Christmas Traditions Part 5: Stop, Look, and Listen

Each year as Christmas approaches, I am reminded of a tradition I enjoyed in my family as a boy.

Although I was born and raised here in Florida, my parents were raised up north in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Since the weather up there is much less pleasant during the winter than here, model railroading is a popular hobby up north. The highlight of my first Christmas I can remember as a child here in Florida was the model train layout my dad had built, which I was told he began building shortly after I was born in Tampa. This wasn't just a circle of track under the Christmas tree with a few buildings; this was a permanent HO scale layout approximately 4 ft. x 10 ft. in length, complete with buildings, people, a large assortment of locomotives and rolling stock, working lights, track switches, trees and landscape. Because it was so big, we had no place to keep it set up permanently (no basements in Florida!), so it was stored most of the time in my dad's workshop, suspended from the ceiling. It required a fair amount of effort to get it down and set it up, so we only set it up every other year or so. I LOVED that train layout, and would spend hours playing with it, my imagination pretending that it was my little town for me to ship goods or people to different parts of the town. When we weren't actually playing with the trains, my brother and I would use it as a fort! Since my mom would hang a green "skirt" all the way around it to conceal the underside of the table, we kept boxes under there during the Christmas holidays, so it was a great place to hide and play all sorts of pretend games. As I grew older, my interest turned to constructing model buildings to complete areas of the layout that my dad had not finished. I never really thought about it until now, but maybe that's where I began to become interested in architecture and construction.

As you can probably tell, I have many fond memories of that Christmas tradition. When I think about it, I can mentally escape, if only a few seconds or so, back to a time that I warmly and joyfully remember as a carefree kid playing with the train layout my dad so carefully and lovingly created for our family…….

In contrast, I can't help but observe how Christmas so often becomes a frantic, rushed, stressful time of year, as we rush about to buy a bunch of stuff. May I suggest the following?

• STOP, or at least slow down enough to spend some really good time together with your family. If you only have 18 summers, it means you also only have 18 Christmas's to build lasting Christmas memories….
  
• LOOK into the eyes of your kids and soak in their wonder, enthusiasm, and delight as they experience the joys of Christmas! It will warm your soul!
  
• LISTEN not to the loud roar of our culture that promotes never-ending shopping and PC expressions of Happy Holidays, but instead, listen for the quiet, calm voice of the Savior whose birthday we celebrate on Christmas day!

May you and your family have a safe and joyful Christmas season!

Merry Christmas!

Chief Bald Eagle

Christmas Traditions Part 4: The Cookies

Decorating cookies for Christmas is something we've only been doing the last few years. All who know me are aware that I love to grill, but neither I nor my wife have ever done much in the way of baking. So, it was quite by accident that we stumbled onto the whole idea of making and decorating cookies. One weekend while my wife was out Christmas shopping and the kids had nothing else to do, we went to the store and picked up a couple of packages of sugar cookie mix and an assortment of frosting, sprinkles, and other candy decorations. By the time my wife returned home from shopping, the kids could hardly wait to show her the cookies they created! Once the cookies are decorated comes the really tough part – each of them has to select their favorite cookie out of the ones they decorated to save for Santa on Christmas Eve! (That part will be a bit different this year, but will still be fun…). In fact, they have always been so excited and proud of their creations, they are almost anxious to go to bed on Christmas Eve so they can put their cookies on the special Santa plate!

It's amazing to me that what started out as a way to occupy our time one afternoon has become a tradition in our family! And, in my opinion, it is traditions such as these that build and strengthen our family relationships for a lifetime! So, be on the lookout for them – you never know when an opportunity to start a tradition in your family may come along!

Fun at Doe Lake

It was another fun campout at Doe Lake. Since the Federation started camping there 3 years ago, this has become one of our favorites.

As has become custom, the Eola Federation Pinewood Derby was the feature event Saturday afternoon. There were a bunch of interesting cars to see – the creativity that goes into so many of the cars never ceases to amaze me! Cars from our tribe did well, with Keal and newcomer Caleb showing well in their respective races. Chloe's car came in first place in the Princess Pros and third overall, as her daddy continues in his quest to master the tricky Eola Federation track!

We also had a real blast from the past – Roy Smith and family tent camping – that's right you read correctly. I had to take a picture; no telling when we'll see this again!

As usual, The Mighty Kiowa ate good Saturday night- I can still taste that pulled pork! Thanks to the Hunters for getting the food, and thanks Roy for bringing the smoker along!

