Editing Order of the Arrow (section)

==Origins==
{{Main|History of the Order of the Arrow}}

The Order of the Arrow was started as a Camp Fraternity by [[E. Urner Goodman]], newly assigned Director of [[Treasure Island Scout Reservation]] on the [[Delaware River]] and assistant Camp Director [[Carroll A. Edson]] under the name of ''Wimachtendienk Wingolauchsik Witahemui''. It was seen as a way to improve the summer camp experience and to encourage older Scouts to continue attending the summer camp. It was not part of Scouting America at the time. The name was based on the Lënape dialect.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Order of the Arrow Handbook |publisher=Boy Scouts of America |year=1977 |isbn=0-8395-5000-6}}</ref>

In 1921, the "known" lodges organized themselves under a Grand Lodge as inspired by the Freemasons. A new constitution was written and the ceremonies used in the early years were rewritten in 1921.<ref name="Hinkle">{{Cite web |title=History - Grand Lodge Changes Ceremonies |url=https://oa-bsa.org/history/grand-lodge-changes-ceremonies |access-date= 14 March 2024 |publisher=Order of the Arrow}}</ref> Concern about fraternities excluding some youth was brought up the next year during the Second Biennial Conference of Scout Executives. One attendee, Dr. Tinney of Little Rock, AR stated,

{{blockquote|I happen to be an ex-fraternity man. I have had experience where every boy in the camp is not given the opportunity - mind you I say the opportunity - to join that fraternity, which is certainly opposed to the idea of Scouting. If every man in camp is given that chance and not just a clique or coterie who call themselves together and form a fraternity, perhaps it might work advantageously.<ref name="Second Biennial">Second Biennial Conference of the Boy Scout Executives - 1922 - pages 161 to 163 - https://www.google.com/books/edition/Official_Report_of_the_National_Training/YyQlAQAAMAAJ</ref>}}

Goodman had defended camp fraternities at the same conference and opposed a possible blanket ban on them.<ref name="Second Biennial" /> At the conclusion of the conference, the Order of the Arrow was adopted as an "Official Experiment" of Scouting America.<ref>{{Cite web |title=History - WWW Becomes Official BSA Experiment |url=https://oa-bsa.org/history/www-becomes-official-bsa-experiment |access-date=March 14, 2024 |publisher=Order of the Arrow}}</ref>

Throughout the 1930s, the Order of the Arrow went through a full review. The terminology used by the order was slowly replaced to sound less masonic and more Native American. This was a requirement from Scouting America who wished to not offend the religious groups that represented almost half of their charter organizations at the time and this needed to happen before the OA could be fully integrated into Scouting America.<ref>{{cite book | last = Boy Scouts of America | date = 1929 | title = Annual Report of the Boy Scouts of America | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=LfqHjTNpXfAC | location = United States of America | publisher = Boy Scouts of America | page = 153}}</ref><ref name="Obligation Timeline">{{Cite web |title=History - OA Obligation Timeline |url=https://oa-bsa.org/history/oa-obligation-timeline |access-date=March 14, 2024 |publisher=Order of the Arrow}}</ref>

By 1948, two-thirds of Scouting America's councils had OA lodges. That same year, it announced at the 1948 National Order of the Arrow Conference that the Order of the Arrow was integrated as an official part of Scouting America program.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lindgren |first=Jim |date=January–February 2007 |title=Honoring a Legacy of Service |url=http://www.scoutingmagazine.org/issues/0701/a-honr.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080705024401/http://www.scoutingmagazine.org/issues/0701/a-honr.html |archive-date=July 5, 2008 |access-date=October 20, 2007 |website=Scouting}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=OA Basics: The Order of the Arrow is Scouting's National Honor Society |url=http://www.main.oa-bsa.org/misc/basics/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071014053041/http://www.main.oa-bsa.org/misc/basics/ |archive-date=October 14, 2007 |access-date=October 12, 2007 |publisher=Order of the Arrow}}</ref>