIn 1996 a new neckerchief patch was designed by Chris Firth with the art work done by Tully Hair. It depicts the Four Winds Ceremony at Camp Billy Gibbons. The patch is fully embroided with a gold border. In 1999 at Fall Inductions, a new neckerchief was designed for officers of 1999. It is red with "Otena 295" in large blue letters and an Indian head between the words.Table of Contents Leadership of the LodgeE. Urner Goodman Camping AwardOtena Lodge was one of three lodges in the Nation to receive the E. Urner Goodman Camping Award in 1992. The Award was presented at the National Council Meeting to Dr. T.C. Graves, the Council's National Council Representative on behalf of the Order of the Arrow. The award was established as a tribute and testimonial to the Order's founder, E. Urner Goodman. Its purpose is to encourage and challenge Order of the Arrow members and lodges to increase their effectiveness in promoting and increasing Scout camping in each Council. Awards are presented to one outstanding lodge in each region annually.Table of Contents Lodge Chiefs
Lodge Chiefs in attendance, Right to Left: Connie Mack Hood, Eddie Hart, Lloyd Carter, Burts Kennedy, Dabney Kennedy, Bryan Healer, Thomas R. Seely, Jr., Carl B. Sanders, Jerry Jackson, Dr. John "Eddie" Garner, Ernie A. Meyer, Stanley W. Walker, James C. Reed, Joseph B. Swanner, Pat Leatherwood, Ronnie L. Schackelford, Richard A. Crenswaw, Rickey L. Wilson, Jeff Nix, Sam Mangrum, Perry A. Wakefield, Jr. The most important youth leader of a lodge is the lodge chief. They are responsible for making sure that the Lodge runs smoothly and, with a group of officers, carries out the various projects, ceremonies and activities of the lodge during their term of office. Currently, all but two of the Otena Lodge Chiefs are still living, most within Texas. A list of Chiefs with the town they lived in at the time of their election includes: 1945: Connie Mack Hood, Breckenridge
Lodge AdvisersOver the years many great Scouters served as Adviser for the Lodge. They have given of their time, their talents and their knowledge to the officers of the Lodge to insure that the very best program of cheerful service was rendered to others. Here is a list of known advisers and when they served: 1946: Guy T. Smith, Brownwood
Supreme Chiefs of the FireThere have been only nine "Supreme Chiefs of the Fire" in the fifty-three year history of the Otena Lodge. As Scout Executives it was their job to see that the Lodge adhered to National policies and to advise the volunteer Advisor and Lodge officers. 1932-1953: Guy N. Quirl
The Distinguished Service AwardThe Distinguished Service Award was created in 1940 from the need to honor
those Arrowmen who rendered exceptional service to the Order beyond the
Lodge. The first awards were then presented at Camp Twin Echo in Pennsylvania
to E. Urner Goodman, Carrol A. Edson and eight others. It is the only award
in Scouting that is presented to youth members, adult volunteers and professional
Scouters. Since the time of the first Awards in 1940 only 541 Distinguished
Service Awards have been presented. This alone is testament to its standard
of excellence. Three adults of the Otena Lodge have received the DSA, however
they were not members of the Lodge when they were honored. The three are:
Dabney Kennedy, Richmond C. (Ric) Wilkins, and Frank T. Hilton.
Vigil Honor Members The Vigil Honor is the highest honor that the Order of the Arrow can bestow upon its members for service above self to their lodge and local council. The first person to receive the Vigil Honor in the Order of the Arrow was its founder E. Urner Goodman, who received this honor in 1915. This list of names contain the date that the application was submitted to the Order of the Arrow and not by the year they were inducted. For instance, four Arrowmen were submitted to National in March 1990, and another group was submitted in October of the same year. 1955 - Leo Buckmaster, James M. Cooper, Dabney Kennedy
Founder's AwardThe Founder's Award was created by the Order of the Arrow to honor and recognize those Arrowmen who have given outstanding service to the Lodge. The bronze medallion bearing the likeness of E. Urner Goodman and Carroll A. Edson is reserved for an Arrowman who demonstrates to his fellow Arrowmen that he memorializes in his everyday life the spirit of achievement as described by our founder. Arrowmen were elected by secret ballot at the Fall Fellowship by all Arrowmen present. At least one award must be to a youth under 21 years of age. The award was first presented in the Otena Lodge at the 50th Anniversary Banquet on on January 7, 1995. 1995: Michael D. Beach, Stephenville
This material was provided generously by Frank T. Hilton from the book:Ninety Years of Service
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What is the OA? | Otena History | Otena Patches | Lodge Officers Lodge Calendar | Links | Lodge Newsletter | Upcoming Events Designed by: Neal Mann
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Ernie A.
Mayer, former Lodge Chief of the Otena Lodge, provided the following information
concerning the Kunieh Tribe (Lodge) in the Comanche Trail Council. 
The
present Gee Lodge built at Camp Billy Gibbons was started in 1958, built
and paid for by Otena. It was designed to be a five-year project and costing
$1,000.00. Dabney Kennedy was the prime mover and designer of this project.
Donations were accepted from many people including Arrowmen who paid up
their $1.00 dues five years in advance. Other donations were given by Dr.
Nathan Cedars, Stephenville Hospital, Calvin Barkley, Palace Drug, Brownwood,
and James D. King, Brownwood Superintendent of Schools. Davis Floral, Manley
Webb and Brownwood School District donated most of the trucks, tractors,
and equipment needed to build the lodge. Work weekends over several years
were needed to build the road, pour the concrete foundation, gather rocks,
build the walls, fireplace and set the steel windows. Their plans were
to lay the foundation before the summer of 1959 was over. By September
of 1960 the rock part of the wall, cement floor and plumbing were completed.
They were now ready to start on the walls and roof. The rock for the walls
gathered by OA members during their Ordeals. By April 1962, they still
lacked the windows and fireplace. Raymond Richardson was not an OA member,
but and expert rock mason. He was responsible for building the walls and
the fireplace. Reve Ponder related that as a little girl she used to go
out to camp with her father Bill Lynn as he worked on the Lodge. She remembers
that the weekend they finished the fireplace that it started to snow. It
was so cold that they went ahead and built a fire in the fireplace even
though the cement was not totally dry. The building was finally completed
and the lodge was dedicated during summer camp in 1963. When Lois Gee passes
away on October 11, 1977, the building was named in his memory and is known
to this day as "Gee Lodge". During the 80's a portion of the North end
of the Lodge was petitioned off and converted into the First Aid Lodge
for the camp when the State Health Department would no longer allow the
camp to use the room at the end of the dining hall for this purpose.
