When going through a lodge merger, one of the most important aspects of the process is to decide upon a suitable, appropriate lodge name. Two lodges who went through a council merger—Ofi’ Tohbi Lodge and Eternal Flame Lodge—both had different, yet extremely effective methods of finding lodge names that were significant and culturally relevant to their respective areas. Both lodges had to bring together different cultures and traditions, but had to find a single name to tie everyone together.
When interviewing the lodge Chiefs, advisers, and former members of the respective lodges merging committees, specific themes were consistently critical in not only ensuring a successful and prosperous merger, but also in the philosophies of deciding upon a lodge name. These included emphasizing local culture, historical significance, and general appropriateness. Both Ofi’ Tohbi Lodge and Eternal Flame Lodge have set a standard for what a great, empowering lodge merger can look like, and are prime examples of how to name your lodge.
Ofi’ Tohbi Lodge: Local Mississippi Legend
Legacy lodges Chicksa Lodge #202 and Watonala Lodge #169 finished their lodge merger in 2022, and formally began operations as Ofi’ Tohbi Lodge on January 1, 2023. The merger at large was a joint process done by both of the legacy lodges respective lodge executive committees (LEC), which created the overall merging committee. The former Pushmataha Area Council requested the Yocona Area Council for a merger to benefit the overall Scouting movement in Northeastern Mississippi. The two legacy lodges had to find a way to incorporate their local cultures and traditions into one unified name.
The merging committee created a survey that would be sent out to the general membership of Chicksa and Watonala, where members of the merging committee themselves were also open to directly providing submissions straight to the committee. The survey included what the new lodge name, totem, and colors should be. The survey ran for a few months, and submissions were gathered and discussed between both of the LEC’s, where a few select names were chosen for committee consideration.
One name stuck out far beyond the others though, with not only local and cultural significance to the area, but a story that tied the former Chicksa and Watonala Lodges together as one. This name was “Ofi’ Tohbi”, which shared significance with the local Chickasaw and Choctaw Tribes, the lands where the former Chicksa and Watonala Lodges had resided in. This story in the Ofi’ Tohbi Lodge is known as “The Migration Story”, and is as follows:
“Long ago, the Chickasaw People needed to move from the west. They were led by two brothers, Chicka’ and Chahta. Scouting out in front of them was Ofi’ Tohbi, their large white dog. After they crossed the Mississippi River, the tribe split. The followers of Chicka’ settled in what would become northeast Mississippi and the followers of Chahta settled just to the south and formed the Choctaw Tribe. On January 1st, 2023, two great Order of the Arrow lodges, Watonala and Chicksa, joined forces to create Ofi’ Tohbi Lodge. Watonala Lodge was on the ancestral homeland of the Choctaw Tribe and Chicksa Lodge was on lands originally belonging to the Chickasaw Tribe. Ofi’ Tohbi Lodge pays homage to the honorable traditions of the original inhabitants of the land.”
The Migration Story was proposed by 2025 Ofi’ Tohbi Lodges Vice Chief of Fellowship, Will Jones. When finding the story, Will said:
“My dad and I did some research into the local tribes history and found the origin story on the Chickasaw's website… One of the reasons we picked the legend of Ofi Tohbi was because it covers both the Chickasaw and Choctaw. Several names were submitted to the lodge merging committee and the committee submitted the names to the Chickasaw Nation and the Mississippi Band of the Choctaw Nation because they had to be approved. Once we got the list back, we narrowed down the names for our new lodge.”
When the Migration Story was proposed to the merging committee, the name “Ofi’ Tohbi” immediately stuck, translating from the native Chickasaw language to “White Dog”. There was some discussion on whether the name should be simply “Ofi’ Tohbi” or “Ofi’ Tohbi Ishto” for “Great White Dog”, however the committee ultimately decided to keep the more simplistic name as they felt it better served its use as a name for an Order of the Arrow Lodge. The merging committee felt that the name was so perfect in its significance and story, bringing back together two lodges from historically close lands that could be brought back together through their native traditions.
