Tribe of Mic-O-Say

The Tribe of Mic-O-Say is an honor society used by two local councils of the Boy Scouts of America; it is not a program of the National Council of the BSA. Mic-O-Say's ceremonies, customs, and traditions are based on the folklore of the American Indian.

The Pony Express Council uses the Tribe of Mic-O-Say as its only honor society, while the Heart of America Council uses both the Tribe of Mic-O-Say and the Order of the Arrow.

History

Mic-O-Say was founded in 1925 at Camp Bartle near Clinton, Missouri under the guidance of H. Roe Bartle, who was the Scout executive of the St. Joseph Council, now Pony Express Council. Bartle combined his experiences in Wyoming with the St. Joseph Council's existing honor organization called Manhawka.

Bartle was inspired to create the organization after serving in 1922, as the Scout executive for the Central Wyoming Council. Bartle became extremely interested in the heritage and culture of the many Indian reservations in Wyoming. He spent many hours listening to stories about the Indian tribes and soon began to incorporate Indian values and ideals into his Scouting program. Bartle was inducted into a local tribe of Arapaho based on a reservation served by the Scout council, and according to traditional Mic-O-Say legend, was given the name Lone Bear by the chief.

Bartle started the job in St. Joseph in January 1925. The idea of Mic-O-Say was well formed from the moment he arrived. There already existed a camp society there called Manhawka, established by a previous executive. Bartle familiarized himself with the rudiments of it, and incorporated them into his central theme of an Indian-like society based on the principles of the Scout Oath. Bartle named the society "Micosay." A hyphenated version was used shortly after and remains popular today, though the non-hyphenated version can still be used.

Camp Geiger, which succeeded Camp Bartle in 1935, is considered the 'mother' tribe of Mic-O-Say. Bartle was "The Chief," and conducted all the early ceremonies personally, placing an eagle claw around the neck of each new member and bestowing their Tribal Name upon them. He built up the tribe during the next few years.

In the fall of 1928, Bartle became the Scout executive of the Kansas City Area Council. Mic-O-Say had increased both Scouting and summer camp attendance in leaps and bounds, and he established another Mic-O-Say program at Camp Dan Sayre near Noel, Missouri, in 1929, the first summer there. Another honor program known as the 4Ms existed there at the time. In 1930 Camp Osceola opened near Osceola, Missouri, and remains open to this day, renamed the H. Roe Bartle Scout Reservation, or commonly known as "Bartle."

Camp Geiger is now known as the "Home of Mic-O-Say"

The tribe flourished and expanded rapidly. The tribe in St. Joseph remained and grew. In 1947, ideas created at Camp Osceola returned to the tribe in St. Joseph to improve the program there.

The 75th anniversary celebration for the program at the Bartle Reservation included thousands of members of the Tribe, including the current and previous Chief Scout Executives.

Purpose

The purpose of Mic-O-Say is to reinforce the principles of the Scout Oath and Law , and to encourage continued participation in Scouting. Mic-O-Say Membership is conferred upon Scouts who participate in long-term camping and who best exemplify progress in their leadership skills. Membership is also given adult Scouters who meet specified qualifications. To be eligible for Mic-O-Say membership, a Scout must be an Honor Camper. He must be a seasoned, experienced Camper. He must have proven his leadership ability by his work in his Scouting unit and his community. He must be mature in thought and deed and be capable of understanding obligations as a Tribesman.

Organization

In the Heart of America Council, the Council of Chieftains, She-She-Be Council, and Tribal Council lead the tribe. Their official publications are the Customs and Traditions booklet, Cedar Smoke newsletter, and Inner Circle magazines.

In the Pony Express Council, the Council of Chieftains and the Tribal Council lead the tribe. Their official publications are the Redbook booklet and Make Talk magazine.

Membership: H. Roe Bartle

Prior to becoming a member of the Tribe of Mic-O-Say (i.e., a Brave), a Scout is typically a Foxman. This is a yearlong responsibility that represents walking the correct path to possibly become a tribesmen. While Foxman is not technically a rank of Mic-O-Say and is not a required step, it is uncommon to become a Brave without first being a Foxman.

Mic-O-Say consists of two membership levels or ranks:

• Brave - The rank of Brave is the initial rank for all Scouts who are called for membership in the Tribe. Once they join, they select a tribal name. A Brave wears a single eagle's claw with a small medicine pouch.
• Warrior - The rank of Warrior has two types: Hardway Warriors and Honorary Warriors.
• Hardway Warrior - Hardway Warriors are Braves who have completed the requirements to become Warriors. A Hardway Warrior is signified by two eagle claws mounted back-to-back so that the tips point away from each other.
• Honorary Warrior / Honored Woman - Adults over the age of 18 who join the tribe do so as Honorary Warriors and Honored Women. This is signified by two eagle claws mounted such that they point downward with the tips facing each other, resembling a crescent moon.

