The Guild of Induction Experience Designers (the GIED) is a think tank of Order of the Arrow members who develop induction programs. We are independent, unofficial, and have no official relationship with the National OA Committee or any part of the Boy Scouts of America. So NONE OF THE MATERIALS ON THIS SITE ARE OFFICIAL. We are all Vigil Honor members, deeply interested and involved in the induction, but have a variety of experience and expertise.

Link to more information about the GIED

New! WE CREATED INTERNATIONAL CEREMONIES

Throughout the Order of the Arrow’s history, it has been believed that the OA can only be used by the Boy Scouts of America (aka Scouting America). The founder of the Order, Dr. E. Urner Goodman, actually corresponded with Baden-Powel, the founder of world-wide Scouting, considering the possibility of other Scout associations adopting the Order of the Arrow. But because of the heavy dependence on American Indian lore back then, they concluded that it didn’t fit in countries without American Indians.

But the principles and methods of the OA aren’t based on Indian culture. They are universal. They were right, however, that the OA requires a backdrop of primitive culture to convey the primitive roots of its experiences: the physical tests of the Ordeal, the symbolic tests of the Brotherhood, and the Vigil.

So using a universal primitive cultural background that we call “An Ancient Hunter“, we have found a way to go international.

Visit AncientCircleOfTheArrow.org to see what such ceremonies look like.

LEGEND OF AN ANCIENT HUNTER

Cave painting of an ancient hunter

The four tests of the Ordeal seem to work well together. Have these particular four challenges ever occurred together historically prior to the creation of the Order of the Arrow?

WHAT DOES OUR PRINCIPLE OF “BROTHERHOOD” MEAN? IS IT EXCLUSIONARY?

Our Obligation and Song talk of our principle of Brotherhood as being our ties to each other as members of the Order of the Arrow. Are our ties limited to each other? Is that the true meaning of “Brotherhood” in the OA? If it means more than that, how can we make this clearer?

OUR PROPOSED OA MEMBERSHIP CEREMONY – NEW (AND TRUE) LEGENDS, NO FALSE CLAIMS

Years ago the National Order of the Arrow Committee indicated that a review of the role of Indian lore in the OA was being conducted. It was even being openly suggested that Indian lore might even be completely phased out of the Order. We now have a partial answer. Any use of Indian lore in a lodge is dependent on the lodge having a written agreement with a local tribe.

However, we have seen nothing yet regarding the existing Indian lore in our ceremony texts. Our legends state that the Order of the Arrow is associated with an actual pre-existing Native American brotherhood. This is not true. In response to this issue, we previously created alternative induction ceremonies and proposed them to the Committee.

Click here to view our proposed replacement for our membership ceremonies with true legends and no false claims of relationships with Native American culture or use of religious symbols.

Monograph on Indian Lore in the OA

It is the purpose of this paper to review the Order’s history with Native American culture and detail potential issues remaining to be addressed.

Link to: Monograph on Indian Culture in the OA

See also: Why Indian Lore?

Our Obligation is Misunderstood

Are you ready to learn something about our Obligation? Click here!

Comparison of Our Proposed Legend of the First Elangomat
with the Order’s Original Legend

The Order’s original Legend contains many lines that are important to us and thus need to be somehow retained, even though the original Legend must be eliminated as it falsely claims that the OA is a continuation of a Native American brotherhood. It thus falsely implies that being in the OA makes you associated with the Delaware tribe.

In crafting the wording of our Legend of the First Elangomat, we have copied or paralleled many phrases of the original Legend. We provide a download that shows the text of the two legends side-by-side.

Ideals of the Elangomat System

Why don’t the Ten Induction Principles cover the Elangomat System? Find out why they don’t! Should there be established principles as to how you should implement Elangomats in your lodge? We say yes. See our proposed Ideals of the Elangomat System. Do they make sense to you? You might learn something, or confirm your feelings as an Elangomat about how things should be done differently in your lodge. Read More

Where Did the OA and our Legend Really Come from?

Why Brotherhood, Cheerfulness, and Service? Why Indian Lore? Where did The Legend really come from? Truth is stranger than fiction. We are at a crossroads. It is time that the historical facts be known so we can chart our future with knowledge of the past. Read More