1971 The Movement During Normalization
Musketaquid Havlíčkův Brod
Picture from p. 178 1. A summer camp on the Lužnice river near Rožmberk, 1978. ~z~ RK
Picture from p. 178 2. The Musketaquid tribe's clubhouse ~z~ RK
Picture from p. 178 3. Camping in the Tatra Mountains near the Petruška spring, 1971. Top row from the left: Jirka Pulcr, x, Hehun, Kagas, Jarmila holding Lída in her arms. Middle row from the left: Milena Kafková, P. Šimánková, Marcela Poubová, Petr Pouba, Bottom row from the left: Jindra Kysilková, Marek Kysilka, Jiří Kafka, Slávka Šimánková, below Slávka: Radana, next: Bohunka Šimánková, Jana Poubová, Bětka Kysilková. ~z~ RK
Picture from p. 179 4. Musketaquid on the Lužnice river, 1978. Top row from the left: Jindra Kysilková, Jarmila K., Los, Jirka Kafka. Middle row: Milena Kafková, Pavel Dosoudil, Marek K., Helena Havlíčková, below her: Petr Tichý. Bottom row: Bětka K., Slávka Šimánková holding Romír K., Eva Tichá, Lída K., Kuře. ~z~ RK
Picture from p. 179 5. An igloo at a winter camp, 1970 ~z~ RK
Picture from p. 179 6. Building a small furnace, 1970. ~z~ RK
Picture from p. 179 7. Making a grass mat, 1979. ~z~ RK
Picture from p. 179 8. Los's memo for the camp on the Lužnice river ~z~ RK
Picture from p. 179 9. Los's translation of a book about Seton, 1986. ~z~ AW
On 22 February 1969, Vladimír Kysilka – Los founded the tribe Musketaquid and joined ČTU. At its council on 12 December 1970 after the organization had been banned, the tribe changed the name to Nezávislá trampská osada Musketaquid ("Independent Tramping Settlement Musketaquid") and joined TIS, an organization oriented mainly at nature protection. The tribe ended its activity on 1981.
Woodcraft among rovers
Picture from p. 180 1. Netnokwa's linecut, 1976. ~z~ AW
Picture from p. 180 2. Netnokwa in the clubhouse, 1971. ~z~ AW
Picture from p. 180 3. A council of the tribe Peřej ("Rapid") near Albrechtice, 1978. ~z~ PM
Picture from p. 180 4. Rovers from the town Suchdol nad Odrou, Javoříčko 1978. ~z~ AW
The spread of woodcraft elements among rover tribes was related to the search of program for this age group of scouts and to the new handbook Služba ("Service") issued by Ivan Makásek in 1969. A year later, Olympia published the translation of Seton's The Book of Woodcraft and Indian Lore edited by the scout and P. E. teacher Miloš Zapletal. Rover tribes would find the sense of their activities in woodcraft. The following would gradually set out to follow Makásek's Dakota: Šavani Praha, Netnokwa Praha, Midewin Praha, Mawaden Praha, Peřej Plzeň, rovers from Suchdol nad Odrou (led by Dan Říčan), rovers from Liberec (led by Miloš Zapletal and Míla Nevrlý), rovers from Olomouc (led by Lubomír Kantor) and others.
Many tribes had their own Eagle Feathers Notebooks and used the handbook Kult ohně ("Cult of Fire") published by Junák in 3,000 copies in 1969.
Concealed by TIS
Picture from p. 181 1. A registration card of a spring within the project Akce Aqua ~z~ AW
Picture from p. 181 2.–3. The Taraxaca brigade in the valley Radotínské údolí – production and installation of the nature reserve's border blocks. ~z~ IM
Picture from p. 181 4. Samizdat issued by Taraxacum, 1979. ~z~ AW
Picture from p. 181 5. Willy checking the spring by Mrazírna within the project Akce Aqua. ~z~ MKL
TIS – an association for nature and landscape protection emerged as an independent organization in 1969 thanks to the naturalist Otakar Leiský – Ralf by splitting from Sbor ochrany přírody ("Nature Protection Body") by the Prague National Museum Society founded in 1958. When Junák, ČTU ("Czech Tourism Union") and other youth organizations got banned, many troops used the opportunity of TIS membership that made a relatively free activity possible for them. Scouts from Prague's Neskenon and their friendly tramps (wilderness backpackers) and woodcrafters joined TIS to form their 68th ZS Taraxacum in October 1974. Apart from Hiawatha, there were also the boys from Mawaden or Brdská smečka ("Brdy Pack") and girls from Netnokwa. Biminiji, Řešetlák, Owígo, Mirko Vosátka and Jan Čáka also cooperated with them. The tribes Musketaquid, Peřej etc. were registered in TIS too.
