Scouting in 1920
Council Grounds And Fires. Cherokee Indian Council Barbecue. Camp Meeting Council Ground. The 
Indian Palisaded Council Fire. Indian Legends Of The Fire. Stealing The Fire From The Sun-Maidens Of 
The East. Myths Of The Mewan Indians. Totems Of The Four Winds, Four Mountains And Four Points Of 
The Compass. Impractical Council Fires. Advantages Of The Oval Council Ground. How To Make An 
Ellipse. How To Divide The Council Ground In Four Courts. Council Ceremonies. Ghost Walk And Path 
Of Knowledge. What The Different Colors Stand For. Patriotism, Poetry And Americanism. Camp Meeting
Torch Fires. Ritual Of The Council Fire. Program Of A Council Fire. Invocation. The Pledge And Creed Of
All Americans. Appeal. 

Like the great Boy Scout Movement, the council fire is also a product of America. The council fires were burning all 
over this land when Columbus discovered America. It was around the council fires that the Indians gathered in 
solemn conclave to consult and discuss the affairs of their tribes.
Originally the council ground was surrounded by a palisade; that is, the fire was in the center of a circular fort.
Around this fire the old men of the tribe made their eloquent addresses; also around this fire the warriors danced 
the scalp dance, the corn dance, the buffalo dance, and all their various religious dances.
Later the Cherokee Indians changed the council fire into a barbecue, where they roasted whole beefs in pits of 
glowing coals. This custom was adopted by the politicians in Kentucky, and the Kentucky barbecues became very 
famous; they were what might be called a by-product of the old Indian council fires and a European feast combined.
But in 1799 the old Indian council fires became camp meetings, and around the blazing fagots the pioneers 
gathered to engage in religious revivals. It was at one of these meetings that Daniel Boone's great friend, Simon 
Kenton, was converted and became a Methodist.
The camp meetings were originated by two brothers by the name of McGee. Bill McGee was a Presbyterian, and
John McGee a Methodist minister. They came to Kentucky from West Tennessee. John McGee was such a great 
backwoods preacher (a pioneer Billy Sunday) that he drew immense crowds of buckskin-clad men, each of whom 
carried a cow's horn powder flask and a long barreled rifle.
The small buildings used for churches in the pioneer settlements could not hold the crowd, so they gathered 
around blazing council fires, and from this beginning came the great religious revival which swept the border with a 
wave of religious enthusiasm.
It is a far call back to the old Indian council fire, and the blazing council fires of the pioneer camp meetings, but 
to-day all over this land we are holding similar council fires, many of them conducted with much ceremony, and not 
a few with religious fervor. The summer hotels have their council fires; the great Camp Fire Club of America, 
composed of all the famous big game hunters, have lately bought a tract of land for the purpose of holding their 
council fires in the open, and the writer interrupted the writing of this chapter to attend one of the club's council 
fires. The military schools are holding council fires, and everywhere the Boy Scouts have their council fires blazing; 
even the girls have fallen in line, and this is as it should be, Therefore it is time that some regular plan was made 
for these assemblies, and some suggestion of ceremony and some meaning given to the council grounds.
THE INDIAN ORIGINS
We have searched the legends of the Red Man for suggestions, and from various sources have learned that the
Indian had a general belief that at the north there is a yellow or black mountain, at the east there is a white 
mountain of light, at the south there is a red mountain, and at the west there is a blue mountain. At the east and 
west there are also holes in the sky, through which the sun comes to light us by day, and through which the sun 
disappears so that we may sleep by night. That is news to most of my readers, but not to the Red Men.
In the "Dawn of the World," Dr. C. Hart Merriam gives a collection of "The Myths and Weird Tales told by the Mewan 
Indians of California," which are full of poetry and suggestions useful for the council fire work.
It seems that when the white-footed mouse man, and some other of the animal people, were trying to steal the sun, 
or the fire from which the sun was made, the robin man, Wittabbah, suspected these visitors to be sort of German 
spies, and so he hovered over the fire, spreading his wings and tail to protect it. Now if you don't believe this you 
look at the robin's breast and you will see that he still carries the red marks of the fire, which is proof enough for 
anyone; hence we will give the fire-keeper for our council the name of Wit-tab-bah, the robin.
