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OASections.com presents the History of the OA Sash
by Robert Higgins


The following is my expansion upon the National Bulletin article "Tracking the OA Sash Through Time" by Devang Desai, published in 1999: vol 51 Issue 1 & Issue 2. I've added my own additional research and created graphics to aid in the descriptions.

Graphics, scanned photos, and additional research [shown in bracketed red text] by Robert Higgins. Special thanks to Richard Breithaupt, Jr., author of the Arapaho series, and Hal Rosenfeld of Shu-Shu-Gah Lodge #24 for their input.




by Devang Desai
Order of the Arrow National Bulletin, vol 51 Issue 1 & Issue 2

Copyright © 1999 Boy Scouts of America


Since its beginning in 1915, the Order of the Arrow has recognized its members with a visible sign of membership-- the Order of the Arrow sash. Although times have changed, use of the OA sash has remained fairly constant.



original black "band" with white stripe
1915

According to the Order's fifth Vigil Honor member, Harry A. Yoder, in the early days of the Order the members wore black sashes[, which were called "bands",] with a white stripe running lengthwise instead of the white sash with the red arrow. The original sash was black because it offered a great contrast to the white bar and it blended well with the black ceremonial robes. (Yoder also served as a guide and guardian in the first OA ceremony, on July 16, 1915.)

[This is contrary to what BSA National promoted for the 75th Anniversary, when awards and other memorabilia depicted the first black sashes with white arrows. In 1992, when I was serving in Woodland District, Philadelphia Council, I was told by several Unami Lodge officers and members that these first sashes had white stripes or bars, not arrows. That same year, Unami issued several flaps (s14 and s15) that depicted this. This is also supported by the 60th Anniversary First Degree Ritual reenactment that Dr. Goodman attended and posed with.

In the ISCA article "The Black Arrow Sash," Bill Topkis and Jeff Morley state "There is strong speculation among today's historians that the original sash did not bear an arrow, but rather a bar. It is believed that the arrow surfaced sometime shortly after the initial ceremony in 1915... with references to arrow pins dating as early as 1916 as well as the original Constitution of the Order." (8).

In his new book, the Kekeenowin of the Wimachtendienk, Terry Grove proposes a compromise theory that a thin archery-like arrow could have been described as either a stripe or an arrow (376).]



Reenactment of the original First Degree Ritual with founder Dr. Goodman.
60th Anniversary Celebration, Treasure Island SR, July 19, 1975
A Pictorial History of Unami Lodge One and Information for its Members, 5th ed.,
Jeffrey A. Aster, editor, p. 25 Copyright © 1990, Philadelphia Council, BSA




black sash with white arrow (conjectural)
1916-1918?

Sashes from this time period are rare to find and, though rumored to exist in private collections, no black sashes from this era have surfaced publicly. [In a 1998 posting to Patch-L, Bill Topkis questions their very existence. He recounts that in 1989 National contacted himself and other collectors but they were unable to locate a "black sash" for the 75th Anniversary.]

Unlike our present three levels of membership, the Order of the Arrow originally had only two levels [called degrees]. The [First Degree] combined aspects of the present-day Ordeal and Brotherhood memberships, while the [Second Degree] was an early adaptation of the Vigil Honor.

In 1915, the OA did not exist as a national organization, nor did it have lodges. The Order was referred to as simply as ["Wimachtendienk W.W."]. During the early 1920s, the brothers gathered to establish and formalize the organization. They created the Unami Constitution, which laid out the Order's vision. It was at this time that the symbol of the Order was adopted-- a white sash with a red arrow.

[The 1920 constitution formalized the new Second (Brotherhood) Degree and renamed the highest membership level the Third (Vigil) Degree. The 1925 constitution named the three levels of membership Ordeal Degree, Brotherhood Degree, and Vigil Degree. In later years, two other degrees were also considered but abandoned: in 1926, "a new degree between Brotherhood and Vigil, called the Dramatic or Service Degree" (Davis 25) and in 1930, a new Fellowship Degree that relegated Brotherhood to a "confirmation of the Ordeal pledge" (Davis 30).]





