Alaska Yukon Pioneers
Initiation Ritual

1923

Opening
 
Northern Chief, *: This Cabin will now come to order. Sentinel, secure the doors.
Northern Chief: Will those who are not qualified Alaska Yukon Pioneers please retire?
Sentinel: Northern Chief, the doors are c1osed.
Northern Chief (fills vacancies, if any exist): The Trail Blazer and his Assistant will proceed to take up the password.
Trail Blazers meet at foot of altar and salute, exchange password, then both march to the head of the hall and take up password on each side of the room, after which they both march to the foot of the altar and salute the Northern Chief.
Trail Blazer: Northern Chief, all present are qualified Pioneers.
Northern Chief: Trail Blazers, present the flag of our country.
Trail Blazers retire to the anti-room and secure the flags and present them to the altar, then place them in their standards and the members follow the Northern Chief in pledge of allegiance to the flag.
Northern Chief: Past Northern Chief, what are your duties during the session of the Cabin?
Past Northern Chief: My duties are to instruct our brothers in the secret work of the Cabin, and to inculcate the noble principles laid down by our Constitution, in order that we may perpetuate the traditions of the Alaska Yukon Pioneers.
Northern Chief: Chieftain, what are the duties of your office?
Chieftain: It is my duty to assist you in preserving order while the Cabin is in session, and to preside over the Cabin during your absence.
Northern Chief: Sentinel of the Cabin, what are your duties?
Sentinel of the Cabin: My duties are to have charge, under your direction, of the inner door; to see that all who enter are in proper regalia, and are in possession of the password, and to guard the Cabin from improper intrusion.
Northern Chief: Recorder, what duties are required of you?
Recorder: It is my duty to keep accurate minutes of the transactions of the Cabin; to conduct the correspondence, to keep a correct account between the Cabin and its members; to receive all monies due the Cabin and to pay over the same to the Treasurer at the Close of each meeting.
Northern Chief: Trail Blazer, what are your duties?
Trail Blazer: It is my duty to see that all present are qualified Pioneers; to break the trail for all chechakos who desire to locate in our midst and to guide them through the ceremony of initiation. To have full charge of all the paraphernalia of the Cabin, and to perform such other duties as you may direct.
Northern Chief: Trail Blazer, what is our motto?
Trail Blazer: We Blaze the Trail, Civilization Follows.
Northern Chief: Brothers, let us not forget that, although we blazed the trail into the Northland and set up the milestones to guide civilization into that wonderful land of golden promise, our work is not yet ended. The true Pioneer moves ever onward, no matter what difficulties bar his way. Whether it be on the trail, or in the community in which you make your home, be progressive, move ever forward, and no matter what your burden may be, leave the latchstring on the outside to welcome a weary brother who may be carrying a heavier pack than your own, keeping ever in mind the sacred obligations that weld us together.
* * *. Calls up the Cabin.
The Chaplain will offer prayer.
Chaplain: Almighty God, Ruler of the Universe, we invoke Thy blessing and protection for the members of this Cabin of Pioneers and their families. Help them in their endeavors to promote prosperity and welfare of our beloved Northland. Pioneer and guide, we beseech Thee, the hundreds of Pioneers who are still plodding along the trails of Alaska and the Yukon. Guide them safely through the snarling fangs of the rushing rapids; be with them, Oh Lord, in their hours of heartbreaking toil, amid the dangers of an unknown, trackless wilderness of ice and snow, and guide their gee-poles until they arrive safely at their destination, in order that their lives may be spared to blaze more new trails for Civilization to follow. We ask these things in Thy Holy Name. Amen.
The whole Cabin answers: Amen.
Northern Chief: I now declare this Cabin of Alaska Yukon Pioneers open for the transaction of lawful business. *.
 