Since the north is presided over by the totem of the mountain lion, or panther, we will give the officer occupying that
court the Indian name of the mountain lion, He-le-jah. The totem of the east is the white timber wolf, Too-le-ze; the
color of that court is white, representing light. The totem of the south court is the badger; the color is red and the
Indian name is Too-winks. The color of the west court is blue and the totem is the bear; Kor-le is the Indian name
of the bear, and the title of the officer presiding over the blue totem.
The golden or yellow court is the throne of the presiding officer, the scoutmaster of the troop, the headmaster of the
school, the gangmaster of your gang, the campmaster of your camp, or the captain of your team. The second in
command occupies the white court, the third the red court, and the fourth the blue court. If your council is a military 
school the commandant occupies the yellow court, the lieutenant-colonel the white court, the major the red court
and the first captain the blue court. Now that you have that straight in your heads we will proceed to lay out the 
court.
The author is aware of the fact that the general reader may be more interested in scout camping, summer camping,
and recreation camps than in real wilderness work, but he has tried to impress upon the boys and girls, too, for that
matter, the fact that the knowledge of real wilderness work will make even the near-at-home camping easier for 
them, and very much more interesting; it will also cause them to enjoy the council fire better and have a greater 
appreciation for everything pertaining to outdoor life. The wilderness campfire over which the solitary explorer or 
hunter hovers, or around which a group of hunters assemble and spin their yarns, magnified and enlarged to a big 
blazing fire becomes the council fire around which gather all the members of a recreation camp, the pupils of an 
outdoor school, a troop or many troops of Boy Scouts; therefore we have given the council fire serious study, 
because the most inconvenient as well as the most romantic place to talk is at the Council Fire.

THE COUNCIL FIRE
There could be no more impractical plan for a place to speak than a circle with a big fire in the middle of it, and that
is the plan of all the council grounds. The audience must be seated on the circumference of the circle, and the 
Master of Ceremonies must stand necessarily with his face to the fire and his back to part of his audience, or his 
back to the fire and consequently also to the part of the audience on the other side of the fire. Having had occasion
over and over again to address the scouts at a council fire, the writer has had all the discomforts impressed upon 
him many times. As a rule, the boys are enthusiastic, and so are the men, and the enthusiasm is most often 
displayed by the size of the fire; the bigger the fire the greater the delight of the boys and the more difficult the 
position of the orator or Master of Ceremonies. All this may be overcome, however, if in place of a circle the council 
grounds are laid out in an oval or an ellipse, and the fire-place located near one end of the ellipse (Fig. 371).
How TO DESCRIBE AN ELLIPSE
After you have decided upon the size of your council grounds, drive two stakes A and B (Figs. 363 and 365) firmly 
into the ground; then take a cord, clothesline, or some kind of twine (Fig. 362), and tie the ends together, thus
forming a loop (Fig. 363) ; put the loop over the two stakes A and B; next make a marker stake C (Fig. 366), and 
with it draw the slack of the line taut as in Fig. 364. The ellipse is marked out as in Fig. 365. This is done by taking 
firm hold of the top of the stake and using care to keep the line taut while the marker walks around the ground 
scratching the earth with the point of the marking stick, and allowing the cord to slip smoothly across the stick while 
the marking is being done (Fig. 364).

WHAT is AN ELLIPSE?
An ellipse might be called a flattened circle. If you take a tin can and press the two sides of the open end of it 
inwards, it will form an ellipse. The dictionary says that an ellipse is a conic which does not extend to infinity and 
whose intersections with the line of infinity are imaginary. Now that is a very lucid explanation! I hope you 
understand it, it is so simple, but it is just like a dictionary to say such terrible things about a harmless ellipse. To tell
the truth, I thought I knew all about an ellipse until I read this explanation; but never mind, we know what it looks like
and if we do not know what it is, we do know that there are a lot of things besides ellipses that do not extend to 
infinity, and we also know that an ellipse is a practical form for a council fire in spite of the hard names the dictionary
calls it. This oval is really shaped like the body of a theatre and it gives the audience a chance to see what is doing 
on the stage, and the people on the stage a chance to see and address the audience.
