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| Otyokwa |
| (Brotherhood in the Algonquin language) |
| Otyokwa Lodge started in October 1945 by a ritual team from
the Tom Kita Chara Lodge from Samoset Council in Wausau. From 1945 until 1948 the lodge operated out of Nawakwa, the council camp at
that time, near Cornell. Then, upon the development of Camp Phillips, its ritual grounds were moved to the new camp.
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| Chartered: 1946 |
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| Home of the 1958 National OA Chief James Kolka |
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1984 Winner E. Urner Goodman Camping Award |
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| Lodge Totem |
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The Otyokwa Lodge totem was designed and approved in 1953 by vote at the Otyokwa Lodge 337 conclave.
So it was that the totem peculiar to the Otyokwa Lodge was designed after the "gauntlet", made of
rawhide lacing and glazed beads. The fifty [colored] beads representing the gauntlet knots symbolically
represent "the greatest medicines", the four dark blue beads stand for the four seasons, the four light
blue beads for the four basic foods, the two yellow for the sun and the moon, and two black for the wind
and the rain. The thirty-eight red (in form of the arrow) for the thirty-eight major stars and constellations.
The white beads serve as the background. Extending from this significant totem are three thong ends each,
when knotted, represent the three levels of membership in the Order of the Arrow - Ordeal - Brotherhood - Vigil.
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The Beginning of Otyokwa Lodge
From an interview former Lodge Chief Jay Jones had with Wayne McGowan
I was the lodge chief at Samoset (Tom Kita Chara Lodge when we were contacted by the Regional office in
Chicago and asked if we would install a new lodge in the Eau Claire council. (This was an era in which
the national council had officially adopted the Order of the Arrow as the camp honor society and was working
hard to replace old individual camping honor societies--of which I am quite sure there was one in existence
at Nawakwa--with the OA.
Our ritual team on which I was Allowat Sakima (by viortue of being lodge chief)drove over to Nawakwa with
Elroy Birsch who was the Asst. Scout executive and camp director of Camp Tesomas. Someone from the Chippewa
Valley professional staff who was an OA member had conducted the Ordeal starting the night before and ending
about 3:00 Sat. afternoon. Since there were no ritual bowls at the camp, and since we wanted to hold the
ceremony in a somewhat secluded place we organized it in a field just outside of camp. At 4:00 PM with the
sun shining brightly and cows mooing in the background we donned Indian regalia and conducted the Ordeal
induction ceremony. I believe there were about 20 scouts and adults inducted but I understand the list
of the charter members has been lost. (The only person I know for sure that was inducted that day was Helge
Grotte, at that time scoutmaster of the troop in Cornell, because we talked about it in later years.)
We had an early supper at camp with the new members and drove back home that evening.
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Historical Otyokwa Lodge photos from the film Camp Phillips 1951 |
Flim Clip |
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