I recently acquired an undated Section NE-2B neckerchief with the totems and lodge numbers of the lodges in the Section at that time.
Section NE-2B was formed in 1973, over the next ten years it went through a number of changes as a result of a series of mergers and two lodges being moved to another section, by 1982 it was composed of the following lodges:
Ona Yote Lodge #34 – 1981
Gosh-Wha-Gono Lodge #120 -1982
Tahgajute Lodge #247
Kamargo Lodge #294
Nischa Nitis Lodge #410
Using Rob Higgens valuable resource the OA Section List, I have narrowed the dates when the neckerchief could have been issued from 1982 (the merger date which created Gosh-Wha-Gono Lodge #120) and 1988 (the next section realignment). Can anyone narrow this down a bit further?
I also notice that the Section name is very similar to the name eventually adopted by Kayanernh-Kowa Lodge #219 ( a result of the merger of Lodge #120 and Lodge #410) a coincidence?
Hi Bill-
I remember these neckerchiefs being for sale for at least a 2-3 year (perhaps more) time span and purchasing one at conclave. They do not date to a specific year but instead were issued over a number of years. For some reason, I remember them still being available in 1990 (I could be wrong on this) when conclave was hosted at Camp Portaferry. I had never noticed the similarity between the section name and #219’s name. It seems reasonable that the 2 mean the same thing (#219’s name is interpreted as “Great Binding Law” or “Great Peace). I believe first #219 lodge chief (Joe G.) was responsible for coming up with the name (there may have been a small committee involved also). I am certain they did not take the name from the earlier section but had arrived at the decision by simply doing original research. The Onondaga nation is close to Syracuse, NY and “Hiawatha Belt” was chosen as lodge totem. I believe the “Hiawatha Belt” was the “treaty” for creation of “Great Binding Law” or “Great Peace”. I am certain that then Section Adviser (Gordon K.) could provide more info. about the section neckerchief specifics. Perhaps I’ll stop in and see how he’s doing and find out more.
My best-
-Ray
Ray,
I’m sure that if there were still some neckerchiefs left after the 1988 realignment, they would continue to be sold.
A new collectors item, after all A Scout is Thrifty 🙂
Thanks for the update. Be interested in anything you find out.
Hi Bill,
Thanks for referencing my site! Undated section item most likely offered over a couple of years, and you’ve nailed down the possible dates. NE-3B’s site has a very nice section memorabilia gallery (with an even better photo of that item) http://www.ne3b.org/history/
I’m emailing the person who may own that neckerchief to ask for a more specific date range.
BTW, Ka-Ya-Neh-Ren-Ko-Wa is their section name, going back to at least 1976.
I own one of these neckerchiefs and it is either 1987 or 1988; however after looking at my other conclave items I believe it is 1987 because the 1988 patch reads Section NE-IIB and the neckerchief reads section II-B and they look nothing alike.
Thanks
Neale
Rob
My guess looking at the other items I have it is either 1987 or 1988. I
think it is a 1987 because the patch for 1988 says NE-IIB and this reads
Section II-B. plus the patch looks nothing like the neckerchief.
Neale
Neale,
You may be right, but I suspect it is a Section Neckerchief to be used over the course of several years rather than specific to an individual event. I have a 1988 Conclave neckerchief also, but not the 1987.
Thanks for the comments. Section and Section Event issues are one of the last areas in OA collecting that haven’t been actively cataloged. There are hundreds and thousands of issues that have never been systemically organized and a checklist created.
The collective memory fades unless it is written down.
Hi All-
I am 100% certain the neckerchief was a non-event section issue (as opposed to a conclave event issue). I attended both the 1987 and 1988 conclaves and have separate matching patch/neckerchief sets for each event. Should you wish for scans of the sets, I’d be happy to provide them for documentation purposes.
My best-
-Ray