Yatahey!

Chief Bald Eagle

Thank You Great Spirit

Once again, the Thanksgiving season is upon us. It is a time to pause and consider the many blessings we have been given. As Americans, we are incredibly blessed, and yet, it is for that very reason that I think we don't take enough time to appreciate what we have. Even in these tough economic times, we still have so much to be thankful for. I hope you will take some time to contemplate how the Great Spirit has blessed you.

Thank you Great Spirit:

• For those who are serving in the military, whether near or far from their families, to keep our country secure and free. Thank you for their personal sacrifice, commitment, and dedication, and may they be richly blessed for their service.
  
• For the privilege I have to live in the greatest country on earth. May I always be mindful that the freedom you have given to us has come at a great cost, and is not to be taken lightly. Freedom is a precious gift that must be nurtured and treasured, for if we take it for granted, it will slip through our fingers like grains of sand.
  
• For the gift of my family. The family is Your way of ordering our culture and our lives. Like freedom, it is a precious gift. Thank you Great Spirit for blessing me with the gift of my wife and children – guide me in the way You would have me lead them.
  
• For the families represented by our circle known as The Mighty Kiowa. Thank you for the unique character of each of our kids, and the families they represent. Bless each of our families with your wisdom and guidance as they seek to raise their kids to be the best they can be.
  
• For friends with whom I can have fellowship and share my life. A person who has friends is never poor!
  
• For providing my family with food and shelter. One does not have to look far to see those who have no food to eat, and no place to live.
  
• For work. When I was young, my parents impressed upon me the value of hard work. I remember those lessons each and every day, and am grateful for the opportunity to work and contribute to the society of which I am a part, for it is Your will that we not only take, but also give back.
  
• For the beauty of your creation. There is so much around us to see and appreciate, yet, we are usually so busy, we pay little attention to what You have created. Whether it is the forest, the mountains, the fields, the lakes or oceans, Your creation is awesome to behold!

I hope that you and your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!

Yatahey!

Chief Bald Eagle

Cornfest 2009

I hope all of you who were able to attend the Cornfest campout had as much fun as I did! We had good weather, swimming, a lot of pumpkin carving, ropes course, frisbee golf, good food, and an awesome Aims Walk!

This is my 7th year in the Indian Guide/Princess Program, but only the first time that I did Aims Walk without having to read The Aims from a piece of paper and trying to get the kids to memorize them as we went. I'm very proud that all the kids learned The Aims - GREAT JOB!!! It made for a more meaningful, and fun, Aims Walk. We will be going over them at the meetings from now on to make sure they retain them!

It was also nice to have some potential new members join us! Only their parents know for sure, but it looked to me like Caleb, Adria, and Sofia all had a wonderful time! We look forward to having them join us in all of our future meetings and campouts!

We also need to congratulate Rachel Hadley - she won the 6th grade and higher essay competition, and a cool $100! I suspect you will find Rachel and her mom at the local mall this week!

And how about that bonfire after The Aims Walk? Chief Bald Eagle was responsible for igniting that fire - from Pyro Dud to Pyro Stud in only 5 months since Anastasia!

And last but not least, thanks to our Hunters - great job as always gathering the food!

Next up - Doe Lake - start working on your Pinewood Cars!

Yatahey

Chief Bald Eagle

In Search of Leaves

It was early Saturday morning. I got up, showered, and dressed, all the while thinking about my "dilemma". You see, I LOVE to watch college football! From the time the last of the bowl and championship games are played in early January, I practically count the days until college football season begins again in September. Not only do I like to watch the games, but I also like to watch the College Gameday show on ESPN that starts at 10 AM. Anything that I need to do on Saturdays this time of year is most always planned around the schedule of whatever games I want to watch. As you might guess, all this adoration of college football can, if I let it, consume just about all day every Saturday. NOTHING gets in the way of college football!

So what was my dilemma? My daughter had a leaf collection project for school due in less than a week. Since I helped our son with the same project when he was in fifth grade, I somehow became the defacto expert in our house for leaf collection. There was no avoiding it - I was going to have to take part of my precious Saturday to go visit some parks with my daughter to collect leaves - how could I do this and not miss any of the football I wanted to watch, I kept thinking? I soon came to the realization that I would have to accept the inevitable - my daughter needed my help so I was going to miss some football today...bummer!

