Order of the Arrow National Chief
| Order of the Arrow | |||
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| Owner | Boy Scouts of America | ||
| Age range | 12–20 (youth) 21 and over (Co-ed adults) |
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| Headquarters | Irving, Texas | ||
| Location | United States, Puerto Rico, Japan, Germany | ||
| Country | United States | ||
| Founded | July 16, 1915 (102 years, 3 months and 1 day ago) |
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| Founders | |||
| Membership | 171,000 youth 70,653 adults 279 lodges (2014) |
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| National Chief | Forrest Gertin | ||
| National Vice Chief | Talon Parker | ||
| National Chairman | Michael G. Hoffman | ||
| National Director | Matt Dukeman | ||
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Website Order of the Arrow website |
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The Order of the Arrow (OA) is the National Honor Society of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). The society was created by E. Urner Goodman, with the assistance of Carroll A. Edson, in 1915 as a means of reinforcing the Scout Oath and the Scout Law. It uses American Indian imagery for ceremonies bestowing recognition on Scouts selected by their peers as best exemplifying the ideals of Scouting. The goal was to establish these as lifelong guidelines and to encourage continued participation in Scouting and camping. Influenced in part by camp traditions, and folklore about Native Americans, the OA uses "safeguarded" symbols, handshakes, and ceremonies to impart a sense of community. The use of these traditions has been controversial and been criticized by Native American groups as cultural appropriation.
Inducted members, known as Arrowmen or Brothers, are organized into local youth-led lodges that harbor fellowship, promote camping, and render service to Boy Scout councils and their communities. Members wear identifying insignia on their uniforms, most notably the OA pocket flap (representing their individual lodge) and the OA sash (worn at official OA functions) and are eligible for special OA awards. The OA program sponsors several events, awards, and training functions.
In 1915, E. Urner Goodman, a newly hired field executive for the Philadelphia Council, was assigned to serve as director of the council's summer camp at Treasure Island Scout Reservation on the Delaware River. He believed that the summer camp experience should do more than just teach proficiency in Scoutcraft skills; rather, the principles embodied in the Scout Oath and Scout Law should become realities in the lives of Scouts. Along with his assistant camp director, Carroll A. Edson, he started an experimental program, Wimachtendienk ("Brotherhood" in the Lenape language), to recognize those Scouts best exemplifying those traits as an example to their peers.
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