There are four main principles to uphold when selected for initiation into the Order of the Arrow, and according to scouting.org they are: to recognize those scout campers who best exemplify the Scout Oath and Law in their daily lives, to develop and maintain camping traditions and spirit, to promote Scout camping and to crystallize the Scout habit of helpfulness into a life purpose of leadership in cheerful service to others.
The main insignia of an Order member is a white sash with a crimson arrow pointing up from the left hip to the right shoulder. Various bars are added to include and signify the degree of rank.
During a ceremony in which members of a first-degree arrow status are elevated into second-degree rank, these four principles are symbolized by four headdress-clad scouts who stand and operate from the cardinal directions of north, south, east and west.
“It’s like any other special event, you want it to be kept special,” said Zea Bauer, adviser to the 105 troop out of Los Padres, about the second-degree ceremony.
Ritual, unity and brotherhood were celebrated by the Order of the Arrow as the 2007 W-3B Conclave was hosted on the Bakersfield College campus Sept. 14 through Sept. 16.
There are seven lodges which make up a section, and the W-3B section includes the Orca (Santa Rosa area), the Amangi Nacha (Sacramento area), the Tannu (Reno area), the Toloma (Stockton area), the Tah-Heetch (Fresno area), the Chumash (Santa Barbara area), and the Yowlumne (Bakersfield area). The Yowlumne were the host for this year’s conclave, and they chose Bakersfield College for the site of the 2007 meet.
“Bakersfield is where the Council Headquarters is,” said Yowlumne lodge advisor Charles Casperson. “We looked at a bunch of schools and this is a really nice facility. Lots of trees and grass, and we didn’t have to worry about any of the football games (that weekend).”
Tepees and tents were bunched together inside of the football practice field where they slept. They dined together inside of the gymnasium and made the grassy area, central to the region of Language Arts and the Science and Math buildings, their terrain for games, activities and lounging.
The Order of the Arrow is an honor society for the Boy Scouts of America. “You’re eligible when you become a first class scout,” said Eagle Scout Adolph Fastnacht of Burroughs. “(First class scout) is when you have understanding of a basic scout.”
Fifteen nights of camping must be accomplished as well as a scout having gone through an event titled an “ordeal.”
“An ordeal is a high altitude camp site where we sleep under the stars and learn about the order and the traditions of the arrow,” said Mark Fink, Scout Master of Troop 423 out of Manteca. “This is a requirement for election and the most important thing is the service to others.”
Upon completion of the requirements, the chief is then notified and then the initiate is voted into the Order by his fellow peers.
“This is one of the few societies where the people who are in it are being selected by the members who are not in (the Order),” said Bauer.
The 2008 Conclave is to be hosted by the Tannu Lodge in Reno, Nev. The Yowlumne Lodge will host again in 2014.