Suggested Programs

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VI. Suggested Programs

A Monthly Series

January, the Snow Moon

Outdoors:
Tracks in the snow.
Gather mosses in the woods for home study.
Take a bird census.
Look for cocoons and dormant insects.
Dig out borers in dead timber for home study.
Indoors:
Make a target.
Make a warbonnet.
Study Sign Language, picture-writing, wig-wag; knots, splices.
Learn compass signs.
Qualify in first aid.

February, the Hunger Moon

Outdoors:
Snowshoeing and skiing.
Look for rock tripe; roast and boil it as emergency food.
Go to every aspen and study the cause of the scars on its trunk; each one is full of history.
Cut lodge poles.
Play the game “Watching by the Trail.”200)
Indoors:
Make a war shirt of sheepskins and beads.
Make Indian furniture.
Study signahng by semaphore, Myer, Morse, etc.
Also by blazes, stone signs, grass signs, smoke fires.
Hand wrestling.

March, the Wakening Moon

Outdoors:
Cut the rods for a willow bed.
Cut wood for bow and arrows.
Study geology.
Take a new bird census.
Get up an animal scouting for points.
Make a quiver of canvas or leather.
Indoors:
Make willow bed and other woodland equipment.
Make bird boxes to sell.
Make rustic furniture.
Make a wooden buffalo skull.

April, the Green Grass Moon

Outdoors:
Note spring birds' arrivals.
Collect spring flowers.
Note early butterflies.
Do your half-mile track work with irons.
Make your four-mile walk for the degree of Minisino.
Indoors:
One-legged chicken fights.
Make tracking irons.
Make tilting spears for tub work, on land or for water.
Carve souvenir spoons.201)

May, the Planting Moon

Outdoors:
Make collection of wild flowers.
Take first over-night hikes.
Nature compass signs.
Begin sleeping out your hundred nights.
Indoors:
Make a dummy deer for the deer hunt.
Make straw clubs for bear hunt.
Work on willow or Indian bed.

June, the Rose Moon

Outdoors:
Fishing, swimming, Indian signs.
Practise judging distances.
Learn ten trees.
Indoors:
Initiate new Indian boys.
Study camp hygiene.
Make a Navaho loom and use it;

July, the Thunder Moon

Outdoors:
Camping, canoeing, or hiking.
Play scout messenger.
Make a sweat lodge.
Undercover:
Make camp mattress of grass.
Learn the history of Tecumseh and Dull Knife.
Practise camp cooking.
Boil water against time, given only one match, a log, a pail, and a quart of water.202)

August, the Red Moon

Outdoors:
Camping, canoeing, or hiking.
Water sports.
Medley scouting in camp, each in turn being called on to dance, sing, tell a story, produce the leaf of a given tree, imitate some animal, or do the four-medley race namely, row a hundred yards, swim a hundred, walk a hundred and run a hundred, for honors.
Indoors:
Make a war club, each, for use in dancing.
Make a hunter's lamp.
Make a camp broom.

September, the Hunting Moon

Outdoors:
Camping, over-night hikes, etc.
Now the water is low, make dams and docks at swimming place for next year.
Indoors:
Make a collection of spore prints, and portraits of fungus.
When raining: Practise tribal calls, story telling, and games like Rattler and Feather-blow.
Make a Peace Pipe of wood.

October, the Leaf-falling Moon

Outdoors:
Make a collection of leaves and study trees.
Make a collection of nuts.
Gather wood for bows and arrows.
Indoors:
Arrange, mount, and name specimens.
Learn knots. First aid.203)

November, the Mad Moon

Outdoors:
This is the Moon of Short Hikes.
Now build a cabin for winter use.
Study evergreens.
This is the Moon of Gloom and Sadness, so study fire lighting; rubbing-stick fire.
Indoors:
Study Sign Language and picture writing.
Carve horns, spoons, and cups, decorating with record pictography.
Take up taxidermy.
Decorate the Tally Book.

December, the Long Night Moon.

Outdoors:
This is the time to learn the stars. Also study evergreens, making a collection of their twigs and cones.
Indoors:
Make bead work for costumes.
Get up entertainments to raise money.
Make an Indian Council, or a Wild-West Show.
Learn the War dances.

Suggestions for evenings

1st Hour:

Roll call.
Train new fellows, if need be, in knots, and laws; or prepare others for ist and 2d degrees.