Liga Irokézů ("Iroquois League") – Haudenosaunee
Picture from p. 182 1. Watercolor painting "Tuscarora camp on a flat bit", 1974. ~z~ AW
Picture from p. 182 2. Tuscarora camp, 1973. ~a~ PP
Picture from p. 182 3. A cover of the magazine Ajagu no. 7/1973–74. ~z~ AW
Picture from p. 182 4. Tuscarora camp of 1974 in Logan's diary ~z~ MKL
Picture from p. 183 5. Bílý Orel ("White Eagle") Council, 1973. ~a~ PP
Picture from p. 183 6. Pepa Přech filming at Bílý Orel's camp, 1973. ~a~ PP
Picture from p. 183 7. The Wyandots' trophies, 1973 ~a~ PP
Picture from p. 183 8. Neskenon camp ~z~ IM
Picture from p. 183 9. Brko, the Chief of the Wyandots, 1975. ~a~ PP
Picture from p. 183 10. Šakoh with the flag and members of Neskenon ~z~ IM
The summer of 1973 brought about the idea to from the society Liga Haudenosaunee. Chiefs and fire wardens of the Prague tribes Neskenon (Roman Splítek – Šakoh, Jiří Macek – Čiksika), Tuscarora (Jiří Kafka – Owígo, Pavel Dőllinger – Minewakan) and Bílý Orel (Jiří Červinka – Brko, Martin Senger – Tulák) worked long-term on the organization of lacrosse tournaments in Brdy, or camped together (Sedlo, Horní Studénky). The tourist group Bílý Orel ("White Eagle") even began to deal with the Hurons' entography and used the name "tribe of the Wyandots". Negotiations would take place all autumn but did not end up leading to anything. The security perspective played a considerable negative role in the excessive bonding of the troops. So, Tuscarora took the hit – maybe because it had been led by Owígo, already in trouble with the State Security as a scouting jailbird in the past.
Mawaden
Picture from p. 184 1. Mawaden's tribe emblem ~a~ MKL
Picture from p. 184 2. A badge with Seton, 1978. ~a~ MKL ~z~ PV
Picture from p. 184 3. A drawing from Logan's diary, 1976. ~a~ MKL
Picture from p. 184 4. The tribe's Founding Charter, 1974. ~z~ MKL
Picture from p. 184 5. RK Mawaden 1975, from the left: Logan, Tom, Willy, Miše-mokwa ~z~ PV
Picture from p. 184 6. Mawaden's forest titles decree, 1975. ~z~ MKL
Picture from p. 185 7. Mawaden winter camp in Šumava, 1979. ~z~ MKL
Picture from p. 185 8. The cover of the tribe's 3rd chronicle, 1977. ~a~ MKL
Picture from p. 185 9. A page from Mawaden's chronicle, ~a~ MKL
Picture from p. 185 10. Mawaden's great wandering trip in the mountain range Orlické hory, 1979. ~z~ MKL
Picture from p. 185 11. The council fire 1981. ~z~ MKL
Picture from p. 185 12. An invitation to the event Bílou nocí ("Through the white night"), 1981. ~a~ MKL
Originally founded as the Roverský kmen Mawaden ("Mawaden Rover Tribe", RKM) in 1974. Later renamed Kmen lesní moudrosti ("Woodcraft Tribe") Mawaden. The tribe name was picked from A. C. Fletcher's book Indian Story and Song from North America according to the legend "The immortal voice's song". The tribe's symbol – a black bison. Inspiration for founding: samizdat literature about Neskenon, and Zapletal's translation of The Book of Woodcraft and Indian Lore. Place of action: Prague and mostly Brdy, a range of hills. Close cooperation with Ivan Makásek – Hiawatha and the Neskenon tribe, tramps from Brdy, scouts, woodcrafters. Membership in the protection group TARAXACUM, first in TIS and later in ČSOP. Many protection and forest brigade works, excursions and "Akce Aqua" – hydrological exploration of Brdy that took several years, publishing of the magazine "Taraxacum".
The tribe's activity: a combination of woodcraft, scout rovering and nature protection. For this kind of activity, the tribe members accepted a combined emblem upon Willy's suggestion: the symbol of forest wisdom (woodcraft), a stylised lily inside (scouting) with a four-point star (symbol of nature protection), all on a pilgrim's cane (rovering). Motto – slogan: "Live eternally under the blue sky, go ahead with a rover's cane!"
Program: regular meetings and expeditions of the tribe all year round, summer wandering around Slovakia, winter camps, lacrosse, building knowledge about nature, protection brigade works according to the motto "Learn and protect!", sewing own teepees and other varied handcrafting, completing eagle feathers – creating own Book of Eagle Feathers, councils, building a council site in Brdy. The tribe used woodcraft vestment, flag, tribe shield and wampum. He started the tradition of the following popular events: Bílou nocí ("Through the white night") – a winter night tour through the snowy hills of Brdy from Prague to Jince (50 km), Kiwendotha – E. T. Seton's memorial – held until today by the Woodcraft League. Founding members: Vladimír Oborský – Wabimatto, Martin Kupka – Logan, Petr Vilhelm – Willy, Jan Slíva – Miše-Mokwa, Tomáš Frantík – Tom. At least ten other people were involved with the tribe later.