Ordeal Honor sash (right shoulder)
Brotherhood Honor sash
(left shoulder)
1919-48


1940s felt sash

In this era, Arrowmen who were [First (Ordeal) Degree] members wore a white sash with a red arrow over their right shoulder. [Second (Brotherhood) Degree] members wore a white sash with a red arrow over their left shoulder. A brother in the Vigil Honor wore three sashes-- one over the right shoulder, one over the left shoulder and one around the girth of his waist. [The only two known examples of these are shown in the photo below being worn by Goodman and, above and to his right, Horace Kern*. Another question is why only eight of the other participants were wearing a sash as Second (Brotherhood) Degree members. Perhaps they had just completed their Second Degree?]


First organizational meeting of the Grand Lodge, Camp Biddle, Oct. 7, 1921
A Pictorial History of Unami Lodge One and Information for its Members, 5th ed., p. 8
Jeffrey A. Aster, editor, Copyright © 1990 Philadelphia Council, BSA

[*other than the founders, there were only three Third (Vigil) Degree members by Oct. 1921 (Davis 42): Kern, Howard Seidemen, and Harry Yoder. Carrol Edson, shown portraying Sachem the Vice-Chief of the Fire,
is wearing a robe and turtle totem, but without a sash.]



Third Degree arrow-less band (left shoulder)
triangle with notched arrow stems over wearer's heart
clockwise & counter-clockwise arrow varieties exist

1924-27
Third Degree band (left shoulder)
white triangle with clockwise red arrows
1928-33
Third Degree band (left shoulder)
white triangle with clockwise white arrows
(ebay auction by TSPA w/ asking price of $15,000)

There were no sashes for the Vigil Honor produced until 1933. [Grove points out that Secretary for the Third Degree Horace Kern in a August 1922 circular mentions "payment for their bands and their dues" which shows that Third Degree bands were in use at least by that time.]

Each OA lodge was responsible for producing its own sashes. The BSA Supply Division did not produce OA sashes. Lodges would generally make sashes out of felt with canvas or felt arrows. In 1927, the Supply Division began producing Ordeal sashes for the growing OA organization. Sash collectors have identified sashes from the 1920s by the thickness of the arrow's shaft.

[The earliest Third Degree known bands to exist can be dated to as early as 1924. They featured a red triangle with white clockwise or counter-clockwise arrows on a plain white band that did not have an arrow. Grove explains (381) that at this time the triangle, not the arrow, was the symbol of the Third Degree. Unlike a later arrow-less design, instead of being centered on the band, the triangle was located higher up towards the shoulder, usually above the wearer's heart (Myers 10). Both Grove and Myers note that the arrow shafts extend past the fletching to form a notch which distinguishes this design from the 1933 arrow-less sash design. In 1928, a new design that did have an arrow, but featured a white triangle superimposed with three red clockwise arrows was introduced.]





Third Degree arrow-less sash
triangle with clockwise arrows
1933

In 1933, the OA produced a [Third Degree band.] It was a white felt sash with no arrow on it. The felt sash had an oversized felt triangle with three felt arrows. (The earliest Vigil sashes had three arrows pointing in a clockwise position.)



1940s Vigil Honor felt arrow sash
with embroidered clockwise arrows

(ebay photo used with permission: item sold for $1,125)


Vigil Honor sash (left shoulder)
clockwise & counter-clockwise arrow
varieties exist

1934-48

1940s Vigil Honor felt arrow sash
with embroidered counter-clockwise arrows

(ebay photo used with permission: item sold for $1,765)

[At the Autumn 1933 meeting of the Grand Lodge, the Third Degree band was specified as a "an Ordeal membership band, worn over the left shoulder, bearing a red triangle and three white arrows pointed clockwise", and so the] arrow was added [back on] to the Vigil sash. The sash was also made of a cloth backing on the felt, which in turn would help preserve the felt. [The red felt vigil triangle had white felt clockwise arrows].

