Kowaunkamish Chapter - Amangi Nacha #47

Are you a new Member?

This is the place to look for information! We realize that you may be coming into the Order of the Arrow almost completely blind. That's OK! This site is here to give you a little information about the chapter, lodge, and the Order in general.

The Order of the Arrow (OA) was founded in 1915 by Carol A. Edson and E. Urner Goodman. They wanted a program that would help recognize scouts that lived the Scout Oath and Promise and were always willing to serve others. As such, the OA is set up geared toward the service of other scouts.

Yearly, OA Lodges everywhere go to local scout troops and run elections. Then, sometime early in the year, chapters run camporees where the results of those elections are publicly announced in a process that is known as "tapping out" new candidates. These elections and camporees are how the OA gains new candidate members. After these camporees, Ordeals are held at every camp in the Lodge's service area. These Ordeals serve to induct new members, as well as maintain and clean the summer camps.

Structure
The OA is a national organization. Structure wise, it is divided many times. The National OA organization is divided into distinct regions. The regions are then divided into sections. The sections are divided into lodges, and the lodges are divided into chapters.

We are in the Western Region, section W3B. Our lodge is the Amangi Nacha Lodge, #47, and it serves the Golden Empire Council, and has the same boundries as it does. Our Chapter is the Kowaunkamish (ko-waun-kam-ish) chapter, and we serve the Buttes Area District. In addition to our spring camporee, we perform Bridging and Arrow of Light ceremonies year round for local troops/cub scout packs.

Events

The OA isn't just service. In addition to the Ordeals and Camporees, which are more work than play, we have Fellowships, Conclaves, and NOACs. Our events are divided along the same lines as the OA is, which each level of division having its own event.

Fellowships
Fellowships are pure fun. Fellowships are held every year, and every chapter of the lodge comes together for games, competitions, and fun. They are a great way to build friendships across the lodge, because you meet members from all over. Fellowships also give us an opportunity to vote for the next year's lodge officers.

Conclaves
Conclaves are similar to Fellowships, but take place on a larger scale. Conclaves are Section meets, where all the lodges in a section come together for competitions and trainings. The location of these meets varies from year to year because the lodge in charge of the Conclave rotates between all the member lodges. Our lodge was the host lodge in 2006, so it will be some time before we get it again. Conclaves are also the time where we elect Section officers.

NOACs
NOAC stands for "National Order of the Arrow Conference," and it is exactly what it sounds like. NOAC is the OA version of the National Jamboree, except it isn't nearly as large. They take place (usually) every 2 years, and the location changes with it. I say usually because it can sometimes be changed do to other circumstances. The main events at NOACs are training sessions, where attendees can learn from some of the most knowledgeable instructors in the OA on many different subjects.

Other events
There are many other events that take place throughout the year, and we encourage every member to attend as many events as they can. Be sure to check out the Calendar page for upcoming events. Rides can always be arranged to every event, so don't hesitate to ask. We don't want anyone to miss out on a great time!

Meetings

Our chapter holds monthly meetings, and we ask that all members attend. These meetings are where we plan our events, discuss important matters, hold trainings, arrange rides, etc.

Also, the Lodge holds monthly meetings as well. We encourage members to attend these meetings as well, just because they give you a chance to get involved in many other places.

Ways to Get Involved

There are many ways to get involved in the OA. The biggest one is to come to the meetings!

Dancing
The OA has a Native American theme. One of the ways we celebrate this theme is through our dancing. The chapter has several Native American dance outfits that we let our members use. If you are interested in this, let us know! Our chapter has some of the most knowledgeable people in the lodge when it comes to dancing.

Drumming/Singing
Again going back to the Native American theme, we learn and sing Native American songs that our dancers can dance to.

Ceremonies
Also related to the Native American theme, the OA performs many advancement ceremonies. Perhaps one of the most important ceremonies is the one that every member of the OA had to go through - The Ordeal Ceremony. If you thought that was cool when you went through it, then this is a great place for you to be involved in!