Kia Kima - 1948
Birthplace of the
Chickasah Lodge No. 406
W.W.W. Order of the Arrow
by Chuck Schadrack, October 2006
The Order of the Arrow lodge in the Chickasaw Council began as an outgrowth of the "Council Scouts," a local group of honor campers within the council with much the same ideals as the Order of the Arrow. They were known as the Order of Kamp Kia Kima.
For many years it had been a tradition that each week at Kia Kima, those Scout campers who best exemplified the ideals of the Scout Oath and Law were led to a secret campfire circle deep in the woods and given an Indian name. The Council Scouts would meet periodically during the year and would use their Indian name in connection with meetings and correspondence. Many Council Scouts served on the camp staff just as many Arrowmen do today.
In 1948, the Chickasaw Council and its Scout Executive, W. Gordon Morris, recognized the need for an Order of the Arrow Lodge in the Council. A Council committee was formed to obtain information on the OA, secure the initial membership and located current Arrowmen from other Lodges to conduct the first Ordeal. The Lodge formation was conducted under the direction of Mr. Phil Emerick. Mr. Emerick had been inducted as a member of Shawnee Lodge No. 51 in St. Louis in his youth and was interested in organizing the Order of the Arrow in the Chickasaw Council. The first Ordeal was held August 7, 1948 at the original Kamp Kia Kima near Hardy, Arkansas. The ceremonial team from Ittawamba Lodge No. 235 came and inducted about thirty Scouts and Scouters who became the lodge's charter members. Although the first ceremony was held in 1948, the original charter was not issued until 1949 and was assigned Lodge #406.
In April of 1949, the name chosen for the Lodge was Chickasah, a variation of the name of the Chickasaw tribe used for the council name. The variation was used partly to distinguish the new lodge from the nearby Chicksa Lodge No. 202. The totem chosen for the lodge was the Thunderbird, an emblem it shares in one form or another with its birthplace, old camp Kia Kima. Kia Kima is an Indian word meaning "Nest of the Eagles."
In the spring of 1950, the Lodge held its first Brotherhood Ceremony. This was followed by its first Vigil Ceremony on December 14, 1952, at Camp Currier.
