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Meetings of a Lodge Unification Committee were held during the following months to make the joining of the two lodges as smooth and seamless as possible with little to no interruption of current lodge plans and activities. Members of the Lodge Unification Committee consisted of Joey Ellis, Otena Chief; Robert Orchard, Kotso Chief; Korey Kennedy, Kotso Vice-Chief of Service; Aivars Jurkis, Kotso Lodge Adviser; Sam Mangrum, Otena Lodge Adviser; Jeremy Moon, Kotso Staff Adviser; and Les Zimmerman, Otena Staff Adviser. The committee, following a contest for a new lodge name, selected the name "Penateka," which was named after a tribe of the Comanche Indians that lived in the area of the Texas Trails Council. Pronunciation is " Pen-ah-took-uh." The name means "Honey Eaters." On Saturday, December 13, 2003, a Celebration Banquet was held at the First United Methodist Church in Coleman to elect the new officers for the lodge and celebrate the signing of the new lodge charter papers. Ninety-three Arrowmen and guests attended the Celebration Banquet at the First United Methodist Church in Coleman.
Seven officers were elected at the banquet by the youth Arrowmen in attendance. The new Chief, Joey Ellis, along with the Adviser Aivars Jurkis and Supreme Chief of the Fire, Kent Brown, signed the charter for the new Lodge which will became effective January 1, 2004. Each lodge had special historical displays on the history of their respective lodges with Otena presenting a power point presentation on its past and present history.
The totem for the new lodge is the Medicine Wheel. A special "Charter Year" patch featuring the Kotso Buffalo, the Otena Indian Head and the Penateka Medicine Wheel was designed and issued to all members who joined the new lodge during the charter year of 2004.
New Ordeal, Brotherhood and
Vigil patches, designed by Charlie Moon, were issued. Each registered
Arrowman in the lodge could purchase up to five patches each, depending
on their honor in the lodge. The restriction applied only during
the first six months of 2004. Charlie Moon received the first patch of
each new design in appreciate of the work that he did in designing the
patches. The Scout Executive, Kent Brown, was presented with the
second set of patches. Each newly elected officer received a patch
of his current honor in the lodge.
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On the weekend of July 27, 2003, Otena and Kotso Lodge came together at
Camp Wood Lake for a special weekend called "The Gathering." During
the weekend a special vote was held by both Kotso and Otena Lodges to approved
the joining of both lodges by January 1, 2004. The Texas Trails Council
had informed the group earlier in the weekend that only one OA Lodge Charter
would be issued for 2004.