How TO DIVIDE THE COUNCIL FIRE GROUND
This infinity talk has suggested to us a good idea, so we must thank our highbrow dictionary while we lay our council
ground out with the major axis (the longest diameter) extending due north and south, and the minor axis (the 
shortest diameter) extending due east and west, like any other well regulated council or lodge, and we will put the 
fire-place near the southern end S (Fig. 37l), while around the ellipse we will arrange the seats, which may be of 
logs or stumps or sections of logs set up on end, as I used in one of my camps, or the seats may be rough plank 
benches, or they may be ponchos spread upon the ground with the shiny side down to keep the dampness from the
audience as it squats tailor-fashion upon the ponchos.
THE FOUR COURTS
Are composed of shacks, such as are shown by Fig. 367. He-le-jah (Fig. 371), being the Court of Knowledge, is the
only court having an elevated platform, or pulpit, or speaker's stand (Fig. 368). On each side of each court there
should be a torch; Fig. 369 is what we will call the camp meeting torch; Fig. 370 is what we will call the steamboat
torch; it must be made by a blacksmith. It is an iron basket supported by iron chains, hung down from an iron band 
at the top of a staff; the latter is shod with an iron point so that it may be thrust into the ground. These fire baskets I 
have used with success in one of my camps. But homemade torches are to be preferred (see Fig. 369). A hand 
torch (Fig. 373) may be made of pine, spruce or cedar slivers and used for processions entering the council 
grounds; this gives a thrilling effect.
In the diagram (Fig. 370), the staff is short, but it should be long enough to place the torch as high above the 
ground as a chandelier is above the floor at home. Fig. 372 shows the method of piling up the wood for the council 
fire. The kindling wood is first placed upon the ground ready to light at a moment's notice; over that the heavy wood
is piled, as shown in the diagram. This fire should never be lighted with a match; that is terrible bad form. The use of
flint and steel or a rubbing stick to make fire is the proper ceremony for such occasions.

Fig. 374 shows how to make a fire box of sticks. This is an aeroplane view of a fire box, that is, a view from above,
looking down upon it. This box should be filled with sand, clay or dirt, upon which the fire is built. Fig. 375 and Fig.
376 show you how to lash the framework together. Fig. 377 shows how to put up the framework. Fig. 369 is the
finished torch.
The idea of this torch is to have the light above the heads of the campers. The trouble with a fire upon the ground 
is that while the flames give light they also hide part of the crowd, and the smoke is always in someone's face. This
elevated torch is a brand new idea for this purpose. It will be adopted all over the country and credited to all sorts 
of sources and people, but you must remember that it was designed for the readers of this book.
If milled lumber is used in building the shacks for the four courts, it should be camouflaged with paint or stain so as 
to look rustic. It may be roofed with boards and the boards covered with tar paper, or any of the modern roofing
materials to be had, but in that case the roof should be camouflaged by laying poles over the top of it, or, if poles
are not available, covering the top with sods.
You see the idea is this : we are having a COUNCIL FIRE not something else and we want the thing to look wild and
rustic because that is part of the game, and if we are compelled to go to the lumberyard for our material, which most
of us will have to do, then we must conceal this fact as far as possible by camouflage. In front of the South Court on
Fig. 371 is the fire-place made of flat stones set in the earth.
COUNCIL FIRE CEREMONIES
On entering the council grounds always enter from the east, salute Too-le-ze, the white wolf, then go across the
Ghost Walk with the sun to the West Court, and salute Kor-le, the bear; about face and march back to the South
Court and salute Too-winks, the badger; then about face and march up and salute He-le-jah, the panther; remain 
standing at salute until He-le-jah who is the commanding officer, gives you permission to retire, or gives you orders 
what to do; then go back, always moving along these walks like a soldier, to your seat.
On Sundays the council ground is a splendid place for holding religious services. On such occasions the minister
sits in the Court of Knowledge, the North Court on the right-hand side of the presiding officer, and the two torches
in the daytime are replaced by flags or banners. The one on the right-hand side of the presiding officer must be 
Old Glory, the one on the left the flag of the school, the troop or the club to which the council fire belongs.