Off we went, stopping at two parks where we were able to find quite a few leaves, taking pictures of the trees and then carefully putting each in an envelope and numbering it so we could later match it to the picture. Then we stopped for some lunch. It was about this time that I had a revelation - I was missing some of my beloved college football - and I was not minding it. Why? Because I was spending some good one on one time with someone who I love far more than any football game - my pride, my joy, my princess - my daughter! And, I was enjoying every minute of it!

I share this story because, like many other parents, I too often get caught up in what I want and my own schedule, rather than what is most important. I often hear of parents giving their kids really extravagant gifts or experiences in the belief that those things will make their kids happy. That's all well and good, but I think what our kids really need, and want, is our uninterrupted, focused attention and time devoted to them. Whether it's a simple school project, or throwing the ball in the yard, the time spent with our kids will impact them - and us parents - for a lifetime.

That's what Indian Guides/Princesses is all about when you get right down to it. Our campouts are a really great opportunity to get away from the normal hectic daily routine and just spend some uninterrupted time with our kids, and of course, the other families in our tribe. As you consider our upcoming camping season, I hope you will attend as many campouts as possible; when you are able to camp, I hope you will make every effort to camp for the full weekend, not just dash in for part of a day if possible. I actually put all the campouts on my calendar so as I or my office assistants schedule my time, little or nothing gets scheduled for "camping Fridays". Simply put, I believe the campouts are a really unique opportunity for fun with our kids - they are worth making time for.

Remember, you have 18 summers to positively impact your kids....make time to "Search for Leaves".....

The Legend of the Tomahawk: The Chief's Circle of Honor

As the season began to change from summer to fall, Chief Strong Eagle pondered how he might honor those who followed the Aims, and thus promote lasting peace among the tribes. Since the time for the Cornfest was approaching, Chief Strong Eagle decided that this would also be a good time honor those who lived according to the The Aims.

One evening, the great Chief gathered the Elders of the Kiowa tribe around a great fire to tell them of his plan. "Elders of The Mighty Kiowa" Chief Strong Eagle said, "the air is cooler, and the leaves are changing color - the time of the Cornfest is near! Soon, we will journey to meet the other tribes, and together in friendship, give thanks to The Great Spirit for the bounty of the land. Since we gather with the other tribes in friendship and peace, it is only fitting that we take time at this special occasion to honor those who live according to The Aims. For many moons, I have shared the circle around our fire with those from other tribes who have come to learn The Aims.

From this Cornfest forward, each year we will gather around our fire to honor those who have learned the aims. Just as the fire is at the center of our circle, so too are The Aims at the center of how we live with our families, friends, and the land. And, just as the circle around our fire continues without end, so too does the truth of The Aims continue without end."

A few weeks later, the time of the Cornfest had arrived. Chief Strong Eagle and The Mighty Kiowa journeyed to the site of the Cornfest. Once there, Chief Strong Eagle told the other Chiefs who had gathered for the Cornfest of his intent to honor those from all tribes who lived by the Aims. On the evening of the great Cornfest bonfire, Chief Strong Eagle stood on a large boulder to address all of the people. "The Mighty Kiowa are honored to join with the many tribes gathered here in giving thanks to The Great Spirit for the bounty of the land. Many of you have come to our circle to learn our ways, and have been told of The Aims, handed down through many generations of The Mighty Kiowa. The path of life is wide and uncertain, but the path of The Aims is straight and narrow, and leads to peace and harmony with family, friends, and the land. So then, let anyone who would follow the path of The Aims be tested! Those who complete the test will have a place in the Chief's Circle of Honor. Let it be known to all tribes, that those who sit in the Chief's Circle of Honor are good, and can be trusted to seek only the best for their people!"

With that, Chief Strong Eagle took 7 of his young chiefs, each with a burning torch in hand, set out to the bonfire. Every 100 paces, he instructed one of the chiefs to remain at the spot, and moved onto the next until he had reached the site of the bonfire alone. As the people began to make their way to the bonfire, they were stopped by each chief, and were told they must recite an Aim in order to pass to the next chief. Those who successfully completed The Aims Walk were allowed to sit with Chief Strong Eagle in a special place at the bonfire. Again, Chief Strong Eagle stood and addressed the tribes. "From this day forward, let this place at the Cornfest bonfire be known as the Chief's Circle of Honor. Those who are in this circle are to be honored and respected, for they have shown their commitment to their people by completing The Aims Walk. On each of these people, I have painted my sign on their face to honor them on this occasion."