The next major change on the Vigil sash was the use of embroidered arrows in the oversized triangle instead of felt arrows. In addition, the backing was removed from the felt sash. [Both clockwise and counter-clockwise varieties of this design exist.]

[At the behest of the National Council BSA (Davis 49), the 1935 Constitution of the National "Tribe" changed some terminology. Levels of membership were to be called "Honors" instead of "Degrees", e.g., Ordeal Honor, Brotherhood Honor, and Vigil Honor. In 1953, "Honor" was dropped from Ordeal and Brotherhood (Davis 73).]



Red Vigil Honor sash for National Committee members
circa 1946

(left shoulder, right shoulder after 1949)

Around 1946, OA founder Dr. E. Urner Goodman created a Vigil Honor sash for members of the National OA Committee as a way of thanking them for their service. This limited edition Vigil Honor sash had a white arrow on a red sash with white [counter-clockwise] arrows inside the oversized felt Vigil triangle. [The Mar/Apr 2013 edition of the National Bulletin also claims that "For the 1950 NOAC, national committee members wore Vigil bands of reversed colors so they could be easily found by lodge members that had questions about the Order being fully integrated into the Boy Scouts of America."]




National Committee sash
circa 1950

"Insignia: A Journal of Inquiry into the History and Memorabilia of the Boy Scouts Order of the Arrow Sashes"
p. 13, Copyright © 2007, Paul Myers

Gathering of National Committee members with founder Dr. Goodman
1950 National OA Conference at Indiana University
The Brotherhood of Cheerful Service: A History of the Order of the Arrow, 3rd ed.
Kenneth P. Davis, editor, p. 35. Copyright © 1990-2000 Boy Scouts of America





Ordeal Honor sash (right shoulder)
Brotherhood Honor sash (left shoulder)
1948-50


Vigil Honor flocked-on-felt sash
with felt triangle and clockwise or
counter-clockwise arrows

1948-1951

1940s Vigil Honor flocked on felt sash
felt triangle with counter-clockwise arrows

(ebay photo used with permission)

In 1948, a major development occurred. This is the period that collectors call "flock on felt." The sash itself was made of [wool] felt, but the arrow used was flocked. [A thin glue is silk-screened onto the felt and red synthetic fibers, about 1mm in length, are sprinkled or flocked over the adhesive pattern and allowed to dry. This gives a nice, thick, fuzzy look and feel to them.]. The Vigil Honor sash was also flocked, and had an arrow with an oversized felt triangle, while [the clockwise/counter-clockwise] arrows within the oversized triangle were silk-screened.




1950s Brotherhood
flocked on felt arrow


Brotherhood Honor flocked-on-felt sash
1950-54




Vigil Honor flocked-on-felt sash
clockwise or counter-clockwise varieties exist
1951-54

1950s Vigil Honor flocked on felt arrow
with counter-clockwise arrows

(ebay photo used with permission: item sold for $895)

[At the December 1949 National Meeting, it was decided that all sashes would then be worn over the right shoulder. Brotherhood sashes would be differentiated by a small white arrow on the center of the arrow shaft (Davis 69). Actual examples of such as sash has yet to be documented. In any case, by spring 1950] bars instead were flocked onto the [Brotherhood] sash. [At the Feb. 1951 National Committee Meeting, it was decided to change the Vigil Honor sash to match the Brotherhood sash, (Davis 72) with] the oversized felt triangle reduced and flocked onto the sash. The flocking of OA sashes ended in 1954 with the introduction of twill cloth with embroidered arrows.



The Brotherhood of Cheerful Service: A History of the Order of the Arrow, 3rd ed.
Kenneth P. Davis, editor, p. 57. Copyright © 1990-2000 Boy Scouts of America

Order of the Arrow sashes, 1922-55:
  1. Ordeal/Brotherhood sash from 1922-48
  2. Vigil sash from [1934]-48
  3. Ordeal/Brotherhood sash from 1948-50
  4. Vigil sash 1948-51
  5. Brotherhood sash 1950-[1954]
  6. Vigil sash 1950-[1954]

Sashes 1 and 2 have red wool felt arrows sewn on a white felt sash. Sashes 3 through 6 have red arrows flocked on white felt. In 1955, sashes were made with red fully embroidered arrows on white cotton twill. In 1988, the National Supply Division experimented with iron-on arrows that were discontinued shortly thereafter.





