The Brown Feather

The brown feather is earned when a brave demonstrates, before the tribe, an Indian Prayer. The prayer is used in closing the Tribal Counsel. Although originally intended to be a silent prayer the words are said along with the signs to meaning to each gesture.

An Indian Prayer

And now,

(Index finger pointing to the ground)

May the Great Spirit

(all fingers circling up, imitating smoke)

Of all good spirits

(arms outstretched)

Be with

(arms coming in close)

You,

(index finger pointing across circle)

Now

(all fingers pointing down)

And forever more.

(action of shooting bow and arrow)

Of course, now would be a good time to remember that the phrase, “Great Spirit” is just another name for God the Father. Parents should take time to remind their sons of the book of Deuteronomy, Chapter 5.

Ego Dominus Deus tuus qui eduxi te de terra Aegypti de domo servitutis.

Non habebis deos alienos in conspectu meo.

Non facies tibi sculptile nec similitudinem omnium quae in caelo sunt desuper et quae in terra deorsum et quae versantur in aquis sub terra.

Non adorabis ea et non coles ego enim sum Dominus Deus tuus Deus aemulator reddens
iniquitatem patrum super filios in tertiam et quartam generationem his qui oderunt me.

I am the Lord thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

Thou shalt not have strange gods in my sight.

Thou shalt not make to thy self a graven thing, nor the likeness of any things, that are in heaven
above, or that are in the earth beneath, or that abide in the waters under the earth.

Thou shalt not adore them, and thou shalt not serve them. For I am the Lord thy God, a jealous
God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon their children unto the third and fourth generation,
to them that hate me.

The Green Feather

            The Green Feather represents the Warrior that walks the forest and stares up at the great trees in wonder. The color of green represents life on Mother Earth. This garden of green will give him many things to sustain his life. It will give him the tools and weapons to make his life easer on earth. It will give him shelter in the harsh winters and cool shade from the hot summer sun. The trees will bare fruit to fill his belly and give his body nourishment. The Warrior will walk in the beauty and respect the thing that the Great Spirit has made. His ears will listen to The Great Spirit voice in the wind.

            The Green Feather is said to be the hardest feather for a brave to earn. The Green Feather is earned by brave’s demonstrating his knowledge and stating from memory, a brief history of the Indian Guides, the Story of the Headband and the National Emblem.

A BRIEF HISTORY

            "The Indian father raises his son. He teaches his son to hunt, to track, to fish, to walk softly and silently in the forest, to know the meaning and purpose of life and all that he must know, while the white man allows the mother to raise his son." These chance remarks made in the early 1920s by Ojibway Indian hunting guide Joe Friday to Harold Keltner, a St. Louis YMCA director, struck a responsive chord.

            In 1925 Keltner arranged for Friday to speak before boys and dads in the St. Louis area. One evening after a talk given at a father and son banquet, Friday was so closely surrounded by fathers that the boys could not get near him. This gave Keltner an idea. Perhaps this strong mutual interest in the Indian could be put at the heart of a program aimed at closing the gap that he had seen widening between American fathers and their sons. Keltner designed a father-son program based on the qualities of American Indian culture and life: Dignity, Patience, Endurance, Spirituality, Feeling for the earth, and Concern for the family. From this, Y-Indian Guide programs were born.

THE STORY OF THE HEADBAND

             The central theme of the headband is the Eye of the Great Spirit surrounded by the four winds of heaven. The feathered arrow designs which extend right and left of the central symbol represent the useful services of father and son. The fact that father-and-son achievements are united in the center of the design is interpreted to mean that fathers and sons together, under the eye of the Great Spirit, are seeking to help each other in the services they render.

            To the right is the symbol of the mother and home. A line connects the mother symbol with the tepee, or home symbol. the fact that it is a home symbol is shown by the fire in the tepee. On the left are symbols of father and son. Their relationship again is shown by the line that joins the two symbols. These symbols add to the richness of the central theme, for it is in service to mother and home that many of the more significant achievements of father and son will take place.

            Far to the right are symbols of day and forest. Far to the left are the symbols of mountain, lake, field, and stream, with the moon for night. Here again, these symbols tend to enrich the central theme, giving broader scope to services by centering the efforts of father and son on village and community life, and, as the ritual says, "in forest, field and stream."

            In summary, the interpretation of the headband can be taken as "Father and son, through friendly service to each other, to our family, to this tribe, and to our community, seek a world pleasing to the eye of the Great Spirit."

