1946 Area I Fellowship - Reversed Colors

A friend of mine had this rather unusual 1946 Area I Fellowship patch on his table at the recent Old Hickory Trade-O-Ree.       The colors on this patch are reversed.     Instead of red silk screening on white felt this patch has white print on red felt.   I have previously posted about the more common 1946 Area I Fellowship patch on this blog.

Since I am not certain my friend wants his name used publicly, I am keeping his identity hidden for now.     He says this is one of two patches like this that he is aware of.     He does not know anything more about why this patch came about or what special purpose it might have had.     If anyone knows anything else about this item, please feel free to comment about it here.

The ten OA lodges of North Carolina returned to Morrow Mountain State Park for the 1948 Area I meeting. This was the third of three area fellowships held at this location, all hosted by Itibapishe Iti Hollo 188.

This year marks the issuance of the first patch with a design unique to this area’s meeting.   As a commenter to an earlier post stated, the design used from 1945-1947 was also used elsewhere.

From 1945 to 1947 the arrow on the patch pointed up and to the left when viewed.   This resulted in an arrow over the right shoulder when worn, until this design was used on a neckerchief in 1947.     This was significant in the 1940s.

So, in 1948 the arrow was changed so it pointed upward and ‘”only” to the right.     However directional confusion may have reigned again.     This patch has the arrow pointing up and to the left when worn.     Given the different meanings then assigned to which direction the arrow pointed such confusion is understandable.

Like all Area I meeting items, this patch is very scarce. It is not often seen for sale or trade.

The ten OA lodges of North Carolina gathered again at Morrow Mountain State Park for the 1947 Area I meeting.   This was the second of three area fellowships held at this location, all hosted by Itibapishe Iti Hollo 188. The meeting date was to late October.

This year marks the issuance of the first neckerchief for a North Carolina area fellowship.   It is a simple red silk-screened design on white cloth, very similar to the 1945 slide and 1946 patch.   It would be many years until another conclave neckerchief was issued for this group of lodges.

Note these first three items (1945-1947) all have a red arrow point up and to the left when viewed.   However, the effect was different when the items were worn.   In 1945 and 1946 the arrow would be pointing over the wearer’s right shoulder.   However the arrow on the neckerchief would have been pointing over the wearer’s left shoulder when worn.     In 1947 this was more than just a simple curiosity as brotherhood members wore their sashes on their left shoulder then.

Like all Area I meeting items, this neckerchief is very scarce. It is not often seen for sale or trade.

The ten OA lodges of North Carolina gathered at Morrow Mountain State Park for the 1946 Area I meeting.     Klahican lodge, formed the previous Winter, joined the nine lodges at the 1945 meeting.   This was the first of three area fellowships held at this location, all hosted by Itibapishe Iti Hollo 188.

This year marks the issuance of the first patch for a North Carolina area fellowship.   This felt patch is similar in design to the 1945 neckerchief slide.   In a change from 1945 the location, Morrow Mountain (State) Park, is now indicated on the patch.   The meeting date was moved from late September to early October.

Like all Area I meeting items, this patch is very scarce.   It is not often seen for sale or trade.

Bill Mulrenin has been doing a periodic series of posts on his blog covering the memorabilia of the Section Conclaves and Area Fellowships for New York lodges.     Since things are slowing down a bit here, I thought I would take the chance to do the same for conclaves here in North Carolina.     Perhaps, I’ll also cover other sections in the Southeast if there’s interest and I get sent the necessary images.

The first OA area fellowship, the precursor of today’s section conclaves, in North Carolina was held in 1945 at Camp Graystone.     Tali Taktaki 70 served as the host lodge.     Area I, in existence from 1945-1949, covered the entire state of North Carolina.   Memorabilia from these early meetings are arguably the most highly prized conclave insignia from North Carolina.

The nine lodges then serving North Carolina gathered for this first meeting.     Nayawin Rar 296 had just been founded that Spring.     Klahican lodge would not be formed until the next year.     The OA would not complete serve North Carolina council’s until the founding of Catawba lodge (1951) and finally Eswau Huppeday lodge (1964).

The only insignia from this first meeting was a neckerchief slide, pictured at the top of this post.   Only text is on this slide. It indicates it was for the “N.C. Order of the Arrow Fellowship Meeting”, and gives the date of the meeting. Notice that then the meetings were held in the Fall.

It was only in these early years that all of the North Carolina lodges were in the same area or section.     In 1950 Tsali and Itibapishe Iti Hollo   lodges were separated from the rest of North Carolina and placed into Area 6-B, which would soon become the Dixie Fellowship.     While Itibapishe Iti Hollo, Catawba and Eswau Huppeday lodges would later be reunited with the lodges of eastern and central North Carolina, Tsali lodge has never returned.