The center of the council fire may be occupied by a "Liberty Pole," which is the good old American name for the flag
pole, from which Old Glory flies. Never forget to respect the colors and greet them with the greatest ceremonial
deference, for those colors possess a magic quality; they represent to you everything that is grand, noble and 
inspiring, and if you have any other kind of thoughts, this country is no place for you. Remember that the council 
fire is American, and we are proud to be called Americans.
The walk, or path from the east to the west is the Ghost Walk, or the Spirit's Walk; it is the path which Indians 
believe the spirit takes after leaving the body, an idea which was consciously or unconsciously adopted by our 
brave boys during the recent war and it explains what they meant when, with bowed heads, they reported that their 
bunky, pal or friend had "gone West."
The Western Court has the totem animal of the black bear; the color of the court, however, is not black but blue,
blue from the blue Pacific; the totem object is a blue mountain. The walk from the south to the north is the Path of 
Knowledge; anyone traveling that trail is seeking further knowledge of the benefits of woodcraft, nature and the big 
outdoors; the totem animal of the North Court is the American panther, cougar or mountain lion; the color of the 
North Court is yellow or black, the latter representing the long arctic night. The Southern Court has the badger for
its totem animal, and the red mountain for the totem object; red is its totem color.
Thus we have white for the totem color of the east, meaning light, peace and purity; red for the south, meaning
violence, disturbance, auction, danger, revolution, love and life. This color is both stimulating and disturbing to man,
animal and plant.
Perhaps when we read of the turmoil that is constantly disturbing our southern border, we may think that the Indians
had a knowledge of the real meaning of red when they made the totem of the south a red mountain. Red is the 
ruling color, the king of color, the dominant color, the strong color, and symbolizes the blossoming of plants and is
the color of berries and fruit. Red tints the spring leaves and stains the fall leaf. In the spring the thickets and tree
trunks are tinged with red ; they are blushing, so to speak, as Ruskin says, "in order to show the waiting of love." 
Red is emphatically a masculine color, a MAN'S COLOR.
Blue is a feminine color; it stands for sentimental affections, blue light has a depressing effect and creates 
nervousness. Black is the ogre among colors; it devours every other color; sometimes the North Court is black; 
black stands for war and death, and yet the path to the north is the path of knowledge. It may be that some of the
Indians used black for the north because they may have noted that climate affects the color of birds and animals. 
According to Frank Chapman, the famous ornithologist at the Museum of Natural History in New York, the animals 
of the humid climate of the northwest are especially dark in color.
If you use yellow for the north color, yellow means laughter and mirth. Notwithstanding the fact that we use yellow as
a sign for contagious disease, women suffragists and cowardice, a yellow light makes a gathering cheerful and
merry; so in approaching the North Court you may sing. The Indian names for the four courts are Too-le-ze, the
east, for the south Too-winks, for the west Kor-le, and for the north Kon-win. He-le-jah is the Indian name for the
panther or mountain lion that guards the north mountain.
Now then you have the symbolism ; in other words, know what these things stand for, and that will give a meaning
to your ceremony around the council fire. Since red means life and black means death, possibly the Indians have 
placed a deep significance on the path from the Red Court to the Black Court, from life to death! when they call it 
the Path of Knowledge. At any rate, we will take it as we find it and adapt ourselves to the suggestions these 
meanings give us.
We will claim that colors are the spirits, fairies or what not who govern the council fire. Wit-tab-bah is the name of
the fire itself or the fire-place. When the fire is built, placed near the Southern or Red Court, it gives the chief, the
captain, the superintendent, or the scoutmaster, who occupies the North Court, a space in front of him big enough 
to accommodate his audience. The real way to illuminate, or light up, the council grounds is by having
TORCH FIRES
Erected at each of the four courts. These fire torches at the four courts, if kept replenished with dry wood, will light
up the council grounds and give a most picturesque and wild appearance, and at the same time will not interfere 
with the ceremonies nor will they scorch the back or face of the speaker. Wit-tab-bah may be used on occasions 
when the crowd is not large.