Young Kiowa Warriors! Just as Chief Strong Eagle honored those knew The Aims many moons ago, so too will I Chief Bald Eagle, honor those in our tribe who can successfully recite all seven of The Aims. Prepare for the Cornfest and The Aims walk Kiowa Warriors! If you are successful, you will receive the sign of Chief Bald Eagle painted on your face, and a great reward!

The Legend of the Tomahawk: The Aims

To the Elders of The Mighty Kiowa....please share this story with our young Kiowa warriors......

Following the return of the Tomahawk to it's rightful place among The Mighty Kiowa, the tribe lived in peace and grew in prominence. With the emphasis that Chief Strong Eagle placed on family and tribe, word quickly spread to the other tribes about the goodness of the Kiowa tribe. Impressed by the stories they heard of the Kiowa's way of life, neighboring tribes began to send their young chiefs to visit The Mighty Kiowa to learn their ways.

On one such occasion, Chief Strong Eagle received a message from the Chief of a neighboring tribe, hand-delivered by one of their scouts. The message read: "Chief Strong Eagle, we have heard many good things about The Mighty Kiowa. It is said that your wisdom is unmatched among Chiefs, and that the path of your people follows the Great Spirit such that the respect of your people for one another and the land in which they live is great. Chief Strong Eagle! Grant us a pow wow around your fire so that we may learn more of the ways of your tribe to teach to our people!" Chief Strong Eagle consented to meet and sent word to the neighboring Chief.

On the evening of their meeting, the neighboring Chief arrived at the camp of The Mighty Kiowa, accompanied by the elders of his tribe and several of his younger chiefs. On their horses were bundles of firewood, which they used to build a great fire in the Kiowa's tribal circle. As Chief Strong Eagle approached the great fire, the visiting Chief extended his hand in friendship and said "Chief Strong Eagle, we are honored to sit in your circle. We have brought fuel for your fire as a token of our respect for you. As the fire of your heart burns for your people and land, so too shall this fire burn brightly to show us the wisdom of your ways!" Then, Chief Strong Eagle spoke: "Chief, I am honored and humbled by your words and your gift of fire. For many years, The Mighty Kiowa sought to do the will of The Great Spirit, who teaches us to respect the land and all that is in it, and to love and respect our families and friends." With that, one of the Kiowa elders brought a ceremonial box to Chief Strong Eagle, and opened it for him. Chief Strong Eagle removed a rolled animal skin, and carefully unrolled it. On the skin were painted words. Chief Bald Eagle held the skin up for all to see, and said "The wisdom of many generations of The Mighty Kiowa are written on this animal skin! Though the words are few, they carry great wisdom and meaning. Many moons ago, I dreamed of a great white dove that brought the gift of a great Tomahawk to our tribe as a reminder that the strength of our families was also the strength of our tribe. It was then that I realized that the words on this animal skin tell us to live in peace with The Great Spirit and one another. Our elders called these words The Aims, so that we would always remember that it is these words that we must aim for each day:

1. To be clean in body and pure in heart
2. To be friends forever with my dad/mom/son/daughter.
3. To love the sacred circle of my family.
4. To listen while others speak.
5. To love my neighbor as myself.
6. To respect the traditions and beliefs of all people.
7. To seek and preserve the beauty of Our Creator's work in forest, field, and stream.

Then Chief Strong Eagle said to the visiting Chief: "Tell these things to your people. As you have seen and heard about our tribe, these words have great power. Teach them to your people and live by them so that your people may also find joy, happiness, and peace!" The visiting Chief thanked Chief Strong Eagle for sharing their wisdom, and soon left to return to camp of his tribe.

Many other Chiefs came to pow wow with Chief Strong Eagle to learn the ways of The Mighty Kiowa. Wise as ever, Chief Strong Eagle realized that there was an opportunity to spread peace among all people by sharing The Aims, and honoring those who followed The Aims. The season was now changing to fall, and with the change of seasons came cooler weather and the beauty of the changing leaves. Chief Strong Eagle knew that it would soon be time to celebrate the Cornfest, during which the Kiowa would celebrate the bounty of the Great Spirit, and decided that he would honor those who taught and followed the Aims.....

A Few Notes from this Summer.....

