Scout Honor Societies

H. Roe BartleTribe of Mic-O-Say - Organized in St. Joseph, Missouri in 1925 and in Kansas City, Missouri in 1929. The Tribe of Mic-O-Say still exists in both locations. Mic O Say is considered by some to be the strongest camp society group in the country, OA or otherwise.

This program still exists today and was started by legendary Council Executive H. Roe Bartle (pictured below). The names and symbols of the two chapters of Mic-O-Say are now protected by copyright and service marks and are not allowed to be used by other organizations or outside these chapters.  The program of Mic-O-Say has been adopted under different names in other locations.  A former Tribe of Mic-O-Say staff advisor in St Joseph (who is still a professional scouter), related that Nani Ba Zhu was started up again in Omaha in 1990 using the Tribe of Mic-O-Say program and that in Salina, Kansas, a group also started using the Mic O Say program in 1989 under the name of Golden Eagle. He also firmly states that Mic O Say is by far the strongest of any current camp organization in the country. I met some some of their members at Philmont training and would agree with his statement. Tribe of Mic-O-Say existed in the Western Colorado Council from 1954 through 1959 when it was converted to the OA and became Mic O Say OA Lodge 541. The Colorado group was organized by executive Earl Ring. Earl Ring also organized the Tribe of Mic-O-Say program in Burlington, Iowa in the early 1950's under the name of Silver Tomahawk. The Tribe of Mic-O-Say also existed in the Coronado Area Council in Kansas from 1944-1949 under the name "Order of the Red Arrow". It was started there by executive Leonard Lewis. It became OA Lodge 434 in 1949.

Additional Resources - Additional historical information related to Tribe of Mic-O-Say can be found at:



Additional Historical Note - "Manhawka" (another honor program) was merged into the St. Joe Mic-O-Say tribe in the Pony Express council when Bartle transfered in 1925.



Material found on this page is the work of David L. Eby and used USSSP, Inc. by permission. This material may not be reproduced without the express permission of David L. Eby


Scouts Using the Internet Cartoon - Courtesy of Richard Diesslin - Click to See More Cartoons
© 1994-2024 - U.S. Scouting Service Project | Site Map | Disclaimer | Project Team | Contact Us | Privacy Policy

Materials found at U. S. Scouting Service Project, Inc. Websites may be reproduced and used locally by Scouting volunteers for training purposes consistent with the programs of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA), the World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM) or other Scouting and Guiding Organizations. No material found here may be used or reproduced for electronic redistribution or for commercial or other non-Scouting purposes without the express permission of the U. S. Scouting Service Project, Inc. (USSSP) or other copyright holders. USSSP is not affiliated with BSA or WOSM and does not speak on behalf of BSA or WOSM. Opinions expressed on these web pages are those of the web authors. You can support this website with in two ways: Visit Our Trading Post at www.ScoutingBooks.com or make a donation by clicking the button below.
(U.S. Scouting Service Project Donation)


(Ruth Lyons Memorial Donations)