Ordeal twill sash
1955-88, 1990-current


Vigil Honor twill sash
with counter-clockwise arrows
1955-88, 1990-current


Counter-clockwise Vigil sash (left)
Clockwise Vigil sash


Brotherhood twill sash
1955-88, 1990-current


Vigil Honor twill sash
with clockwise arrows
circa 1978-88

[Embroidered Vigil Honor sashes with counter-clockwise arrow, and starting in 1978 ("Sashes" 3), clockwise arrow designs were both produced concurrently up until 1988. The clockwise version is a mirror image of the counter-clockwise design, as shown by the lump or knob on the fletching. For more on clockwise vs counter-clockwise arrow designs, see below.

Meanwhile, the design for the embroidered Brotherhood sash has remained unchanged since 1955.]

As the use of twill cloth became dominant, two major stitches were used to bind the edges of the cloth sashes. The first was the railroad track stitch, or the double-stitched edge (used mostly from 1955-59), and the second was the rolled-edge stitch (used mostly from 1960-80). In 1980, the stitching on the twill cloth sashes changed from rolled-edge to chain-stitched edges. The last of the chain-stitched sashes were made in 1988, at which point single stitching was used.






iron-on Ordeal sash
circa 1988-90


iron-on Vigil Honor sash
with counter-clockwise arrows
circa 1988-90


iron-on Brotherhood sash
circa 1988-90
(ebay auction by TSPA)


iron-on Brotherhood sash
circa 1988-90


iron-on Vigil Honor sash
with clockwise arrows
circa 1988-90

In 1988, the [BSA National Supply Division] created twill cloth sashes with iron-on or appliqued arrows. These sashes were produced for only two years because the arrows were literally peeling off. [These sashes were called "lick 'em & stick 'em and lick & stick, as they were notorious for the iron-on design to come off in the washing machine. In 1990,] the OA then returned to embroidered arrows (including the insignia for Brotherhood and the Vigil Honor) on [a heavier cotton] twill using a single-stitched edge. [This is also when the design of the triangle on the Vigil Honor sash was changed from clockwise back to counter-clockwise arrows.]





75th Anniversary Commemorative Black Sash
1990 NOAC

To commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Order of the Arrow, the national organization reproduced a collector's black sash with white embroidered arrows as a souvenir for the 1990 National Order of the Arrow Conference. [It had a white cloth inner band so that one could collect autographs.] To ensure that members did not wear this sash, it was produced without a snap-clasp and was made shorter than the average sash.



75th Anniversary National Committee Red Sash
(50 made)

In 1990, the national chairman of the OA committee, Dr. Carl Marchetti, produced a [red] sash for members of the national OA committee that was a replica of Goodman's gift to the 1946 OA committee. The sash was to be worn by committee members, the national chief, and national vice chief only during Founders' Day at the 1990 National Conference. [This sash had "75th Anniversary" embroidered in white lettering at the top.]





1993 National Committee Black Sash
(75 made)

Dr. Marchetti stepped down as chairman of the national OA committee on June 15, 1993. To celebrate his tenure as chairman, he produced a limited number of black Ordeal sashes with a white embroidered arrow [and a white cloth inner band] for the national chief, national vice chief, and members of the national OA committee. Each sash was numbered and contained a special personalized message from Dr. Marchetti. [As shown in the photo below, it had a white snap-clasp.]

Through the years, the use of the OA sash has remained constant even though there have been occasional changes in the stitching and positioning of arrows inside the Vigil triangle. During the 83 years of the organization's existence, the sash continues to remain the visible symbol of service as was intended by the Order of the Arrow cofounders.

(Information for this article was obtained from Order of the Arrow historians Kenneth Davis, Terry Grove, and Harris Tanner.)

