Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

BOY SCOUTS, “COYOTE”

Date Range From

1958

Date Range To

1963

Materials

COTTON

No. Pieces

1

Height

0.4

Length

41

Width

38.5

Description

PENNANT MADE OF WHITE CANVAS, WITH ONE FLAT SIDE OPPOSITE A CURVED, TAPERED POINT. PRINTED WITH A STYLIZED IMAGE OF A DOG AND TEXT RUNNING VERTICALLY ALONG FLAT SIDE READING “COYOTE” IN RED INK. CURVED EDGES LINED WITH RED INK. CANVAS IS FOLDED UNDER ALONG THE FLAT SIDE AND SEWN TO FORM A TUBE, WITH TWO PIECES OF WHITE COTTON TWILL TAPE HANGING FROM BOTTON EDGE. GENERAL WEAR AND STAINING THROUGHOUT, SOME FRAYING ALONG RED EDGES; OVERALL VERY GOOD CONDITION.

Subjects

CEREMONIAL ARTIFACT

Historical Association

ASSOCIATIONS

History

THIS PENNANT BELONGED TO THE DONOR, DON CHAPMAN. THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION ON THE CHAPMAN FAMILY WAS PROVIDED BY THE DONOR AT THE TIME OF DONATION. THE CHAPMANS RESIDED IN LETHBRIDGE FROM 1958 TO 1963. THEY MOVED TO LETHBRIDGE FROM LACOMBE, ALBERTA, AFTER DON’S FATHER STUART ACCEPTED THE POSITION OF ADMINISTRATOR OF THE GALT REHABILITATION CENTRE, LOCATED IN THE OLD GALT HOSPITAL BUILDING. IN 1963 THE FAMILY MOVED TO LANGLEY, B.C. WHERE STUART BECAME THE ADMINISTRATOR OF THE LANGLEY MEMORIAL HOSPITAL. WHILE IN LETHBRIDGE, DON WAS ACTIVE IN BOY SCOUTS, ATTAINING QUEEN’S SCOUT STATUS AND BEING CHOSEN AS ONE OF TWO LETHBRIDGE SCOUTS TO TRAVEL TO NEW MEXICO ON AN “ADVENTURE TRIP” IN 1963. ON SEPTEMBER 16, 2014, COLLECTIONS TECHNICIAN KEVIN MACLEAN INTERVIEWED DON CHAPMAN ABOUT HIS FAMILY’S TIME IN LETHBRIDGE AND MEMORIES RELATED TO THE SPECIFIC DONATED OBJECTS. CHAPMAN SAID: “I WAS BORN IN 1947 AND WE CAME [TO LETHBRIDGE] BECAUSE MY FATHER GOT A JOB HERE… IT WAS EXCITING. WE HAD NO IDEA WHERE LETHBRIDGE WAS… IT WAS KIND OF LIKE, FINALLY THE FAMILY IS GETTING A FINANCIAL FOOTING AND THERE WAS A CAREER PATH AHEAD… THE MOVE TO LETHBRIDGE WAS KIND OF LIKE A NEW START… CERTAINLY FOR ME, LETHBRIDGE WAS FORMATIVE YEARS… SCOUTING WAS A SIGNIFICANT UNDERTAKING IN MY LIFE, I WAS QUITE COMMITTED TO IT… IT WAS A WAY TO LEARN FUNDAMENTAL LIFE SKILLS AND MEMBERSHIP… YOU WOULD LEARN WHAT IT’S LIKE TO BE IN A GROUP, WHAT IT’S LIKE TO BE ON A TEAM… I BELONGED TO THE 14TH LETHBRIDGE SCOUT TROOP AND IT WAS CENTERED IN THE MCKILLOP UNITED CHURCH… A LOT OF IT WAS CENTERED AROUND AN ANNUAL CAMP. WE WOULD GO OUT FOR AT LEAST A WEEK… INTO THE EASTERN SLOPE OF THE ROCKIES… YOU HAD TO LEARN HOW TO COOK… YOU HAD TO LEARN SURVIVAL SKILLS, YOU HAD TO LEARN HOW TO TIE KNOTS, SINGING AROUND THE CAMPFIRE AT MEETINGS… IT WAS KIND OF A FRATERNAL ORGANIZATION FOR YOUNG PEOPLE.” IN AN EMAIL DATED NOVEMBER 6, 2014, CHAPMAN PROVIDED THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION ABOUT THIS OBJECT: “THE PENNANT IS USED TO IDENTIFY A PATROL WITHIN THE BOY SCOUT GROUP. IN THIS CASE, IT IS THE ‘[COYOTE] PATROL’, [OF WHICH] I WAS THE PATROL LEADER… LATER I WENT ON TO BE THE TROOP LEADER [OF] THE 14TH LETHBRIDGE TROOP… THE PENNANT WAS DESIGNED TO BE PLACED OVER THE TOP OF THE PATROL LEADER’S STAFF… ALL SCOUTS AT A CERTAIN POINT WOULD BE ENCOURAGED TO HAVE A STAFF – USUALLY MADE BY ONE’S SELF… THEY WERE 5’6” TALL. THEY WERE MADE OF WOOD AND WERE MARKED – USUALLY BY WOOD BURNING OR PAINT – AT ONE-FOOT INTERVALS AND THE UPPER SIX INCHES WERE MARKED AT ONE-INCH INTERVALS… SCOUT TRAINING INCLUDED USING THE STAFF FOR OUTDOOR SURVIVAL AND FOR ORIENTEERING… ONE LEARNED HOW TO USE THE STAFF AND BASIC GEOMETRY TO ESTIMATE THE HEIGHT OF DISTANT OBJECTS, SUCH AS BUILDINGS [OR] TREES… MOSTLY THE STAFF WAS MOST APPARENT DURING FORMAL EVENTS SUCH AS PARADES OR INSPECTIONS… MY OWN STAFF… WAS SOURCED FROM A WILLOW STAND AND WAS DEBARKED, THEN SANDED AND MARKED… THAT PENNANT WOULD BE AFFIXED TO THE TOP OF THE STAFF FOR ALL PARADES AND INSPECTIONS.” SEE PERMANENT FILE FOR HARDCOPIES OF FULL INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT AND NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS REPORTING ON CHAPMAN’S NEW MEXICO TRIP.

Catalogue Number

P20140034007

Acquisition Date

2014-09

Collection

Museum

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