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Use of Indian Theme Info
Background
on Indian Princesses
Purpose
The purpose of the Father and Daughter Y-Indian Princess Program is to foster the
understanding and companionship of father and daughter.
Pledge
"We, Father and Daughter, through friendly service to each other, to our
family, to this tribe, to our community, seek a world pleasing to the eye of
the Great Spirit."
Slogan
"Friends Always"
Six Aims
To love the sacred circle of my family.
To be clean in body and pure in heart.
To share understanding with my father/daughter.
To listen while others speak.
To love my neighbor as myself.
To seek and preserve the beauty of the Great Spirit's work in forest field and
stream.
Closing Prayer
And now
may the Great Spirit
of all good spirits
be with you
now
and forever more.
Indian Princess Headband
The central theme of the headband is the sign of the eye of the Great Spirit
with the crossed arrows of friendship on the left side and the circled heart of
love on the right side. The symbols for father and daughter are next to the
grouped tepees, which indicate happy work in the community, and a single tepee,
which denotes happy work in the home. The trees, water, and grass exhort the
wearer to see and preserve the Great Spirit's beauty in forest, field and
stream.
History
The YMCA Program was developed to support the parent's vital family role as
teacher, counselor, and friend to their children. The program was initiated by
Harold S. Keltner (St. Louis YMCA Director) in 1926 as an integral part of
Association work. He organized the first Indian Guide tribe in Richmond Heights,
Missouri, with the help of his good friend, Joe Friday, an Ojibway Indian, and
William H. Hefelfinger, Chief of the first Y-Indian Guide tribe.
Inspired by his experiences with Joe Friday, who was his guide on fishing and
hunting trips into Canada, Harold Keltner initiated a program of parent-child
experiences that now involves over a million children and adults annually in the
YMCA.
While Keltner was on a fishing trip in Canada, one evening, Joe Friday said to
his white colleague as they relaxed around a campfire:
"The Indian FATHER raises his son. He teaches him to hunt, to track, to
fish, to walk softly and silently in the forest, to know the meaning and purpose
of life and all he must know..."
Joe Friday spoke before groups of YMCA boys and dads in St. Louis, and Mr.
Keltner discovered that fathers, as well as boys, had a keen interest in the
traditions of the American Indian. At the same time, being greatly influenced by
the work of Ernest Thompson Seton, a great lover of the outdoors, Harold Keltner
conceived the idea of a father-son program based upon the strong qualities of
American Indian culture: life-dignity, patience, endurance, spirituality,
feelings for the earth and concern for family. Thus, the Y-Indian Guide program
was born over 75 years ago.
The rise of the YMCA following WWII, the genuine need for supporting little
girls in their personal growth, and the success demonstrated by the father-son
program helped to nurture the development of the Y-Indian princess program in
the Fresno YMCA of California in 1954.
Here's a little about
more of the YMCA Programs:
Y Parent-Child
YMCA parent-child
programs have a long history of providing children, ages 3 and up, and their
parents with opportunities for good times, learning and mutual understanding.
One such program is called Y-Indian Guides. It is based upon a respect for
strong family and community ties in Native American traditions. Some Indian
Guide programs have partnerships with local Native American tribes in order to
ensure a true respect and understanding of their cultures. Other programs are
called simply Y-Guides, Voyagers or Westerners. Regardless of their names, the
programs bring together parents and children in small groups. The groups get
together for meetings to participate in fun and educational outside activities.
A unique quality of the
program is that there are activities for all combinations of parent and child:
- Parent and preschool
child;
- Father and son;
- Father and daughter;
- Mother and son; and
- Mother and daughter
Want to get
involved in a parent-child program? Go to Find
Your Y.
How do parent-child
programs benefit you and your family?
YMCAs are dedicated to providing good opportunities for people to achieve their
greatest and most satisfying potential as caring, responsible human beings. Y
parent-child programs help fulfill this mission by providing the following
benefits to parents and children:
- Foster companionship,
understanding and a strong foundation for positive, lifelong relationships
between parent and child;
- Build a sense of
self-esteem and personal worth;
- Expand awareness of
spirit, mind and body;
- Provide the framework
for meeting a mutual need of spending enjoyable, constructive, quality time
together;
- Enhance the quality of
family time;
- Emphasize the vital
role that parents play in the growth and development of their children; and
- Offer an important and
unique opportunity to develop and enjoy volunteer leadership skills.
Want to get involved in a
parent-child program? Go to the YMCA website...
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