- Published article ends here -






White on Red, White on Black
1993 National Committee Black Sash and 1990 75th Anniv. National Committee Red Sash
on display for the 2000 NOAC, from the Official National OA Site


National Conference Sash Displays







More original material by Robert Higgins:

Clockwise vs Counter-clockwise Vigil Arrows


clockwise arrows
circa 1978-90
counter-clockwise arrows
1990-current

National Bulletin, Feb. 1937
The Kekeenowin of the Wimachtendienk: 1915 to 1948
p. 383, Copyright © 2007, Terry Grove
Confusion over the clockwise vs counter-clockwise white arrows within the Vigil triangle has remained for over seventy years. The earliest known Third Degree/Vigil sashes were made with clockwise arrows. Even early on, however, some counter-clockwise sashes did appear. Grove (382) documents Edward Pilkington's Third Degree band from 1924, which had the same design as the earliest documented sashes but with counter-clockwise arrows instead. Even after National started producing sashes in 1927, the orientation has flipped back and forth several times since.

Indeed, at the September 1936 meeting of the National Lodge, a reminder of the correct design was announced: "The correct Vigil Honor band is a regular arrow band... with a red triangle with three white arrows pointed clockwise superimposed upon it." (Davis 52). This was again reiterated in the February 1937 National Bulletin by National Chief Joseph Brinton, who reminded lodges of the correct clockwise design (Davis 53) and included a sketch of the correct Vigil Honor Band (Grove 383).

According to the authors of Arapaho I (Hoogeveen, Breithaupt 183), a forgotten manufacturing error from the 1920s perpetuated the incorrect counter-clockwise design. When drawings and photos of sashes first appeared in handbooks in 1961, they again duplicated earlier sashes with the counter-clockwise arrows-- even though Vigil pins and certificates kept the clockwise orientation.

In 1971, Richard Breithaupt brought this to the attention of National and was told that, because of the difficulties and expense in correcting this mistake, sashes would be corrected as supplies ran out and sashes were re-ordered. These corrected sashes first appeared around 1978 ("Sashes" 3), and were mirror images of the prior embroidered design. Both clockwise and counter-clockwise Vigil Honor sashes were produced until 1988. That year the supply division experimented with using an iron-on applique design with a clockwise arrows. After two years, this construction was switched back to embroidery and the clockwise arrows disappeared (Leighty).





2006 NOAC Commemorative Black Sash

A commemorative black Ordeal sash was sold for the 2006 National Conference. It included a metallic silver Sharpie® permanent marker ("ORDER OF THE ARROW" emblazoned in black) for signing autographs, and until recently it was available at the OA Trading Post Online. The sash features an embroidered silver-white arrow on black twill, with a white inner band for autographs. As it was not designed to be worn, it does not have a snap and is very, very short, only 38-inches-- which barely fits over the shoulder. Compare this to the 60- and 72-inch lengths of current sashes.


Black Sash Similarities


2006 NOAC Black Sash
2006 sash barcode sticker

1990 NOAC
75th Anniv. Black Sash

Because of their similarities, many have asked how to tell the difference between the 2006 NOAC black sash and the 1990 NOAC 75th Anniversary commemorative black sash:

  • The 2006 sash is only 38 inches in length. While I won't reveal the length of the 75th Anniv. sash, I can tell you that it is significantly longer.

  • Because of its short length, the 2006 sash only extends 3 inches past the shoulder.

  • The 2006 sash does not have a seam at the shoulder, only a fold.

  • The 2006 sash that had been sold on the online OA Trading Post comes in a bag with a white barcoded sticker with the description "BLK&WHT OA SASH 97524". I don't know if the ones sold during the 2006 NOAC have this sticker on the bag. However, the 75th Anniv. sash doesn't have a sticker or any paper tag inside the bag .

Please be sure to consider all of the above comparisons before deciding which sash you are dealing with.