No council fire anywhere within the borders of the United States should open without the pledge to the American 
flag, and the reciting in unison by all present of the American creed. (See page 268.)
The council should close with the singing of "America." Especially should these ceremonies be gone through with
when the assembly is composed of many young people, because what George Washington said in his farewell 
address is as true to-day as it was a hundred years ago.
"Against the insidious wiles of foreign influences I conjure you to believe me, fellow citizens, the jealousy of a free 
people ought to be constantly awake, since history and experience prove that foreign influence is one of the most 
powerful foes of republican government."
There is no reason why we should not have a lot of fun at the council fires, and at times it may even be riotous fun,
but always American fun, and the patriotic spirit should never for a moment be forgotten, nor yet the poetic spirit 
which links us up in bonds of sympathy with all created things so that we may, with seriousness, recite the
INDIAN INVOCATION
	O Great Mystery, we beseech thee,
	That we may walk reverently
	Beneath Lah-pah our brothers, the trees.
	That we may step lightly
	On Kis-so our kinsmen, the grasses.
	That we may walk lovingly
	Over Loo-poo-oi-yes our brothers, the rocks.
	That we may rest trustfully
	Where the O-lel-le bird sings
	Beside Ho-ha-oe, the talking waters.
or this,
	Weave for us, O Great Mystery,
	A bright blanket of wisdom;
	Make the warp the color of Father Sky,
	Let He-koo-las, the sun-womaa.
	Lend her bright hair for the weft.
	And mingle with it the red and gold threads of evening.
	O Great Mystery; O Mother Earth! O Father Sky!
	We, your children, love the things you love;
	Therefore, let the border of our blanket
	Be bending Ku-yet-tah, the rainbow,
	And the fringe be glittering Nuk-kah, the slashing rain.
or with abandon we may sing, or chant the song of the elves,
	"Oh, we are the fays, oh, we are the elves.
	Who, laughing at everything, laugh at ourselves.
		If Fortune's wheel is broke.
		Why, we can put a spoke in it.
		Misfortune hits no stroke.
		But we can put a joke in it.
		The owl can do our thinking,
		As he sits awinking, blinking.
		We act from intuition.
		Fun and mischief is our mission;
		Solemn duty, we have none of it,
		What we do is for the fun of it;
		Fun is none too light to prize,
		Thought is naught but fancy's Sight.
		Folly's jolly, wit is wise.
		Laughter after all is right.
	* From unpublished verses by Captain Harry Beard.
RITUAL OF THE COUNCIL FIRE
THE ceremonies of the Council Fire may be conducted with the accompaniment of pageantry to any extent 
desirable. At the Council Fire of the Dan Beard Outdoor School, the officers dress in costume; not masquerade 
costumes but the real ones. THE MAN OF THE NORTH, who attends to the Northern Lights, is garbed hi the blanket
clothes of a northern lumberman and carries an axe. THE MAN OF THE EAST, who attends the fire where the sun 
maidens dwell, may be arrayed in the clothes of one of our Pilgrim fathers. THE MAN OF THE WEST, who attends 
the fire of the Blue Mountain, is decked in the fringed buckskin clothes of the trapper, plainsman, or mountaineer. 
THE MAN OF THE SOUTH, who guards the fire of the Red Mountain, is dressed in the picturesque costume of a 
Mexican with a high-crowned sombrero. The seats of the different courts are draped with the colors of the courts.
PROGRAM OF A COUNCIL FIRE
The guests enter and take their seats, then the Herald enters dressed in the costume of a scout, a frontiersman, or
a medicine man, according to the plan of the particular Council Fire. The Herald faces the north from his stand in 
the center of the council ground and blows assembly call, or a blast on a cow's horn, then wheels about and faces 
the east, then the south and then the west, and at each he blows assembly. With the last notes and the last call the 
Scouts, Woodcrafters, Pioneers or students enter the circle, marching single-file around until the circle is complete, 
and they stand opposite where they are to sit. The Herald now blows a fanfare and the officers march into the 
council ground with the colors and the color guard. The officers group themselves around their Chief, the Scout 
Executive, the Scout Commissioner, the Headmaster or the man in authority at the North Court.
