Two Young Men Earn Camp's Highest Honor

By JR Verkamp

“I take upon myself the obligation to set the best of examples, to do all that I can to help others have a happy and successful summer, to live the by the Law of the Woods and actively pursue the ideals of service.”

Thus begins the oath that is recited by candidates for the Grand Medicine—Kooch-i-ching’s highest honor, a tradition dating back to the 1920s.

Jack Hanley, left, and Wyatt Amdahl stand in the Council Ring. (Kate Downey)

By taking this oath, Grand Medicine candidates—eight-week campers and first-year staff members—commit to the ideals of service and leadership. Throughout the summer, candidates dedicate themselves to a significant building project and serve as role models for younger campers.

“Wyatt was named A-Koq-Wask-Kwa-Ni, translated as ‘Leaps for the Highest.’ Jack was named Moo-Ji-Gi-Zi, or ‘Leads with Joy.’”

This summer, for the first time since 2014, two young men were granted entry to the Grand Medicine Society. On the 31st sun of the Red Moon, Wyatt Amdahl and Jack Hanley received Kooch-i-ching’s highest honor. During an early morning ceremony in the Council Ring, each was presented with a dog-staff and a plaque bearing his new Indian name—a name to replace all childhood nicknames.

Wyatt was named A-Koq-Wask-Kwa-Ni, translated as “Leaps for the Highest.” Jack was named Moo-Ji-Gi-Zi, or “Leads with Joy.”

Both Wyatt and Jack worked tirelessly in their respective roles this summer. Wyatt, a first-year staff man, was the assistant Prep unit head and led a Father-Son Trip. Jack, a CIT, was the head of Red Lodge and paddled to Hudson Bay on the Caribou River.

Wyatt and Jack: We greet you. We salute you.

This article was originally published in the Fall 2019 issue of the Kooch-i-ching Tumpline.