2d Hour:

Lesson in one or other of the following subjects:
Semaphore, Myer code, tracks, animals, birds. Sign Language, trees, basketry, carving, stars, fire-lighting, box-making, bed-making, 204)

3d Hour:

Lessons in Indian dances.
Learn some song.
Tell a story.
Close, singing National Anthem or the Omaha Tribal Prayer.

Animal Story Books for Evenings

Written by Ernest Thompson Seton.
Published by Charles Scribner's Sons
5th Ave., New York City.

Wild Animals I Have Known, 1898.

The stories of Lobo, Silverspot, Molly Cottontail, Bingo, Vixen, The Pacing Mustang, WuUy, and Redruff. Price, $2.

Lobo, Rag and Vixen, 1900.

This is a school edition of the above, with some of the stories and many of the pictures left out. Price, 50c. net.

The Trail of the Sandhill Stag, 1899.

The story of a long hunt that ended without a tragedy. Price, $1.50.

The Lives of the Hunted, 1901.

The stories of Krag, Randy, Johnny Bear, The Mother Teal, Chink, The Kangaroo Rat, and Tito, The Coyote. Price, $1.75, net.

Krag and Johnny Bear, 1902.

This is a school edition of the above, with some of the stories and many of the pictures left out. Price, 50c. net.

Monarch, the Big Bear of Tallac, 1904.

The story of a big California Grizzly that is living yet. Price, $1.25 net.205)

Animal Heroes, 1905.

The stories of a Slum Cat, a Homing Pigeon, The Wolf That Won, A Lynx, A Jack-rabbit, A Bullterrier, The Winnipeg Wolf and A White Reindeer. Price $1.75 net.

Published by The Century Company,
Union Square, New York City.

Biography of a Grizzly, 1900.

The story of old Wahb from Cubhood to the scene in Death Gulch. Price, $1.50.

Woodmyth and Faable, 1905.

A collection of fables, woodland verses, and camp stories. Price, $1.25 net.

Biography of a Silver Fox, 1909.

The story of a New England silver fox. Price, $1.50.
(A companion to the Grizzly.)

Indoor or winter activities

Handicraft:

Make a willow bed (see later); teepee; war club for ceremonial use in dance; boat; skiff; bird boxes; wall pocket for camp; bow and arrows; paddle and paint it; fire sticks for rubbing-stick fire; drum; baskets of spruce, raffia or rattan, etc.; and decorate the Tally Book.
Map-making.

Games (see Index):

Learn the Games:
Tree the coon.
Quicksight.
Farsight.206)
Let each imitate some animal, or all the same animal.
Practise cockfight.
Practise spearfight on tubs.
Feather -blow.
Bear hunt.
Rat-on-his-lodge (with little sawdust bags.)

Learn:

The flags of some other nations.
The flags of the weather bureau.
The stars.
The evergreen trees.
The Indian blazes and signs.

Learn:

First aid.
Sign Language.
Signaling.

Songs:

Some songs for camp.
War song of Sitting Bull.
Omaha Tribal Prayer.

Dances:

The War dance.
The Dog dance.
Snake dance.
Caribou dance.

Robe or War Shirt Contest

It will be found stimulating to offer a grand prize for the individual that scores the highest in the whole campout, according to a given scale of points. We usually call this a Robe Contest, because the favorite prize is a Sagamore's robe — that is, a blanket decorated with figures 207)in colored wools or in applique work. A war shirt also makes a good prize.

The standard for points used at our last camp was as follows:

All events for which the fixed standards allow more than 5 minutes, 20 and 5 points as winner and loser.

All less than 5 minutes, 10 and 2.

Sturgeon: The crews get, each, 10 for every sturgeon they land.

Deer hunt: The winners score 10 for each deer hunted; the losers score 2 for each deer hunted.

Each fellow who wished to be in it was allowed for his contribution to the Council entertainment:

For songs: up to 25 points each; for long stories, up to 25 points each; for jokes, up to 25 points each; for stunts, up to 25 points each; for hand wrestling and other competitions, 5 on for winner, 5 off for loser.

All challenges not given in Council must be handed to the committee for approval, three hours before running off.

Prizes: ist man, 15; 2d, 10; 3d, 5 points.

All competitions must be on the present camp ground.

Extra points up to 25 per day for neatness and extra service.