Klen's camps in Canada
Picture from p. 186 1. Yvonne, Klen and Peter, Kananaskis 1967. ~z~ AW
Picture from p. 186 2. The Crowchild camp under the Rocky Mountains, 1974. ~z~ PM
Picture from p. 186 3. In the camp there were many children of Native Americans, 1973. ~z~ PM
Picture from p. 186 4. Ceramics workshop, 1973. ~z~ PM
Picture from p. 186 5. Camp canteen, 1973. ~z~ PM
In 1972–74, the Czech emigrant Zdeněk Fišera – Klen and Ivanka (this is Klen's affectionate way of addressing his English-born wife Yvonne Louise Redhead) held woodcrafter summer camps for youth of many nationalities, including Indians, with the help of the tribe's Chief Sarcee David Crowchild (1899–1982). He became the patron of all three local camps which got renamed "Camp Crowchild". The camps were supported by the organizations Canadian Citizen Council and Czechoslovak Association. The Fišeras put up their teepees on the lands located about 28 km north from Pocaterra Creek (Alberta). Klen sent the camping photographs also to his friends in Czechoslovakia, so we can imagine quite well what it had looked like there. The view of a teepee on the background of the monumental Rocky Mountains will definitely make every forest wisdom enthusiast's spirit soar.
Huascaran
Picture from p. 187 1. Huascaran with the tribe shield. ~z~ AW
Picture from p. 187 2. Huascaran at a meeting of woodcraft tribes. On the left: Raksha with a war hammer, 1980. ~z~ MKL
Picture from p. 187 3. Raksha with a torch, 1980. ~z~ MKL
Picture from p. 187 4. Rod Divoké kočky ("Wild Cat Kin") at a council, 1980. ~z~ MKL
Picture from p. 187 5. The Chief Raksha in a vestment. ~z~ AW
The tribe Huascaran was founded by Ludmila Zikušková – Raksha in Veselí nad Moravou in September 1977 as a pioneer troop of young nature protectors. The tribe name Huascaran was chosen according to its first all-year-long game The Peru Expedition that finished at Huascaran's first camp in the White Carpathians in 1977. At that time, they were already strongly interested in Seton's woodcraft, and tried to make their way up according to eagle feathers. Making acquaintance of the Prague tribe Mawaden as well as meeting old woodcrafters and Černý Los, Osamělý Bobr, Norek Samotář, Minehaha and so on was of great significance for their journey.
Already at the first camp in the White Carpathians, the tribe was steered by the image of the perfect Indian: honorable, honest, physically fit, and with a sense of beauty, truth, strength and love. From 1980 they were registered as a youth tourist group within the sports club in Veselí nad Moravou. In 1985, Raksha and Wamdy moved from Veselí to Velatice, and the tribe in Veselí ceased to exist. They worked with children again in Brno, and all Huascaran traditions got revived. In 1990, Huascaran joined the renewed LLM under which it has functioned until today.
Illegal meetings of woodcrafters
Picture from p. 188 1. A decree on birch bark for the Honorary Woodcraft Chief Fedor, 1971. ~z~ PM
Picture from p. 188 2. A decree for Minehaha, 1980. ~z~ LA
Picture from p. 188 3. At Samechov, from the left: Bobr, Zářka, Šaman, Minehaha, Atahualpa and Hudžin, 1980. ~z~ AW
Picture from p. 188 4. Meeting at the Střela river, 1984. ~z~ AW
Picture from p. 188 5. Meeting at the castle Bobří hrad, 1983. ~z~ PV
Picture from p. 188 6. A council at Ujmisko, 1987. ~z~ AW
Picture from p. 188 7. Pieta for Woowotanna, Bechyně 1987. ~z~ JB
In the 1970s and 1980s, illegal councils and meetings of woodcrafters used to take place several times a year. Their main organizer was Miloslav Vavrda at first, and Zdeněk Teichman later on. In 1971, Ferdinand Krch was named the Honorary Chief, and in 1980, woodcrafters declared Miloslav Vavrda their Honorary Chief. Meeting locations were mostly woodcrafters' private cottages (Střela, Samechov, Jeseníky, Sklené nad Oslavou). Vladimír Oborský published the magazine Vatra ("Bonfire") and the bulletin Ondaqua in samizdat. In 1987, Zdeněk Teichman put together a samizdat almanac called Hrstka vzpomínek na Miloše Seiferta ("A Handful of Memories of Miloš Seifert").
Kiwendotha
Picture from p. 189 1.–2. Logan's invitations to Kiwendotha. ~a~ MKL
Picture from p. 189 3. At the castle Bobří hrad, 1986. ~z~ MKL
Picture from p. 189 4. A certificate by Smíšek, 1986. ~a~ RB
Picture from p. 189 5. Kiwendotha in Sklené, 1987. On the left: Vokoun and Strunka, in the middle: Bobr with a drum. ~z~ MKL
Individual and tribe competitions have a long tradition of their own. The boys of Mawaden began to hold their Kiwendothas in Brdy in 1975. The sixth year took place in Sklené nad Oslavou at the castle Bobří hrad and turned into an opportunity for a large-scale meeting of woodcrafters and tribes. This then happened yearly throughout the entire 1980s. Nowadays it is LLM's traditional event.
Čeplaghani of the lake Benovo jezero
Picture from p. 190 1. The tribe's stitch-on patch. ~z~ JB
Picture from p. 190 2.–4. Photos from Čeplaghani camps on the island Rolfův ostrov at the lake Benovo jezero. ~z~ JH
Picture from p. 190 5. A cover of the magazine Březová kůra no. 1/1987. ~z~ JB
In the town of Mariánské lázně in 1964, Jan Havránek – Havran established the troop Strážci pokladu ("Guards of the Treasure"). Over several decades, the troop changed its name to Čeplaghani, and was gradually registered as a nature protection watch or a class of the town's youth and children's center. From 1974, Čeplaghani were registered under the Protected Landscape Area Slavkovský les, had their own Eagle Feathers Notebook and published the magazine Březová kůra ("Birch Bark") which, in both its visuals and content, influenced woodcrafters all over Czechoslovakia in the 1980s.
