Here's some food for thought regarding the origins of Wicca and our ties to
the Native American tradition.
I was reading a back issue of Gnosis (No. 48 Summer 1998) and found an
interesting article entitled "The Red God, Woodcraft and the Origins of
Wicca
This article ties the beginings of Wicca to the American Indian Tradition
and a Canadian-American, Ernest Thomas Seton (1860-1946). He owned a private
nature sanctuary in Connecticut. In order to make peace with local youth
who had been vandalizing his property,he built an Indian village and
introduced them to Native American culture (1902). He later established the
Woodcraft League of America (1915) after splitting his Woodcraft group from
an unhappy alliance with the Boy Scouts of America. He also established a
girls' program with a feminist emphasis.
He developed an adult branch called The Red Lodges (1911) or Sun Lodges for
men and women over 21 that emphasize the "mystic side of Woodcraft".
Included in the adult program were three degrees of initiation, private
rituals, Native American traditions, self mastery, philosophy and psychic
development. Woodcraft tribes cast circles, had symbols & colors for the
four elements. The "Red God" was represented with a buffalo skull or a human
figure with horns representing the spirit of the wilderness.
Most of the present day groups descended from the Woodcrafters in the US are
concerned with camping and hiking. Seton exported his organization to
England after it attracted attention there and was made Grand Chieftain of a
new organization called The Order of Woodcraft Chivalry (OWC). A "Forest
School" was established on a Mr. Ernest Westlake's property at Godshill, in
the New Forest.
The innermost circle or highest level of the Order was called Witana and
was considered the "church" of the movement. Another organization formed
along the Woodcraft lines was known as Kindred of the Kibbo Kift and was
handed down as a tradition through hereditary lines, The Kindred
incorporated more of the ancient traditions of Britain, Ango-Saxon, Viking,
Celt, etc. & later naturalism (nudity).
OWC had a pagan slant and was influenced by Greek myth. Both organizations
had involvement with the occult scene and were involved in quite a bit of
controversy, leading one opponent to label OWC the "Order of Witchcraft
Deviltry". There were other organizations arising around this time
including Dion Fortune's Fraternity of the Inner Light and The Order of
Bards, Ovates, and Druids (OBOD). Evidently there was opportunity for much
interaction between these groups and many knew one another.
The founder of the OBOD was Philip Ross Nichols who was a friend of one well
known and active member of the adult branch of the OWC, namely Gerald
Gardner.The article goes on with many examples of how the different
traditions blended and associates the word "Woodcraft" with the now popular
Wiccan term "The Craft". This would also explain the remarkable
similarities Wicca has to the Native American sacred circle, calling the
four directions, the Great Spirit and Mother Earth.
Summary of the Summer 1998 issue can be found at http://www.lumen.org