A few random notes from summer:

As I shared with all of you in my "18 Summers" post in May, I hope to do more campfire programs this coming year, and how we light the fire is something that I would like to have some fun with. After being dissed and humiliated by the Great Spirit at Anastasia with no fire after ignition, I realized I had some more work to do - after all, it can take years to become a pyromaniac of the same caliber as Chuck Bosworth! So, I journeyed to the mountains of North Carolina to ponder how I might improve upon my "dud" performance at Anastasia. After much reflection and consultation with the Great Spirit, the local Cherokee Indians, and a slightly different combination of flammable fuel and kindling, you can see below - SUCCESS!!!! Note our good friends and Kiowa alumni Angela, Lizzy, and Jack Logan in the background checking it out!!!

The Expatriate - Speaking of the Logans, our good friend Brad Logan just left for Kuiwat! He's got a contract deal doing photography work for the military, and will be there for 8 months or so. I have added a link to his blog under the Links on the right - I'd encourage you to check it out. Brad is doing a great job of writing about everything he's seeing and sharing photos - I'm sure he would love to hear from you!

Kitchen Box Shoulder - Over 6 years of hauling my kitchen box to and from campouts finally got to my right shoulder - at least, that's my story and I'm sticking to it. Got some surgical repairs on 7/23 and am healing pretty fast - I figure I can sling that box around a few more years!

Indian Regalia - still working on some new or additional duds for this coming season. The toughest part is trying to figure out how to paint my face. Other than impersonating Gene Simmons (Kiss) at a Halloween party 25 years ago, I haven't ever painted my face. Whatever I come up with, I'm sure I will stand out at Cornfest!

Camping Fever - I'm not interested in camping in this heat, but I'm definitely looking forward to the cooler fall weather, college football, and camping again! I will be emailing our tribe in early September to set up a meeting to prepare for the coming year.

Yatahey!

Chief Bald Eagle

It's Summer

Whew! The camping gear is put away, the Shaman has returned to his secluded hideaway, and another season of Mighty Kiowa camping comes to a close! It has been a fun camping season, but I'm looking forward to a break!

As always, Anastasia State Park was awesome - I can't think of a better way to end our camping season. We had great weather for most part, the natural beauty of the beach and our camp area, good fellowship, and of course, a great feast of fresh grilled fish Saturday night!

As we move into another one of those "18 summers", I want to thank each of you for participating. I've enjoyed being the chief this year, and sincerely enjoy the time we all spend together at each of our campouts. I hope that each of you has a wonderful time this summer, and enjoy whatever plans you may have for family vacation time together.

May the Great Spirit Bless you and keep you safe!

Yatahey!

Chief Bald Eagle

"18 Summers"

"You have 18 summers to make a difference in your children's lives; depending on the age of your kids, you may have as few as 6 summers remaining. How are you doing?"

As I look toward next year, I have to admit that I've been thinking of these words often since they were spoken by the Timucuan Federation leaders during the Broken Arrow ceremony at the State Campout. After seeing and participating in this ceremony, I began to wonder what they were doing that we were not doing. In the weeks immediately following the State campout, I exchanged a number of emails with their Federation Chief, Golden Bear, and also spent some time looking at their website and the activities and resources they have developed. To be perfectly honest, the Eola Federation and how we do things - very casually - is all I had ever known of the Indian Guide program. I had no idea how under-developed our program was until I saw how advanced their program is!

"You have 18 summers to make a difference in your children's live's; by now, you may have only 6 or 8 of those summers left - how are you doing?"

I quickly realized that, as fun as our monthly camping experiences with our kids are, they can be even better and more meaningful - that is, if we are all committed enough to make that happen.

In that spirit, here are some ideas I have in mind for next year:

* Recruiting: I believe this must be our top priority for next fall. We talked about it at the beginning of the year, did one presentation at The Christ School, then dropped it. The fact is that most of the kids in our tribe are getting older and will probably not be in the program much longer. For the sake of the younger kids that we do have, I want to see us bring more kids into the tribe now so it will continue strong for them after the older ones leave. In my opinion, we should have a goal of five new families. I also think our efforts this time around should be directed at the parents, not the kids. I think the best way for this to happen is to talk to our friends and neighbors - a personal recommendation goes a long way toward convincing someone to try something new. Another way to do that would be to do a presentation during a parents open house at school. I have heard mixed feedback from others as to the success of this approach, but it might be worth a try. I would need some help from some of you to contact the elementary schools in our area and find out how best we can do this. Here is where I think the Timucuan Federation shines - they have a recruiting video! You can see their recruiting video at this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLcyVWetbrI ; I do not expect to make a video, but Roy and I did put together a good photo slideshow we can use, and make some of the same points the gentlemen in this video did. If you help me set these up, I'll put on the Indian regalia and go make the presentation!