ABOUT THE INDIAN GUIDES EMBLEM

            The National Emblem of blue, gold, and red represents some of the main points that are stressed in Y-Guides. The cross section of an ear of corn symbolizes goodness of the Great Spirit in the life of the American Indian. The arrow head is a symbol typical of Indian life. The triangle identifies the organization as an integral part of the YMCA.

Nice Post Jimmy Gecko,

If you'd just sack up and admit you are a 'Gator fan, your Creek tribe could win some coup. Hey, even I think it's great to be a Florida 'Gator.

Love,


Bobby Bowden.

Latest Feather List

As usual, click to enlarge.

The Blue Feather

The Blue Feather represents the Warrior as he looks to the Heavens and gives thanks to The Great Spirit. He has the respect and wisdom to acknowledge the greatness of all the Heavens. He is blessed to have the clear blue sky and deep blue waters to drink from. He is honored just to walk the earth this day and looks forward to tomorrow. Each new day gives the Warrior another chance to redeem himself and if necessary reinvent himself. Forever always changing to improve oneself for the better, yet knowing he will eventually run out of time and will fall short of perfection. Little does he know, but he has set the standards for the ones that follow him. If the Warrior's heart is good, he will leave his mark and make the world a better place. He did not just occupy space while he was here. He was a leader.

The blue feather is earned for good conduct at three consecutive Tribal Meetings. The blue feather is awarded by the the Tribal Chief when he has observed the brave meeting all the other requirements. Interestingly, it is the only feather that may be taken away for not maintaining the standards of good conduct. If the feather is taken away, the brave must again demonstrate his good conduct at three consecutive meetings.

The Red Feather.

Red stands for valor and hardiness; red for the blood, that flowed like the river.

The red feather is earned by reciting, from memory, the Indian names of the tribe members and the motto, “Pals forever with my Dad.”

The Yellow Feather

The Yellow Feather is the color of the sacred fire that gives life to all. It represents a Warrior decision to begin his journey into life with a noble cause. It is a time for him to reflect back on his life and his accomplishments. He begins to realize that whatever success that he had achieved up until that time, the spiritual essence is missing in his life. The Yellow Feather, the color of the sun represents a new birth and beginning. The Warrior must look to the east and greet the sun and ask God for guidance. It is a time to take charge of his own destiny, to reevaluate and to set new priorities. This new journey will have a profound effect on him and everyone that comes in contact with him. Throughout this new journey the Warrior will acquire knowledge and wisdom so that he can enlighten men along the way. They will come to know that you are a man of honor and integrity. If your heart is good, they will know that they were in the presence of someone who will make a difference.

To earn a yellow feather, a little brave must be able to recite the six aims from memory. They are:

1. To be clean in body and pure in heart.

2. To be “Pals Forever” with my father/son.

3. To love the sacred circle of my family.

4. To be attentive while others speak.

5. To love my neighbor as myself.

6. To seek and preserve the beauty of the Great Spirit’s work in forest, field and stream.

Wow, What a Campout.

Gosh, I hope Crafy has pictures of Wildcat's 3d place trophy! This hyperlink should take you there.

Campout This Weekend!

A Wildcat scrambling up a wall.




Wow! Are those some cool dudes!




A father and son.

No Caption needed!

Check the middle of the picture!

On January 26, people from Perth, Australia gathered on a local beach to watch a sky light up with delights near and far.

Nearby, fireworks exploded as part of Australia Day celebrations.

On the far right, lightning from a
thunderstorm
flashed in the distance.

Near the image center, though, seen through clouds, was the most unusual sight of all: Comet McNaught.

The >photogenic comet was so bright that it even remained visible though the din of Earthly flashes.

Comet McNaught continues to move out from the Sun and dim, but should remain
>visible in southern skies with binoculars through the end of this month.

The above image
is actually a three photograph panorama digitally processed to reduce
red reflections from the exploding firework.

How the Cat family Climbs.

Your webmaster was alerted to a flamewar taking place in the comments section of a very cool blog with nice content. The Cat family apparently thinks climbing is something best done with jeeps. I wonder why?

New Craft?

Challenge the Rebels!
Blasting out of Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, the TIE Interceptor is the fastest fighter in the Imperial fleet! Open the cockpit canopy and fold down the instrument panel to put the TIE pilot inside and recreate your favorite classic Star Wars battles!