Hardway Warriors may earn certain responsibilities, known as "Working Paint" or "Paint Responsibilities" through the age of 21. This is signified by paint of the designated color on the tips of their claws. Note that not all Warriors serve for any of these responsibilities. There are many who join and die as a Brave or Warrior. The table below shows the various paint responsibilities.

In addition, the Tribe of Mic-O-Say is "governed" by the combination of the following two groups, with their levels also shown in the table below:

• The Tribal Council is composed of selected adults, who have the responsibility to carry out and endorse the policies of the Council of Chieftains.
• The Council of Chieftains is composed of the Chief and Chieftains, who have the duty to establish the policies of the Tribe of Mic-O-Say. They wear a necklace of 24 eagle claws.

Rank	Paint Responsibility	Paint Color	Notes / Responsibilities
Foxman	n/a	n/a	Not a member of the Tribe, but on the path to potentially become a Brave
Brave	None	None	Initial rank in the Tribe
W a r r i o r	Warrior	None	Second rank in the Tribe
	Working Paint - Additional possible responsibilities for Hardway Warriors
	Firebuilder	Orange	build and tend all ceremonial fires
	Tom-Tom Beater	Green	beat the drums that bring Tribesmen to ceremonies and dances
	Runner	Blue	messengers and escorts of the Tribe; makes sure the candidates get where they are going.
	Keeper of the Sacred Bundle	Yellow	keep the customs and traditions of the Tribe
	Shaman	Purple	aid the Tribal Council and prepare themselves for future responsibility; provide orientation for first-year campers.
	Tribal Council - Responsible for carrying out and endorsing the policies of the Council of Chieftains.
	Sachem	White	carrying out and endorsing the policies of the Council of Chieftains
	Keeper of the Wampum	White	carrying out and endorsing the policies of the Council of Chieftains
	Sagamore	White	carrying out and endorsing the policies of the Council of Chieftains
	Medicine Man	White	carrying out and endorsing the policies of the Council of Chieftains
	Council of Chieftans - Establish the policies of the Tribe of Mic-O-Say.
	Chieftain	Red	Presiding or Honorary
	Chief	Red	Head of the Tribe

Membership: Geiger

Almost the same as Bartle membership, but there are a few differences:

• The following responsibilities are not part of the Geiger tribe: Shaman, Keeper of the Wampum, and Sagamore
• Foxmen are only at that stage for 24 hours
• New members are given a tribal name instead of choosing one
• Adults inducted into the tribe above the age of 18 are all Honorary Warriors. While both men and women can be inducted into the tribe, they are all under the title Honorary Warriors.

Legacy

Members of Mic-O-Say have spread nationally and internationally. The previous Chief Scout Executive, Roy Williams, has been inducted into the program.. Two of the founders of Cerner, an international health care IT company and the current CEO of J. E. Dunn Construction Group, one of the nation's largest construction companies, are members of the program. U.S. Congressman from Missouri's 4th Congressional District Chair of the House Armed Services Committee Ike Skelton is a Mic-O-Say member, and was made an honorary chieftain in 2007. Sam Graves, U.S. Congressman from Missoui's 6th Congressional District, is also a member, having achieved the rank of Runner as a youth.

The Kansas City Chiefs are named after the nickname "The Chief" of H. Roe Bartle, who had that nickname because of his position in the Tribe of Mic-O-Say.

Controversies

There has been some amount of controversy over the Tribe of Mic-O-Say's initiation procedures and its use of secrecy. The Boy Scouts of America has adopted policies known as "Youth Protection" since the 1980s which prevent secret societies from forming within the BSA.

Some have raised issues about whether the Tribe of Mic-O-Say hazes new members and whether it is a secret society. Because of the national policy forbidding secret societies, Mic-O-Say has adopted policies that permit anyone to sit in on ceremonies, and although the Tribal Council discourages non-tribesmen from attending, Mic-O-Say does not stop concerned parents from doing so. Additionally, the program's habit of inducting the chief scout executive as a member gives the program transparency to the national leadership.

See also

• Scouting in Kansas
• Scouting in Missouri
• Wolfeboro Pioneers
• Tribe of Tahquitz

References

• Tribesmen Arise! by Cotton Smith ISBN 0-9754963-0-1 (History book of HOAC Mic-O-Say)
• Strengthened by an Eagle's Claw ISBN 0-9754963-2-8 (DVD history of HOAC Mic-O-Say)

External links

• Pony Express Council Mic-O-Say site
• Heart of America Council Mic-O-Say site
• HOAC Mic-O-Say Dancers
• Unofficial Tribe of Mic-O-Say Web Site