Kaniengehaga Lodge 420
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Kaniengehaga Lodge was the last of the four lodges in Tecumseh Lodge’s history to be formed, and was not established until 1949. The Licking County Council had previously used a different honor society, the Tribe of Gimogash, but this was not a camping society, and there is no evidence that it was still active in the 1940s, nor that any of its members were inducted into the Order of the Arrow.
The lodge's name comes from the Mohawk language and means "People of the Land of Flint." It was chosen because of the nearby presence of Flint Ridge, a very important source of high-quality flint to the Native Americans throughout the region.
Kaniengehaga Lodge existed as a lodge for only 38 years, but during that time it provided considerable service to Camp Falling Rock and to scouting in Licking County Council. In addition to supporting camp, the lodge also organized and ran many camporees and Cub Scout events for the council. Kaniengehaga Lodge was presented the E. Urner Goodman Camping Award in 1970 and 1976.
Kaniengehaga inducted its first Vigil Honor recipients, Michael Cochran and Richard W. Coelho, in 1960.
Kaniengehaga hosted the EC-6A Section Conclave in 1976 at Camp Falling Rock.
Mike Netters was elected to serve as the EC-6A Section Vice Chief for the 1979-80 term. Robert Mathy II served as Section Chief in 1983-84.
At the EC-6A Section Conclave in 1987, Kaniengehaga Lodge was absorbed by the much larger Katinonkwat Lodge. This caused considerable resentment among its members, as they lost their name, totem, and many of their traditions, while Katinonkwat gave up nothing. While this created conflict in the lodge for a number of years, it brought with it valuable lessons that would help make the merger of Katinonkwat, Maka-Ina, and Shawnee in 1996 a little bit smoother.
Arrowmen in the Licking District have operated as the Kaniengehaga Chapter ever since their merger, and have provided invaluable service in both the Katinonkwat and Tecumseh lodges.
Last updated 20 April 2021