Campfire up to 25 for each of the two keepers.

Dock up to any number for breach of laws.

For each hour of camp service, 10 points per hour.

Articles made since camp began up to 50 points.

All points must be handed in as soon as made. The Council may refuse those held back.

Those who have won robes are not to enter for present contest.

Those under 14, or over 35, get 10 per cent, handicap; those over 14 and under 18, get 5 per cent.208)

Suggest Camp routine

6.30 A.M. Turn out, bathe, etc.
7.00 " Breakfast.
8.00 " Air bedding, in sun, if possible.
8.15 " Business Council of Leaders.
9.00 " Games and practice.
11.00 " Swimming.
12.00 " Dinner.
1.00 P.M. Talk by Leader.
2.00 " Games, etc.
4.00 " Swimming.
6.00 " Supper.
7.00 " Evening Council.
10.00 " Lights out.

Good Program of Entertainment at a Council

Indian Formal Opening.
Peace Pipe.
Braves to be sworn in.
Honors.
Names.
First aid.
Initiations.
Fire-making.
Challenges.
Water-boiling.
Caribou dance.
Close by singing the Omaha Prayer.

Indoor Competition for a Prize

Each must get up and tell a short story. No excuses allowed. It is better to try and fail, than not to try. The one who fails to try is a quitter.209) Mark off on a stick your idea of a yard, a foot, and an inch.

Show a war club made by yourself.

Dance a step.

Sing a song “Mary's Little Lamb” — if you can do no better.

Lay a pole to point to true north.

Draw a map of North America from memory in ten minutes.

Show a piece of wood-carving by yourself, it may be a picture frame, a spool, an image, a doll, a box, or a peach basket — but do it.

Give an imitation of some animal — dog, cat, monkey, mouse, bird, or any wild creature you have seen.

Let each, in turn, read some one poem, and try who can do it best.

Play the part of an Indian woman finding her warrior dead.

One-day Hikes

I think it is a good rule in hiking, never to set out with the determination that you are going to show how hardy you are. It is as bad as setting out to show how smart you are. “Smart Aleck” always lands in the gutter. Do not set out to make a record. Record breakers generally come to grief in the end. Set out on your hike determined to be moderate. That is, take a few fellows; not more than a dozen. Plan a moderate trip, of which not more than half the time must be consumed in going and coming.

For example, if it is Saturday afternoon, and you must be home by six o'clock, having thus four hours, I should divide it in two hours' travel, going and coming, and two hours' exploration. Three miles is a moderate walk for 210)one hour, so that should be the limit of distance that ordinarily you tramp from your starting point. At five o'clock all hands should gird up their loins and face homeward.


These are some rules I have found good in hiking:

Do not go in new shoes.

Be sure your toe nails and corns are well pared before going.

Do not take any very little or weak fellows.

Be prepared for rain.

Take a pair of dry socks.

Travel Indian file in woods, and double Indian file in roads.

Take a Book of Woodcraft along.

Always have with you a rule and tape line, knife, some string, and some matches.

Take a compass, and sometimes a pocket level.

Take a map, preferably the topographical survey.

Take a notebook and a pencil.

Do not waste time over things you can do as well, or better, at home.

And last, and most important, it is wise to set out with an object.


Here are samples of the ideas I have found useful as objects for a short hike in winter:

To determine that hard maple (or other timber) does or does not grow in such a woods.

To prove that a certain road runs north and south.

To decide whether the valley is or is not higher than the one across the divide.

To prove that this or that hill is higher than such a one.

To get any winter fungi.

To look for evergreen fern.211) To get, each, loo straight rods, 30 inches long, to make Indian bed, of willow, hazel, kinnikinik, arrowwood, etc.

To get wood for rubbing-sticks, or for a fire-bow.

To get horns for a Caribou dance.

If there is snow, to take, by the tracks, a census of a given woods, making full-size drawings of each track — that is, four tracks, one for each foot; and also give the distance to the next set.

If there is snow, to determine whether there are any skunk dens in the woods, by following every skunk trail until it brings you to its owner's home.

Now, be it remembered that, though I always set out with an object, I find it wise to change whenever, after I get there, some much more alluring pursuit or opportunity turns up. Any one who sticks to a plan, merely because he started that way, when it turns out to be far from the best, is not only unwise, he is stupid and obstinate.