The troop Kamzíci z Železných hor
Picture from p. 191 1. The bulletin Krok ("Step") no. 25, 1986. ~z~ AW
Picture from p. 191 2. The yearly council of Kamzíci, 1984. ~z~ FC
Picture from p. 191 3. Šem and his son Kimori in a teepee, 1979. ~z~ FC
Picture from p. 191 4.–5. Kamzíci's postcard ~z~ FC
Picture from p. 191 6. Kamzíci's camp, 1982. ~z~ FC
Picture from p. 191 7. Kamzíci's Indian Games, 1981. ~z~ FC
In the township Choltice in September 1974, František Cestr – Šem established a tourist troop called Kamzíci z Železných hor ("Izards from Železné hory"). The troop completed the badges Mladý turista (Young tourist), 100 km in spring, and specialization exams. They won the main prize – the Indian tent teepee – in a state-wide camping competition. The scout leader Miloš Zapletal gave them a copy of the book The Book of Woodcraft and Indian Lore that he had translated (Olympia, 1970). At their third camp on the river Jizera in 1977, Kamzíci put up only teepees for the first time, and held the first councils where coups were awarded. Kamzíci set out to the forest wisdom path and, throughout the 1980s, they kept in touch with other woodcrafter groups in Czechoslovakia.
Indiancraft (Indian wisdom)
Picture from p. 192 1. A cover of Winaminge no. 5/1984. ~z~ AA
Picture from p. 192 2. A meeting in Višňová, on the right: Ekstein, 1980. ~z~ MKL
Picture from p. 192 3. Pes and Sam, Višňová, 1980. ~z~ MKL
Picture from p. 192 4. A samizdat translation of Deník Frederika Kurze ("Frederik Kurz's Diary") ~z~ AA
Picture from p. 192 5. A meeting in the North, from the left: Sid, Eky, Pes, Tatanka, Jezevec, Dal. cesta. 1985. ~z~ AW
Picture from p. 193 6. Pilsen-based Indians visiting the creek Kepelský potok, 1984. ~z~ LL
Picture from p. 193 7. Red Twilight from Pilsen. ~z~ AW
Picture from p. 193 8.–9. Meeting in the West, 1987. ~z~ AW
Picture from p. 193 10. A Hungarian indiancrafer's handbook, 1985. ~z~ AA
For the first time, this word was used by E. T. Seton in 1903 already. Later it became synonymous with white fans of the lifestyle, philosophy and culture of Native Americans. In pre-war LČSW, the young members of the Wahpeton tribe and the tribe Ranné svitanie ("Morning Twilight") from Zvolen, Slovakia, chose this direction in 1936. Forty years later, new indiancraft enthusiasts would appear among Czech tramps. In 1973, Jiří Šimberský and Jiří Sokolíček formed the tribe Severní Šajeni ("Northern Cheyennes") in the mountain range Jizerské hory. Six years later, Miloš Ekstein founded the tribe Oglalla, and in 1980, the tribe Bílý Wampum ("White Wampum") was established in Brdy. In 1982, Taraxacum began to issue the magazine Winaminge which officially focused on the studies of ecology of primitive natons. In 1990, the magazine Indian Hobby Courier followed up on its contents. Today it is called Poselství světa v kruhu ("Message of the World in a Circle"). In the 1980s, indiancrafters organized large meetings in the woods for the backers of the same ideas: Meeting in the North, Meeting in the West, Pow Wow, etc.
Indiancraft supporters were very close to the woodcraft movement and many of them helped with the renewal of LLM in 1990; credit should be given particularly to Daniel Hoffmann – Wanblitanka and the tribe Bílý Wampum. Today, most indiancraft favourers are part of the organization Indian Corral, but there is still a strong group of supporters in contemporary LLM, too.
Bílý Wampum ("White Wampum")
Picture from p. 194 1.–5. The activities of Bílý Wampum in 1985–89. ~z~ PV
Picture from p. 194 6. A stamp with the tribe's emblem, 1983. ~z~ FK
The tribe Bílý Wampum was founded by the rovers of the 80th scout troop Prague in April 1980. Its Chief and leader was Daniel Hoffmann – Wanblitanka throughout its entire existence. The tribe pulled indiancraft up to an extraordinarily high level that no one in the whole Europe could compete with. Thanks to his charisma and great organization skills, the Chief managed to get the entire tribe interested in the principles of indiancraft which most people confused with woodcraft. In 1990, the members of Bílý Wampum got many important positions in the revived LLM and, in fact, determined the character of the entire organization. Five years later, the tribe was dissolved. Among the former tribe members, only Waštewin is a member of LLM today.