* I hope to do more campfire programs within our tribe. I think stories and rituals, such as the Broken Arrow and Acorn ceremonies that the Timucuan Federation do, are valuable for helping the kids appreciate their Indian Guide/Princess journey more and it makes things more interesting as well. I also intend to create some more rituals or stories along the lines of the Legend of the Tomahawk to help teach the 7 Aims - that's something we all should know, and not just read them as we're doing the Aims walk at the Cornfest.

* Learn something about the Indian culture. Again using the Timucuan Federation as a model, each of their tribes teaches there kids something about the Indian tribe whose name they are using to help them understand their culture.

* Along with the stories and rituals, I want to try to work in some skill training. Mark Marshall tried to do some of that during his tenure, and I hope to build on that. Teaching the kids how to build a fire, use a knife, and even cook (as Jeff suggested), are great skills we can teach the kids. I'm already thinking that our October campout at Umatilla will feature lunch cooked by the kids - that ought to be interesting!

* To help enhance the campfire rituals I just mentioned, I'd like our future campsites to have at least a little bit of order to emphasize our gathering around the campfire. I'm thinking we arrange the campsite basically in a U-shape with the campfire located at the open end of the U (what can I say - it's the architect in me talking!). I'd like to also purchase about 4-6 tiki torches, or we can bring our own, to arrange near the campfire area. I learned from Chuck Bosworth a long time ago - the more fire, the better! (I think)

* I would like to have one of you to take charge of "war games" for the tribe. These would be games that we would have available at each campout if we have free time between other federation activities, that would involve the kids and parents. These might be games like a 3-legged race, balloon toss, kickball - anything to have us interact with our kids more.

* I'm going to "suit up" next year - complete Indian regalia to accompany the headdress. Again, I think this will make the experience more fun for the kids. I'm also already working on a tribal banner that can be displayed at our campsite and taken to the Federation campfire programs - just another item to foster some pride in our tribe.

* I'm going to do some research on crafts and put together a list of craft possibilities. Waiting for someone to come up with a craft idea and sign up every month seems to always be a stumbling block that I would like to remove. I actually cracked open the official book the other day - after 3 years or more of not touching it - and discovered that there are quite a few craft ideas - they've been under our noses all along! Another possibility is to just go ahead and designate the craft for each meeting at the beginning of the year, and we all pay money to cover the costs; that way it's done and we're ready to go every month.

"You have 18 summers..."

The Timucuan Federation's example at the State Campout really made an impact on me. I am really excited about next year, and hopefully you can tell, I want to make the experience for our kids the best it can be - basically, take it to another level that I don't think has been seen in the Eola Federation. If we are successful, we'll also set an example for the rest of our Federation to follow. To do that, I will need your help - we can only do as much as you are willing to support. As always, I'd love to hear your suggestions - I'm here to serve you and your kids during my time as Chief.

Yatahey!

Chief Bald Eagle

Beautiful Weather...and NO TICKS!!!

Over the years, I have grown to fear going to Camp Joy because my kids always came home with at least two dozen tick bites each. We had no such problem this weekend - the weather was absolutely gorgeous, and there were NO TICKS!!!

We had a great time canoeing with the kids, stopping at a spot just 100 yards from the dock to let the kids jump out of an oak tree into the water, and checking out the birds, turtles, fish, and other wildlife along the way. I wish I had some pictures of the canoeing to show you, but there was no way I was going to take my camera in a canoe! But, here's a few pictures to show you:

As usual, we ate well - a big pot of Jambalaya on Saturday night - some things never change!

Unfortunately (for me), I'm afraid I started a new tradition by telling the kids that whoever picked up the most trash on Sunday morning would get a ride around the campsite on Chief Bald Eagle's shoulders - Lord help me if one of the older kids ever wins!

Although this campout concluded the "official" Indian Guides camping season, we still have one more campout that has become a great Mighty Kiowa tradition - Anastasia State Park in St. Augustine. I'm looking forward to a great time at Anastasia, and especially to seeing all of The Mighty Kiowa!!!

Yatahey!!!