INVOCATION
The Leader, or head officer, steps forward and throwing both hands up in a gesture of appeal, in which he is 
imitated by the assembly, he repeats:
	Weave for us, O Great Mystery, etc. (as already given).
Then he cries :
	Four Winds of the Earth, we have saluted you!
	Wind of the North, from whence come our snow and ice.
	Wind of the East, from whence come our clouds and rams.
	Wind of the West, from whence comes our sunshine,
	Wind of the South, from whence comes our warmth.
		Send us your men to guard the mystic fires.
The Men of the North, East, West and South, now step in front of the Chief, and he directs them to:
	"See that the mystic fires are blazing."
The fires, having already been carefully prepared, are now lighted by the fire-keepers under the direction of the 
men of the Four Winds, and the latter return and report to the Chief in the following manner :
	Chief .... 
	Man of the North, you whose mighty axe bites to the heart of the pine,
	Are the mystic Northern Lights burning at Kon-win?
	Is He-le-jah, the Mountain-lion, on guard on the yellow mountain of the North?
	Man of the North .... 
	Chief, the Medicine fire has been lighted, the Mountain-lion is guarding the yellow 
	mountain of the North, 
	All is well.
	Chief .... 
	Man of the East, is the Medicine Fire at Too-le-ze blazing? Is the White Wolf on guard 
	at the White Mountain, where the sun-maidens dwell?
	Man of the East .... 
	Chief, Too-le-ze blazes in the East, the White Wolf is on guard. Wah-tab-bah, the robin, 
	shields the fire,
	All is well.
	Chief .... 
	Man of the West, man of the plains and mountains, does the mystic fire at Kor-le blaze?
	Is the Black Bear guarding the Blue Mountain, where the sun sets?
	Man of the West ....
	Chief, Kor-le is ablaze, the Black Bear's growls may be heard in the torrent that guards the 
	Blue Mountain.
	All is well.
	Chief .... 
	Man of the South, how blazes the fire at Too-winks? Has the Red Badger come from its 
	burrow to stand guard on the Red Mountain?
	Man of the South ....
	Chief, Too-winks flames to the sky. The Red Badger is on guard.
	All is well.
The Color Guard now enters, marches up to hi front of the officers and all stand at salute. The Color Guard with
colors about faces and the guests and all present recite in unison:
THE PLEDGE AND CREED OF ALL AMERICANS
	"I believe in the people of the United States, I believe in
	the United States form of government, I believe in the preamble
	of the Declaration of Independence, I believe that all
	men are created equal, that they are endowed by their
	Creator with certain inalienable rights, among which are
	Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.
	"I believe in our Government of the People, by the People
	and for the People, a government whose just powers are derived
	from the consent of the governed, a Sovereign Nation
	of many Sovereign States, a Democracy in a Republic, a perfect
	Union, one and inseparable.
	"A Union which will live because of the vital principles of
	Freedom, Equality, Justice, Humanity and Kindness which
	it contains, and for which American Patriots have willingly
	sacrificed their lives and fortunes.
	"I therefore believe that in order to respect my own manhood
	I must love my country, support its Constitution and
	obey its Laws; also that I must respect its Flag, and defend
	it against all enemies."
After which may come the Scout oath, Pioneer oath or Camp-fire oath, as the case may be. Then the command is
given to "spread ponchos," followed by the command "squat!" when all the Scouts, Woodcrafters, Pioneers, or
students squat tailor-fashion upon their ponchos, and the guests seat themselves on the benches which have been
provided for them.
Following this comes the address by the speakers, the entertainments and exhibitions of woodcraft, scoutcraft, or
handicraft, the games, and other entertainment; then follows the awarding of honors. After which all stand to sing
"America." Then the Chief or Leader steps forward and repeats the following
APPEAL
		O Great Mystery, we beseech thee (as previously given)
and ends up with the benediction, in which he uses the Indian phraseology :
	"May the Great Mystery put sunshine in all your hearts.
		Good-night."
End of Excerpt.
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