Sinawa
Picture from p. 195 1. Tribe shiled on a leather stitch-on patch, 1982. ~a~ MKL ~z~ PV
Picture from p. 195 2.–5. Photos from the Sinawa camp on the creek Kepelský potok, 1983-84. ~z~ MKL
In the fall of 1980, Martin Kupka – Logan began to form a children's kin of the tribe Mawaden. The first expedition to the valley Prokopské údolí was attended by four boys who formed the kin Sinawa on 12 October together with Logan. At first, the expeditions and events were organized together with older friends from Mawaden (e.g. ZT of new members at the hut Tetřeví chata), but only a year later, Sinawa had sixteen warriors and an independent tribe camp near Stálkov in Southern Bohemia. The leadership of the tribe was taken over by Zrzek ("Redhead", later Adjidaumo) together with Logan. A year later, the Sinawas followed Ladislav Vodák – Letící Sokol's advice and camped at Kepelský potok in Šumava, a longtime traditional woodcrafter campsite. The Sinawa tribe camped there the next two years, but with members gradually growing older, the tribe ceased to exist in the fall of 1984.
Lenapové ("Lenapas")
Picture from p. 196 1.–2. The Lenapas' tribe chronicles. ~a~ MKL, ~z~ AM
Picture from p. 196 3.–7. Photos of the Lenapas' activities., 1985–1989. ~z~ MKL
Picture from p. 196 8. The Lenapas at Kiwendota, Bobří hrad 1987. ~z~ MKL
The tribe Lenapas was linked directly to the Sinawas in its activities. Martin Kupka – Logan founded the tribe on 24 October 1985 as a station of young naturalists under the standard farming cooperative JZD Orion Davle. The Lenapas used to meet in a Natural Science classroom of the local elementary school and camp at Kepelský potok every year. The tribe drew on Mawaden's tradition as well, and took over the organization of Kiwendotha and similar events. Still in the beginning of 1989, they threw a literature-focused meeting with Jaroslav Foglar, and a year later they became the founding tribe of the renewed LLM. A few years later, the tribe got renamed Mawadan, and has used this name until today.
Slovak woodcraft
Picture from p. 197 1. Tribe Woodcraft Indians Košice, 1980. ~z~ PSB
Picture from p. 197 2. A page from T. O. Orion's chronicle about the Council, 1980. ~z~ PSB
Picture from p. 197 3. Ojibway Bratislava Council attended by Bobr from Brno as well. ~z~ RP
Whereas quite a large number of tribes and troops dedicated to the woodcraft movement ideals functioned in Bohemia and Moravia, for decades there was only the lone Bratislava-based tribe Ojibway in Slovakia. Despite this, we cannot say that woodcrafters went completely extinct in Slovaka; Ojibway held regular expeditions, councils and camps a few times per year. E. T. Seton's thoughts gained interest among tramps; in Košice, members of the tramping settlement Orion even founded the tribe Woodcraft Indians in 1980 that operated until 1986. In the chronicle we can find the names of the Constituting Council participants: Amaru, Števo, Bobor, Charlie, Peter Šiška – Brčo, Ben and Davy.
Kepelský potok
Picture from p. 198 1. Watercolor painting "Chapel on Kochánov", 1987. ~a~ RB
Picture from p. 198 2. Watercolor painting "Kepelský potok", 1984. ~a~ FCI
Picture from p. 198 3. Watercolor painting "Well at the Kepelský potok campsite", 1987. ~a~ RB
Picture from p. 198 4. Kepelský potok Summer Camp 1984, from the right: Willy, Letící Sokol, Lída L., Hudžin, Sýc, xx, Strunka, Vokoun, Los, Smíšek. ~z~ LL
Picture from p. 198 5. Kepelský potok Summer Camp 1985, from the left: Ink, Los, Racek, Kraťas, Věra, Evžen – Bobr, Smíšek, Lída K., Atahualpa, Romír, Atalafa, Bertík, Lída L., Willy, Jarmila, and Bobr with a drum. ~z~ LL
Picture from p. 199 6. Drawing "Woodcrafter family camp at Kepelský potok", 1984. ~a~ RB
Picture from p. 199 7. Biminji forwarding a message by gestures at Kepelský potok, 1988. ~a~ LZ
Picture from p. 199 8. Orlík on a horse, 1989. ~z~ LL
Picture from p. 199 9. Kepelský potok Summer Camp 1987, Šem is the one with the beard on the right. ~z~ FC
Picture from p. 199 10. Kepelský potok Summer Camp 1988, in the front from the left: Helenka (Sýc's daughter), Toník (Atalafa's son), Atahualpa and Romír, in the back from the left: Racek, Bertík and Lída. ~z~ LL
The picturesque spot near Petrovice, Šumava, was secured in 1982 by the Šumava-based woodcrafter Ladislav Vodák – Letící Sokol for Sinawa camps. In 1983, Bobr visited the camp along with Los and Jarmila Kysilka, and arranged with Logan to organize family woodcrafter camps there after Sinawa camps. The Laits (Hudžin and Lída) were to be in charge of organizing these camps. The camps got widely popular and contributed to forming the right conditions for the revival of LLM.
Logan's tribe Lenapas, nowadays known as Mawadan, later camped at Kepelský potok too.
Watra Wrocław ("Campfire Wrocław", Poland)
The graphic materials were provided by the website Thewoodcraft.org with permission of Wojciech Kucharski, the author of Dzieci, młodzież i studenci na Ziemiach Zachodnich po II wojnie światowej ("Children, youth and students in the Western Lands after World War II") published in 2012, which contains information about Watra Wrocław as well.