Chief Bald Eagle

Snakes, High Wire Acts, & Indians!

What a fun campout!

In spite of the fact that this campout almost didn't happen, it turned out just fine. Not quite as many activities as in the past, but that's not necessarily bad! I read one email yesterday from one of the other Federations, happy that this campout wasn't like coming to a carnival or Disney World - just enough activity without detracting from the beauty of the site. Maybe less is more!

The snake show was a hit with everyone. I was not only shocked that my wife actually came along on this campout, but even more so to find she had her picture taken with a snake around her neck!

Many in our tribe did the high wire act, otherwise known as the ropes course. I know it was challenging for them and it was fun to watch.

And how about the war games - shooting soaking wet sponges at human targets with a big slingshot! Gotta love it - unless you are the one getting hit!

Choose one: (A) That ropes course was scary! (B) A well-placed shot by Abbey Smith (C) Too much ice tea for lunch!

My favorite activity was seeing, and participating in, the Broken Arrow ceremony put on by the Timucuan Federation at the Saturday night campfire. I found it to be a great ritual, that reminded both me and my kids what this whole Indian Guide/Princess program is about - spending good, quality time together without a lot of interference from our normal routines. I was so impressed that I have already contacted Chief Golden Bear, the Timucuan Federation Chief, and obtained a copy of both the Broken Arrow and Acorn ceremonies so that we might do these ourselves on future campouts.

Broken Arrow

So thankful she completed the ropes course, she re-enacts the Last Supper!

Next up is Camp Joy in April!

Yatahey!

Chief Bald Eagle

Random Thoughts

A couple of random thoughts...

.....From the time I first created this blog, my goal has always been twofold: (1) inform everyone - hopefully in an entertaining manner - as to what's going on with The Mighty Kiowa, and (2) from time to time, say something about that which is near and dear to all of us - our families - without injecting too much of my personal views. I set out to write an Easter message, and found very quickly, that it was not possible for me to touch this topic without violating principle (2). Nevertheless, I believe that Easter is an important holiday, so I wanted to write something about it. To resolve this dilemma, I created another blog that I named A Man and 3 Nails. At this time, the sole purpose of this alternative site is to post the Easter message that was originally planned for this blog. If you are interested, I have placed a link to that blog on the right side of this page.

.....The weather has sure been nice the past week - the temperature is warming up and the yard is starting to green up, and we're into the homestretch of campouts for this year! I've really enjoyed our campouts this year, and look forward to finishing strong and having fun.

.....I've been giving some thought to how we might do a couple of things differently for next year, and I'll share those ideas with you soon. In the meantime, I hope you will help out with ideas of your own as well.

Yatahey!

Chief Bald Eagle

The Return of the Tomahawk!

Yatahey Kiowa Warriors!

At last, the long-lost Kiowa Tomahawk has been found, and returned to it's rightful place in our circle! This is a great day in the history of the Mighty Kiowa! I, Chief Bald Eagle, and the Elders of the tribe are proud of our young Kiowa Warriors for finding the Tomahawk. Remember always that the Tomahawk reminds us of the third aim - Love the sacred circle of my family - and that the strength and success of the tribe depends on it's families!

As always, no campout would be complete without a great feast on Saturday night - smoked chicken and pork this time - and brownies and ice cream to celebrate the return of the Tomahawk to our circle. Well done Kiowa hunters!

Also, kudos to Dalton for capturing an armadillo for the critter race. Unfortunately, he was a bit too big to be able to race, but you gotta love the effort for trying!

Next up is the State Campout at Umatilla - get ready!

Yatahey!

Chief Bald Eagle

The Legend of the Tomahawk

To the Elders of The Mighty Kiowa - share this story with our young warriors before our next meeting at the house of the Great Spirit.

Many moons ago, The Mighty Kiowa were led by the great Chief Strong Eagle. He was a great, wise chief, and well loved by the people of the tribe. He was named Strong Eagle not only because he was big and strong, but also because he believed in the strength of the tribe, and the families of the tribe. Each day it seemed, he would teach his tribe the value of working together to keep their tribe and families strong.