100th Anniversary Commemorative Red Sash, 2015 NOAC

In 2013, the 100th Anniversary Youth Advisory Committee made a proposal, which was subsequently approved by the entire the National OA Committee, to give each 2015 NOAC attendee a special edition red sash. Embroidered Ordeal, Brotherhood, and Vigil Honor sashes, reversed white-on-red in the current style, will be given out during a special program. As these are intended to be special commemorative item, only those in attendance will receive them, and any remaining extras won't be sold. (Brendel 2)

In the article Centennial Update: NOAC Commemorative Sash, Forrest Gertin writes "The 2015 National Order of the Arrow Conference will be marked by a special commemorative red sash given to each guest and staff member. The sash will not be level specific, so each Arrowman-- an Ordeal, Brotherhood or Vigil Honor member-- will receive the same design on their sash. These souvenirs are also available as a thank you to those adults who gave up their spot as a lodge contingent member because of the recently capped conference attendance. Every adult who was registered for the 2015 NOAC through October 10th, 2014 will have the opportunity to purchase the inverted sash."


Eswau Huppeday 2015 NOAC Sashes

from eBay from eBay

Not to be confused with the official 100th Anniversary Commemorative Red Sashes, in 2015 Eswau Huppeday Lodge #560 issued their own collectable red sashes as NOAC fundraisers. While these were lodge issues, not from National, they were professionally designed and available in three versions: Ordeal, Brotherhood, and Vigil.


Other Sashes

To the best of my sources, no other authorized black or red sashes have been issued. Periodically, you may see on eBay or even at trade-o-rees other black arrow sashes, including Vigil Honor versions. Just be aware that these are reproductions or private issues that are usually priced much lower than the genuine article, and are fine for ceremonial teams or for display (Brendel 2).



Works Cited:

Brendel, Kyle. "Commemorative Sashes for all 2015 NOAC Attendees." Order of the Arrow National Bulletin 70.1 (Mar/Apr 2013): 2. <http://national.oa-bsa.org/uploads/bulletin/nb-q1-13.pdf> 29 Mar 2014. PDF file.
Davis, Kenneth P. The Brotherhood of Cheerful Service: A History of the Order of the Arrow, 3rd ed. Irving, TX: Boy Scouts of America, 2000. Print.
Desai, Devang. "Tracking the OA Sash Through Time, Part 1." Order of the Arrow National Bulletin 51.1 (Mar/May 1999): 6. Print.
---. "Tracking the OA Sash Through Time, Part 2." Order of the Arrow National Bulletin 51.2 (Jun/Aug 1999): 6. Print.
Grove, Terry. The Kekeenowin of the Wimachtendienk: 1915 to 1948. Winter Park, FL: 2007. Print.
Hoogeveen, Albertus, and Richard H. Breithaupt, Jr. Arapaho I: History of the Order of the Arrow through Insignia. Universal City, CA: 1976. Print.
Leighty, Craig. "ISCA OA Sash Checklist." International Scouting Collectors Association. Mar 2008. <http://www.scouttrader.org/References/memorabilia_chklst.shtml>. 21 Oct 2009. MS Word file.
Myers, Paul. "Insignia: A Journal of Inquiry into the History and Memorabilia of the Boy Scouts Order of the Arrow Sashes." Goshen, IN: draft copy Jan. 2007. Print.
"RED Sash Order Form." Eswau Huppeday Lodge #560, 31 Jan 2015. Web. 4 Mar 2015.
"Sashes." ScoutResources.org. 2007. PDF.
Topkis, Bill. "Story of the Black Sash." Subject: Re: A different topic (Msg# 007559). International Patch Traders and Collectors Forum electronic mailing list. 12 Aug 1998. <http://listserv.buffalo.edu/archives/patch-l.html> 26 Aug 2007. Web.
Topkis, Bill and Jeff Morley. "The Black Arrow Sash." International Scouting Collectors Association Journal 3.3 (Sep 2003): 8. Print.



History of the OA Sash
Created: 04-05-05
This page updated: 04-03-24


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Original material copyright © 2005-2024 by Robert Higgins. All rights reserved.
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