Picture from p. 200 1. Camp in Lubniewice, 1967. ~z~ VJ
Picture from p. 200 2. Boys from Watra in front of an Indian totem, 1967. ~z~ VJ
Picture from p. 200 3.–4. Publications by Wyrwalski. ~z~ KO
Picture from p. 201 5. Tadeusz Wyrwalski - Wilk Tropiciel in the Chief's chair, Kosarzyn 1973. ~z~ AK
Picture from p. 201 6. Harcers with a totem. ~z~ VJ
Picture from p. 201 7. Watra in the rocks, Bielice, 1968. ~z~ VJ
Picture from p. 201 8. A Polish woodcrafter's badge. ~z~ RL
Picture from p. 201 9. Watra on a boat during a trip to Germany., 1973. ~z~ AK
The founder and spiritual leader of Watra, the Wrocław-based tribe of forest "harcers" (Polish scouts), was the doctor and life-long harcer Tadeusz Wyrwalski – Wilk Tropiciel (Tracing Wolf). The year 1965 when Wyrwalski took over the leadership of the 35th harcer section can be considered the symbolic beginning. At a camp in Glisno in 1966, woodraft symbols appeared for the first time, and throughout the following years, other woodcraft elements were implemented in the section's activities – including giving titles and forest names. The tribe was officially founded after the camp in 1967. From 2 January 1968, the center leader for Wrocław IV incorporated three sections into the forest harcers sections tribe. The 34th Harcer Section under the Elementary School no. 33, the 35th Section under the Elementary School no. 82 and an experimental section under the Elementary School No. 57. However, some leaders of the harcer organizations did not like this different form of activity, and they would cause problems in the beginnings. The boy's enthusiasm did, however, convince them, so in the early 1969, the tribe was assigned an old bunker that the boys turned into their clubhouse by their own efforts.
The main point of the tribe's activities were summer camps where boys had the opportunity to get a forest name and a warrior title. The tribe's first camp took place in 1968 in Bielice near the border with Czechoslovakia. Due to the military invasion (which the Polish army took part in as well) it was shortened by a couple of days though. But as Wyrwalski himself wrote later, it took three years for the first warriors to appear and for the camps to start meeting his expectations. The tribe kept expanding, and instead of the initial three sections, there were soon eight. In 1975, Wyrwalski went back to the town of Żywiec to look after his nearly 80-year-old mother, but still kept in touch with the tribe.
The Watra tribe already functioned independently – all the way until 1989 when the last warrior was declared at the camp. In the fall, Polish politics took a radical change of course, which caused changes in society just like in Czechoslovakia, and these led to the slow stagnation of tribe activities throughout the 1990s.
Midewiwin
Picture from p. 202 1. The Sihasapa tribe, 1988. ~a~ JM
Picture from p. 202 2. The Alcatraz tribe camping near Kamenice, 1981. ~a~ JM
Picture from p. 202 3. Hledači ("Searchers") – Konestoga, 1983. ~z~ JB
Picture from p. 202 4. Soewah's and Činkapi's Midewiwin wedding, 1983. Behind them: acolytes – the shamans Tokeito and Lelašikah. ~z~ PJ
Picture from p. 202 5. The Dakota cross, the symbol of Midewiwin. ~z~ AA
Picture from p. 203 6. Meherin, a girls' tribe. The members are looking at new shields and a flag, Rejčkov 1981. ~z~ HK
Picture from p. 203 7. Oswega council site ready for a ceremonial fire. ~z~ JB
Picture from p. 203 8. Neskenon warriors in vestments. ~z~ IM
Picture from p. 203 9. Neskenon Chiefs, from the left: Sinamatha, Tagayutah, Tarha, Kanozewa, x, Sahwa, 1982. ~z~ SI
Picture from p. 203 10. A joint winter expedition of Oswego and Konestoga, Chiefs from the left: Susquehanna, Soewah, Řešetlák. ~z~ JB
Picture from p. 204 11. Sihasapa camp, 1986. ~z~ JM
Picture from p. 204 12. Konestoga leaflets made by Cimbura. ~z~ JB
Picture from p. 204 13. Čerokí camp gate. ~z~ PJ
Picture from p. 204 14. Čerokí in vestments., 1982. ~z~ PJ
Picture from p. 204 15. Hurons in the clubhouse with Hombré and Soewah., 1984. ~z~ PJ
Picture from p. 204 16. The vestment of Panda, the Hurons' Chief. ~z~ HK
Midewiwin emerged in 1982 at Manády in the woods Brdské lesy as an unofficial community of several tribes inspired by the symbolism and fire warden system of the Neskenon tribe. For many, this symbolism was a compensation for symbols of woodcraft or scouting (which could not be publicly professed). The Midewiwin tribes had, for example, their common titles and coups evidence system, a kind of predecessor to today's electronic evidence of the League. In the 1980s, Prague was represented by the following tribes: Neskenon, Alcatraz, Ishi, Huroni, Meherin, Konestoga, Sihasapa, Oswego, and Tussilago. Moravian tribes from Zábřeh: Cherokee, Shawnee, and Žáby ("Frogs"). The community was later enlarged with: Sacagawea Mělník, Mazaskazi Wanča Zábřeh, Ksigudan Žatec, Hvězda Severu Brno, and Mohawk Příbram.