One night while he was sleeping, Chief Strong Eagle had a dream. In his dream, he was walking by a large lake near his village, when suddenly, a large white dove flew down from the clear blue sky, and landed on a large cypress log in front of him. The Chief immediately noticed that the dove was carrying a large tomahawk in it's claws, adorned with two large feathers and beads. The chief was even more surprised when the dove began to speak! "Chief Strong Eagle", said the dove, "you are great and wise! You have been kind to the people and taught them well! Because of your wisdom and teaching, your tribe has grown strong and lives in peace with the other tribes. From this time forward, your tribe shall keep this tomahawk as a symbol of the strength of the families of your tribe, and honor the third aim, "Love the sacred circle of my family". Remember always, that the two feathers represent the family and the tribe; just as the two feathers are tied together, so too are the family and the tribe. Each time you make a new camp, you will give the tomahawk to one of the families of your tribe to hang at the entrance to their teepee. As a sign that the strength of your tribe comes from the families, and not you the Chief, the tribe will select the family who will display the tomahawk at each camp. The tomahawk shall pass from one family to the next throughout the camping season as a sign that each family is an important part of the Kiowa circle. Go in peace, great chief!" And with that, the white dove flew away, leaving the tomahawk on the cypress log.

When the Chief awakened the next morning, he remembered his dream, and immediately ran out of his teepee to find the tomahawk! He ran as fast as he could until he arrived at the large lake. There before him, just as in his dream, was the large cypress log, and the tomahawk that he had dreamed of. Chief Strong Eagle, then took the tomahawk back to his village, and told the tribe about his dream. From that day forward, Chief Strong Eagle did as the white dove had told him, giving the tomahawk to the family selected by the tribe each time they made a new camp. The people treasured the tomahawk as a symbol of their belief in strong families and the Kiowa circle, and always looked forward to passing the tomahawk to a new family.

The Mighty Kiowa carried on this tradition for many years, until one day, the tomahawk was taken from them! No one knew for sure who took the tomahawk, but it was believed that an enemy tribe took it to show the Kiowa they were stronger. Since that time, each chief of the Mighty Kiowa has sent out scouts to try to find the tomahawk. After many attempts by our brave scouts to find it, we now believe that we know where our enemies have hidden the tomahawk!

Today I, Chief Bald Eagle, received a message from our brave scouts that the tomahawk may be hidden in the pine woods between the two lakes, known as Moss Park. I have sent word back to my scouts to send a coded message to us, telling us where we may find the tomahawk, so that we may retrieve it when we make our camp there. I have also told them to send the message back in separate pieces - one piece for each scout - so the whole message would not be lost if one of them was captured.

Young warriors of The Mighty Kiowa - I need your help to find the tomahawk, and bring it back to our circle where it belongs, so that it may once again be a symbol of the families in our tribe! When we next meet in the house of the Great Spirit on Feb. 9, we will make our plan to bring the tomahawk back to The Mighty Kiowa!

Yatahey!

Chief Bald Eagle

Created by Gary Kranston

A Terrific Time at Tomoka

After a 2 month layoff for the Christmas holidays, it was great to go camping again! This was the first time at Tomoka State Park for the Mighty Kiowa, and by all accounts, everyone really liked this location and had a great time. We'll definitely keep this park in mind for future outings! Given the near Arctic conditions Friday and Saturday night, this was a good choice with electric at each site to power those electric heaters! (For the record, I remain unconvinced that humans are causing any global warming!)

After our Saturday morning orientation with the Park Ranger, it was fun to explore the park - lots of beautiful woods and scenic waterfront. And, given the cold weather, that chili for Saturday dinner hit the spot, along with Roy's Atomic Buffalo...er...uhhh...Droppings for appetizers!

"What do you mean, I only get 2 slices of bacon"?

As always, I'm including some photos for your enjoyment. I didn't get as many as usual; with everyone in separate sites and doing their own thing during the day, there were not as many photo opps., but I still got a few good ones.

Last but not least, we got to say Thank You to our previous chief, Chief Diving Eagle (retired) and current Eola Federation Medicine Man, Mark Marshall. Thanks Mark for the campfire stories, and for being chief of the Mighty Kiowa for 2 years. Thanks also to our Hunters - great job as always! And of course, thanks to everyone for participating - we wouldn't get to enjoy your kids if you didn't bring 'em!

Get Ready for Moss Park next month - it's definitely convenient and close by, and always a lot of fun. I also expect to email the tribe later in the week regarding our May trip to Anasatsia State Park. Remember, no procrastinating on campsite reservations; our Tribal COO, Larry the Cable Guy, has issued the following recommendation - "Git er done"!

Yatahey

Chief Bald Eagle