The First Scout Campfire
Richard Seymour (ricky@BUFFNET.NET)
Wed, 17 Sep 1997 11:45:29 -0500
The first day of Scouting on the Brown Sea Island ended with Baden-Powell
teaching the Eengoyama Chant and War Dance around the very first Scout
Campfire. In the "Scout Patrols" chapter of "Scouting for Boys," he
included his own transcription of the Eengoyama and Scout's Rally ("Be
Prepared") tunes, as well as detailed descriptions of the movements of the
dance, and an explanation to instructors as to why he considered them so
important.
I am tone deaf myself, and for some reason I have never been able to
connect with a music reader who would record a cassette tape of how the
Eengoyama Chant and Scout's Rally should sound. I have asked my
Woodbadge Troop for help in getting the tune and "feel" for the Chant
and dance down, but I haven't yet seen anyone's face light up.
Part of my Woodbadge Ticket will be to introduce an element of awe and
mystery into our Troop's campfires and ceremonies. From the B-P's
description of the war dance, it sounds as though it was much fun. Still,
I've never even heard a rumor that anyone in the world still practices
these
chants and dances.
If anyone on the list could record these tunes (I'd love to hear the
Scout's Whistle, as well), I'd be happy to cover the cost of the cassette
and postage. If there is any interest here, I'd be happy to copy and
distribute them at cost.
Rick Seymour
Troop 252, Buffalo, NY
ricky@buffnet.net
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