Publications by Midewiwin
Picture from p. 205 1.–15. ~z~ AA
During the Normalization period, Společenství Midewiwin published dozens of various samizdat publications. They were carbon-copied, photocopied or copied on cyclostyle. Contacts in printing houses were also exploited, so some of the brochures were offset-printed too. Fifteen of those are presented below.
The Great Games
Picture from p. 206 1. Konestoga's tribal sticker made by Cimbura. ~z~ JB
Picture from p. 206 2. The Great Games at Křečovický potok, 1985. ~z~ JB
Picture from p. 206 3. Čerokí at the Great Games, 1986. ~z~ SV
Picture from p. 206 4. The Great Games in Moravia, 1989. ~z~ SV
Indian Games were first held by Dakota as early as in 1958. After them, Neskenon took over, and Midewiwin's Great Indian Games were held in 1984. The games took place annually in different parts of the country, and their purpose was for tribes and community chiefs to meet on a regular basis, strengthening their mutual friendships. The last Great Games were held by Midewiwin at Drozdovská pila in 2008.
Woodcraft among tramps
Picture from p. 207 1. Moucha and Sam Indián at a T. O. Fort Sill potlatch, Hřebeny 1980. ~z~ JB
Picture from p. 207 2. Red Twilight, Stříbro 1976. ~z~ JB
Picture from p. 207 3. Strunka and Vokoun at the camp Vánočka, Krty 1980. ~z~ JB
Picture from p. 207 4. Logan's tramping crafting, 1973. ~a~ MKL
Picture from p. 207 5. A cover of Brdská smečka's magazine which dedicated a lot of space to woodcraft. ~z~ JB
Picture from p. 207 6. Brdská smečka and Mawaden wandering around Slovakia together, 1976. ~z~ TF
The freedom of tramping (hiking in the wild) has always attracted the friends of nature who did not want to be bound by the rules of various organizations. In early 1920s, "wild scouts", as tramps would call themselves then, were joined by such names as A. S. Batěk – Heliar, Jaromír Bělor – Bengál, A. E. Včelička – Géza. Isawans also had a great impact on tramping at the beginning of the 1930s. In the 1950s, Ivan Makásek – Hiawatha and the Dakotas would spread woodcraft in Brdy and not only. Normalization was, again, abundant in interesting tramps and well as entire settlements that spread woodcraft in the tramping movement.
The LLM association "Hořící srdce" ("Burning Hearts")
Picture from p. 208 1. The association's memorandum, 1986. ~z~ OS
Picture from p. 208 2. Hořící srdce at Little Walden, 1988. ~z~ RP
Picture from p. 208 3. Camping at Rokytno, 1987. ~z~ RP
Picture from p. 208 4. A birthday wish on birch bark. ~z~ OS
Picture from p. 209 5. A flag with the association's emblem embroidered, 1986. ~z~ OS
Picture from p. 209 6. At the chasm Trenkova rokle, 1986. ~z~ RP
Picture from p. 209 7. With Bobr in Sklené, 1988. ~z~ RP
Picture from p. 209 8. The association's chronicle ~z~ OS
Picture from p. 209 9. A cover of the magazine Ozvěny. ~z~ CO
Picture from p. 209 10. The second generation of Hořící srdce at Kozlovské skály. ~z~ RP
The secret association Hořící srdce was founded in 1986 by the graduates of the Forestry Department at the University of Agriculture in Brno: Jiří Svoboda – Čoby, Oldřich Stejskal – Padík, Eva Stejskalová, Petr Šperer – Brácha, and Jan Štykar. Soon, other friends joined too, and the number of Hořící srdce members grew to thirty. They issued the typescript magazine Ozvěny ("Echoes") for the association's needs.
Their professor was, among others, Jindřich Chmelař – Rys Ostrovid (Eurasian Lynx), the former chronicler of Kmen Ohně. Bedřich Homola – Osamělý Bobr (Lone Beaver), another woodcrafter from Brno, used to lend them the campsite at Little Walden near Sklené nad Oslavou. The association was linked to LČSW also through Aleš Pacl, the son of Migisi (a former Chief of Ojibways from Bratislava).
Čej-ka-leška
Picture from p. 210 1. Wanahea completing a tourism coup, Javorníky 1989. ~z~ FK
Picture from p. 210 2. The cover of the tribe's chronicle, 1989. ~z~ FK
Picture from p. 210 3. From the chronicle about the summer camp, 1989. ~z~ FK
Picture from p. 210 4. Biminiji and Wanahea at the tribe's second council, 1989. ~z~ FK
Picture from p. 210 5. Malý velký muž with his daughter Terezka, 1989. ~z~ FK
Picture from p. 210 6. The Majer brothers at the Constituting Council, 1989. ~z~ FK
The tribe Čej-ka-leška was founded in the spring of 1989 by František Kožíšek – Biminiji, Yveta Kožíšková – Wanahea, Petr Majer – Malý Velký muž, Jiří Majer, Petr Vaništa – Sinamatha, and Jiří Doležal. In 1990, the tribe was among the first in the renewed LLM, and Biminiji was its executive. Due to later disagreements with the fire warden and chiefs, the entire tribe left LLM at the end of 1991, and remained active in woodcraft outside of the organization. The tribe still exists today.
Other tribes...
