3 October 2008
Scouts, Native Americans, Recover Past
Posted by admin under: Community Partners; community service .
I love this story from Doris Cook at the Ashtabula Star-Beacon. She describes a couple of Boy Scout troops in Ohio who worked with a local Native American group to clear trails and learn about the heritage of their people. In doing so they did more than help recover an ancient altar, they recovered part of the history of the BSA itself when in its beginning it had as much to do with the history and culture of the Native Americans as it did with the scout craft of Lord Baden-Powell.
The Lenape Indians lived in the Cambridge area from 1737 to 1828 before treaties were signed and most of the tribe moved to Indiana, King said. Chief Little Soldier purchased 11 acres of the ancient ceremonial land in 1988 to return it to his people.
King said the Lenape Indians in the Cambridge area are descendants of several tribe chiefs who settled in this part of Ohio.
“At the powwow, the chief told us and the scouts about needing help to clear trails and uncover any artifacts. Jeff Merritt and I talked it over and asked if the scouts wanted to help the chief. We camped out for the weekend, cleared trails and learned a lot,” King said.
The chief recounted stories about early Native American Indians and their history in Ohio to the scouts. Collaboratively, the scouts helped in clearing parts of the reservation, which are to be future points of interest once the park is opened to the public.
To me this is the ideal of the Boy Scouts of America program. Learning positive values through helping others while getting outdoors to experience the environment. What a great package of learning and service all rolled into one.
- The Passing of Ralph Cobey
- Native American Author Advocates Scouting
- Lord Baden-Powell’s Birthday
- A Timeless Experience
- President Obama’s Scouts Celebrate Cultural Camp
