Frequently Asked Questions

We offer answers to your questions.  If you don’t see an answer here, go to the Contact Us page.

Q:  Is this program, and the Stewardship that offers it, associated with the Boy Scouts of America?
A:  No.

Q:  What does the Ancient Circle of the Arrow (ACA) program teach youth?
A:  We have three principles.
* Brotherhood – Its basic meaning is our feeling of fellowship with those with whom we share our character development experiences such as the Ordeal.  Its fulfillment is love for all people.
* Cheerfulness – Its basic meaning is willingness to forgo comfort in helping others.  Its fulfillment is joy in helping others, even when life seems to punish for doing so.
* Service – Its basic meaning is willingness to serve in Scouting.  Its fulfillment is a life dedicated to helping others.
We also have a hidden fourth principle which is how we spread the other three.
*  Example – Its basic meaning is to set an example in Scouting of the ideals of the ACA and Scouting.  Its fulfillment is to live your entire life as an example that spreads those ideals.

Q:  Are there other benefits for youth who participate?
A:  Meetings and activities of the ACA provide fellowship with other dedicated Scouts and help keep older Scouts active in Scouting.  Your local ACA should be led by youth elected by the other youth.  ACA events provide opportunity for higher-level leadership roles than youth would otherwise have available in Scouting.  For more information, see Weekend Events.

Q:  Are the methods of the ACA the same as the methods of Scouting?
A:  Scouting experiences tend to be normal outdoor events which teach ethical principles as a side effect.  ACA experiences are sharply constructed to directly teach ethical principles.  The ACA uses more ritual and symbolism.  You appear to be in a different world compared to everyday life.  The two complement each other.

Q:  Why is this program not identical to the similar program offered by the Boy Scouts of America?
A:  First, their Native American lore is usually not appropriate to other countries.  There is a significant amount of key ceremonial text that explicitly ties their organization to Native American tribes.  Second, they have been redefining the role of Indian Lore in their own program, but have not completed that effort.  Third, there are long-term systemic weaknesses that we are addressing but due to familiarity, they are naturally slow to consider.  For specifics, see Strengths of Our Ceremonies.

Q:  How can this program work in my Scout association?  We have our own culture and principles.
A:  To do it right, it will take a little careful thought to properly craft your ceremonies, based on the proposals found on this website.  First, if you are not using English, there are excellent on-line language translation services.  You will want to edit to use your own idiomatic expressions, Scouting principles, and other local and organizational cultural elements.  We will support you in this work.

Q:  My Scout association is different.  We don’t use the terms “Scout” or “Scouting” for legal/historical reasons.  Yet we offer a program for youth that includes camping, cooking, and hiking outdoors.  Youth provide leadership and teach skills to other youth, similar to traditional Baden-Powell Scouting.  Are we eligible?
A:  Yes!  There are organizations that call themselves Scouting that do not meet those criteria, that have strayed from what B-P intended.  And some, like your situation, do not call themselves “Scouting” but are clearly Scouting in reality.  We expect you to have a program that focuses on outdoor experiences and skills, with meaningful youth leadership roles, with youth working together and teaching outdoor skills to each other.  Our program encourages youth leaders to improve their example to the others and it takes place in a camp environment.  So without youth leaders and an outdoor program, the Ancient Circle of the Arrow is not a good fit.

Q:  How much does it cost?
A:  We would like to be reimbursed for agreed-upon travel.  There will be sashes, which can be manually created or manufactured.  You may choose to have patches.  Or flags.  Or t-shirts.  Or neckerchiefs.  Or not.  We have no immediate plans for any fees.  Stewards are enthusiastic volunteers with extensive related experience and knowledge, not professionals doing it for pay.  Baden-Powell in his final message to Scout leaders warned “Don’t let it became a salaried organization: keep it a voluntary movement”.  We have taken that to heart.

Q:  Why has no one tried to take this program international before?
A:  Historically, the OA BSA was very heavily into Indian Lore. It appeared to be an Indian Lore hobbyist group teaching some presumed-Native cultural ethical principles. But this was a misconception. Its principles and experiences are truly universal and have no more connection to American Indian culture than any other.

Q:  Please describe the core of this program.  What are its major elements?
A:  The core of the program is the Ordeal, a physical experience which takes place over a weekend and teaches four Ways of conduct. They are a night alone, service, scant food, and silence.  (For details of the tests, see The Ordeal and Ancient Hunter pages.) Its completion is how you become a member.

There are also two advanced experiences for members.  The first is completion of a physical Ordeal leadership role called Elangomat which ends in three ceremonial acts of allegiance to our principles.  (For more information about the Elangomat program see Elangomat.org.)  The second is the Vigil, which is a physical experience that takes place overnight. These three sets of experiences are implemented using ceremonies. All of these experiences take place in an outdoor environment.

Youth must be selected by their companions in an annual election held in their troop (or equivalent). This gives them the right to take the Ordeal and become a member. Adults are not selected as an honor, but rather to support the youth. But they encounter the same experiences as the youth, along with them.  Note, however, that the Vigil Honor is an honor regardless of your age or status.

There can be other events that are social, training, and/or service oriented. They can include any of the experiences described above, or stand alone without them. But they are secondary to and support the core experiences. See Weekend Events page for details.

Q:  What is an “Elangomat”?
A:  It is the central role of the Ordeal.  In order to effectively reach each candidate with our message, candidates are divided into small groups which stay together the entire Ordeal.  We call these groups “patrols”; some call them “clans”.  (You should use your own locally-appropriate terminology.)  Each is led by an Elangomat (which means “Friend”).  There can and should be Assistant Elangomats.

Elangomats follow all four of the tests themselves and lead, in silence, by example.  Although Elangomats are motivated by their desire to help others, the role has proven to be a very fulfilling experience for the Elangomats themselves. Elangomats become Fletchers (some call it Brotherhood) in the second half of the Membership Ceremony, with the candidates that just became members looking on.

Q:  What should the ceremonial officers wear?  American Indian regalia is not appropriate in our Scout association..
A:  The four officers are called Leader, Sage, Guardian, and Guide.  You do need to develop a way for them to stand out from the other members present, and each to be identifiable as to which role is which.  Ideally, you should use some kind of ancient dress of your country.  If your association actively uses American Indian imagery, see details on Indian Lore page.  Lacking a better solution, the four can wear their uniforms, but with unusually large single-color neckerchiefs/neckers/scarfs.  For example: Leader=blue (sky), Sage=red (sunset), Guardian=green (earth), and Guide=yellow (sunrise).

Q:  You call yourself a “Stewardship”.  What does that mean?
A:  A “Steward” is someone who cares for something but does not claim ownership of it.  We help you craft your own program that will belong to you, not us.  A roughly equivalent Scouting term is “Commissioner”.  Commissioners offer advice to Scoutmasters but do not claim authority over their troops.

Q:  What is the Vigil Honor?  Why is there no material on this website about its ceremonies?
A:  This is deliberate.  It is a disservice to potential future Vigil candidates to reveal details to them.