Finding something as perfect as the Migration Story for your lodge may be difficult, however finding a relevant name does not have to be impossible. 2025 Ofi’ Tohbi Lodge Chief Zek Crocker says that “You must find a name that has meaning and significance. Something to your area, local traditions, and ideas. Immediately going for a deeper meaning and understanding of a name will make it significantly easier to go through the process”. Having something that has something with any significance at all will make it a lot easier to go through the process. It’s not simply a proposal for a name that sounds cool, it should be significant in some fashion, and something with that significance will likely pass through the merging committee to at least be considered.
Eternal Flame Lodge: Unique Geographic Attraction
Legacy lodges Erie Canal Lodge #141 and TKaen DoD Lodge #30 finished their lodge merger in 2024, and formally began operations as Eternal Flame Lodge on January 1, 2025. The merger process consisted of the two legacy lodges LEC’s and a separate merging committee with around 10 members. Both the former Western New York Scout Council and Five Rivers Council held the merger to improve membership in the associated Western New York Area and grow the Scouting movement at large between both councils. This put the members of Erie Canal and TKaen DoD to come together as one, and identify a central, unifying name that could represent all lodge members.
Members from inside of the merging committee proposed names, as well as a few members of the lodge's respective LEC’s. The committee ultimately gave themselves one month to come up with different names, where each member of the committee would pick their top 3 contending names after the month was finished. These names would be the ones primarily put into consideration for the lodge.
The new merging committee was encouraged to propose names that were not influenced from local Native American culture, as to begin a fresh start in their new lodge and create a wholly unique, personal experience for the members. Attempting to find a name unique to the New York area, while being culturally and historically significant was a goal of the committee. The most commonly chosen names from those that were proposed were Eternal Flame, Iron Roads, and Red Rose.
Eternal Flame though, more than the other names, stuck greatly with the committee. The name derives from the geographic tourist attraction in Erie County. However, the name was also proposed with the lodge totem of a Phoenix, representing a rebirth and fresh start for the New York Lodge. This anomaly found in the heart of the former Erie Canal Lodge gave the name significance to them. Furthermore, the former TKaen DoD Lodge had an “Eternal Light” at their home camp for long-time members of the lodge, giving the idea of something adjacent to an Eternal Flame significance to both legacy lodges.
The significance of the name comes not only through the anomaly of the New York Eternal Flame, but also of the legacy lodges' histories. Erie Canal Lodge, prior to its merger with TKaen DoD Lodge, had just finished a merger between Ho-De-No-Sau-Nee Lodge and Ashokwahta Lodge. When the council merger was proposed, Erie Canal Lodge was still so young and had just gone through a merger. However, the Eternal Flame as an idea signified a continuation in Scouting and moving on from former lodges, with the new phoenix totem symbolizing its rebirth.
When going through the actual process of deciding upon a name, it is important to keep a good committee that takes from all sides and can give fresh input and ideas. When asked about the committee, 2025 Eternal Flame Lodge Adviser Jerry Sullivan said “You must have a good committee to form a good name. Emotions, stubbornness, and harsh feelings won’t make a good name. However you need to go about doing your merger, make sure that the youth are caring and partaking in it”. Ultimately, it is the youth of the lodge that may vote and decide upon a name. Having members on the committee that will not let feelings and emotions get in the way of the advancement of Scouting is key.
When questioned about what other lodges should do to find a suitable name, 2025 Eternal Flame Lodge Chief Elliot B. said:
“For the name selection, be open to input! It is the youths lodge and they make those decisions. Communication between all of the merger committee being split between the two lodges is paramount in making sure that things work well. Lodge leadership from both lodges should visit each other and come to induction weekends and relevant events to ensure that they are on the same page and that things will go well during the actual merge. Go in with an open mind!”.
Ultimately, finding a suitable and appropriate lodge name will take time, effort, and a lot of thinking by the merging committee, however it is important to find a name that is important and may stand on its own. Whether it derives from a local story, something culturally significant to the area, or something simply interesting that ties the incorporated lodges, a name that has meaning and significance is one of the most important aspects of a lodge merger. Hopefully, by taking examples from the Ofi’ Tohbi and Eternal Flame lodges, the name selection process may be easier and more streamlined for any upcoming lodge mergers.