Picture from p. 211 1. A cover of the magazine published by a Kyjov-based tribe, 1987. ~z~ AW
Picture from p. 211 2. The tribe Mamuti Praha ("Mammoths Prague") was established and led by the Červinkas and by Hombré, 1989. ~a~ PP
Picture from p. 211 3. A chronicle of the tribe Ondatra ("Muskrat") Spálov u Ostravy, 1984. ~z~ KO
Picture from p. 211 4. The tribe Děti slunce ("Children of the Sun") Brno was founded by Rikki and Tapi, 1989. ~z~ KG
Picture from p. 211 5. The tribe Jilm ("Elmtree") Holoubkov was founded by Sokol (Škarman), 1985. ~z~ JB
Picture from p. 211 6. Stopaři ("Tracers") Brno, later the Wallowa tribe, 1986. ~z~ JKT
Photos of other woodcraft tribes' activities that should not be left out. It is, of course, a mere selection, there were many more similar tribes...
Martin Kupka - Logan, František Kožíšek - Biminiji
Picture from p. 212 M. Kupka, 1980. ~z~ MKL
Picture from p. 212 Logan with Wenona and the children. ~z~ AL
Picture from p. 212 F. Kožíšek, 1988. ~z~ LZ
Picture from p. 213 Biminiji giving a lecture about Seton, 2010. ~z~ AW
Picture from p. 214 Watercolor painting "The Neskenon Boys", 1998. ~a~ JHM
- Martin Kupka - Logan
- (* 28. února 1958, Praha)
A teacher, translator, woodcrafter and environmentalist.
His traces told me a lot that I had not known before, but one thing bothered me: I have never seen him with my own eyes, never caught up with him. His traces told me that he was too far ahead of me. Because his name was Ernest Thompson Seton. This confession of the 16-years-old Martin Kupka was published in the Ajaga magazine by the Prague-based tribe Tuscarora. He embarked on his woodcraft journey in 1970 by joining the club Černí vlci ("Black Wolves") where the former members of the banned Junák continued their activities illegally. He spent two years with Junák, managed to make the Junák vow in 1970, but the club was already changing its orientation to woodcraft. This happened thanks to an older boy, Vladimír Oborský – Wabimatto, the leader. He managed to find books and materials about woodcraft and make contact with the pre-war generation of woodcrafters (according to Logan's memories of his own beginnings in woodcraft). The club was later renamed Tecumtha that was around with the same members until 1972. Along his journey with the tracers' team Tis – svaz pro ochranu přírody a krajiny ("Yew – Nature and Landscape Protection Association"), he met Willy (Petr Vilhelm) and Tom (Tomáš Frantík). Together they established the tribe Mawaden later on. The tribe existed until the Velvet Revolution. According to him, the tribe's program combined full-bodied, authentic woodcraft and voluntary protection of nature. "At the end of the 1970s and in the 1980s, various people and various groups would meet up all over Bohemia and Moravia. They enriched each other with experience and inspiration despite Husák's Normalization. It was incredibly exciting, because it was aimed against the regime, and filled with beautiful ideas as well as suppressed desire."
Having gained experience with leading the children's tribe Sinawa (Kunratice, 1980–1985), he founded the tribe Lenapa as the Young Naturalists' Station under the standard farming cooperative JZD Orion Davle.
Logan was elected the Head Chief of the renewed LLM and held this position until 1995. He was one of the chiefs as an official for foreign cooperation until 1997 and organized a number of interational woodcrafters' meetings.
- František Kožíšek – Biminiji
- (* 1. ledna 1963)
Woodcrafter name Biminiji (He who is not afraid to walk alone). His civic job was a water hygiene scientist. In the years 1980–82 he was a member of the tramping settlement Santeken, in 1982–83 a member of the woocraft tribe Santeken, in 1983 a member of the woodcraft tribe Bílý Wampum with which he later kept in touch as a woodcraft guard and at the council of which he would be awarded honors (eagle feathers, degrees, the Sagamor title).
At the end of the 1980s he took part in the planned revival of the illegal Woodcraft League, in spring 1989 he founded the woodcraft tribe Čej-Ka-Leška. After the events of November 1989 he was active in the renewal of the Woodcraft League and acted as its executive. In the fall of 1991 he left the League but remained a member of Čej-Ka-Leška, a tribe that kept up its activity after getting disbanded by LLM, even though it was not involved in any organization. He is the husband of the woodcrafter Yveta Kožíšková – Wanahea.
In 1990–91 he cooperated with the magazine Bizoní vítr ("Bison Wind"), in 1992–2004 with Neskenon's Wampum. Besides the study Seton in Prague, he authored or co-authored other woodcraft- or woodcraft history-themed publications too (e.g. Česká knižní bibliografie E. T. Setona - "Czech E. T. Seton's bibliography", Kniha o woodcraftu - "Book of woodcraft", Úvahy nad woodcrafterským zákonem - "Thoughts on the laws of woodcraft"). In 1996 he visited the Seton Castle in Seton Village near Santa Fé. Until this day, he has belonged to the greatest experts on E. T. Seton and woodcraft history.
To paraphrase the frequently-used expression "scouting histoarian", we could refer to Biminiji as a "woodcraft historian". Only few woodcrafters can be counted into this narrow group of experts.