 
Initiation Ceremony
 
Northern Chief: Brother Trail Blazer, you will retire to the anteroom and see if there are any prospectors in waiting.
Trail Blazer with Assistant retires to the anteroom. Gives alarm at the door. Very loud knocking.
Cabin Sentinel: Northern Chief, there is an alarm at the door.
Northern Chief: Attend the alarm and ascertain its cause.
Cabin Sentinel, speaks through wicket: Who demands admittance to our cabin?
Trail Blazer, speaks through wicket from outside: The Trail Blazer, with a Che-cha-ko who claims to be a prospector and demands the right to record his claim on the books of this Cabin.
Cabin Sentinel: the Trail Blazer, with a Che-cha-ko who desire to file their claims with our Recorder.
Northern Chief: Bid him enter. * * *.
Cabin Sentinel, through wicket: Our Chief bids you enter. Open door, Trail Blazer and Assistant with candidates enter and march to the back of the altar.
Northern Chief: My friend, it becomes my solemn duty to impress upon you the sacredness as well as the importance of the step you are about to take, in order to become a link in that great chain of trail blazers who were welded together in the fires of suffering and hardships on the trails of the Northland. Do you promise, on your word of honor as a roan, that if admitted, you will faithfully live up to and comply with all the Laws, Rules and Regulations of this Organization?
Candidate answers.
Northern Chief: Are you willing to take upon yourself an obligation, which I assure you will not interfere with any duty which you ,may owe to yourself, your family, your country or God?
Candidate answers.
Chaplain: Oh, Thou Infinite Power of the Universe, we ask Thee to let Thy blessing rest upon this candidate at this hour; help him, we pray Thee, to become a flawless link in the strong chain of our Pioneer Brotherhood. Impress upon his heart the seriousness of the task he has before him and teach him to be ever faithful to the obligation he is about to assume. Amen.
Northern Chief: You will raise your right hand, in solemn affirmation, give your name in full, and repeat after me: I, …, in the presence of Almighty God and these members, do solemnly promise and declare, that I will never reveal to any person, any of the Signs, Secrets, Password or Grips, of the Alaska Yukon Pioneers, and that I will support the Constitution and By-Laws of the Order.
I further pledge. myself to assist in any honorable way, to the best of my ability, a brother of this Organization, in distress or in need of help.
I solemnly promise to obey, the Constitution and Laws of the United States of America, and show proper respect for her flag, as long as I am a resident under its beautiful folds of Stars
and Stripes.
I further promise that I shall, by precept and example, do all in my power to protect the timberlands of the country from fires, and to see that my campfire is always extinguished before I leave it.
I further promise to report any discovery that may come under my personal observation or knowledge, to any brother or brothers I may be able to notify, in preference to an outsider.
I further pledge myself, that I will not propose for initiation into this Cabin, anyone whom I do not honestly believe worthy of membership.
All this I sincerely agree to fulfill, and to keep inviolate this obligation, which is without reservation of any kind whatever; binding myself under the penalty of expulsion, should I ever violate it, or any part of it. So help me God.
Northern Chief, *: Brother Trail Blazer, you will conduct the candidate to the station of our Chaplain.
Trail Blazer conducts candidate to Chaplain.
Trail Blazer: Brother Chaplain, by instruction from our Northern Chief, I present this
candidate for your consideration.
Chaplain: My friend, allow me to congratulate you on having advanced thus far in your quest for the trail that leads you through the door of admission, among the men who blazed the trails into the Northland, and made them smooth and easy for Civilization to follow.
You should feel proud of the distinction that entities you to become affiliated with your brother Pioneers, and although you, like other Pioneers, who, through years of nerveracking hardships, have made it possible for the Northland to become a dominant factor in the program of the world, and though recognition of your services may have been overlooked, you will at least have the satisfaction of knowing that history must classify you as real men. This thought should stimulate you in your journey tonight, around the trail that leads to a Cabin of Alaska Yukon Pioneers, who are ready to welcome you as brother.
Brother Trail Blazer, you will guide this prospector to the station of the Chieftain.
Trail Blazer follows instructions.
Trail Blazer: Brother Chieftain, by direction of our Chaplain, I present this candidate to you for further instructions.
Chieftain: My friend, the living Spirit of the North that is represented by the Alaska Yukon Pioneers, the spirit. that overcomes every obstacle, the spirit that opens the way for Civilization, should inspire among its members that sentiment of "share and share alike" which we practiced on the northern trails in the early days, not alone sharing our grub, but in also helping to ease an overburdened brother by carrying part of his pack.
My friend, I believe that you have the proper spirit of the true Pioneer, and that you will become a valuable asset to this Cabin of Alaska Yukon Pioneers.
Brother Trail Blazer, you will now guide this candidate to the station of our Past Northern Chief for further instructions.
Trail Blazer follows instructions.
Trail Blazer: Past Northern Chief, this Pioneer, having mushed over the trail, is now in condition to receive your final instructions.
Past Northern Chief: My friend, after having been instructed by the various officers of this Cabin in the duties that are required of you before you can be affiliated with us, the fact that you have successfully stood the test of your initiation thus far convinces me that you have in you the stuff that goes toward the making of true Pioneers.
The laws of the Alaska Yukon Pioneers are founded on the rules laid down by our early brother Pioneers in the Northland, when no laws existed except the laws of God and the clean justice of the men of the North.
The incentive to live up to these laws should he sufficiently great to appeal to the pride of any man who has the distinction of being eligible to membership in this organization of Pioneers.
Let us hope that the lessons of this evening may be indelibly impressed upon your memory, so that you may be able to make use of them whenever the occasion arises.
It now becomes my duty to instruct you in the secret work of the organization, as well as the Rules of Order in this Cabin.
The first, in order that you may be able to recognize a brother Pioneer wherever you may meet him. And the second to make you conversant with the rules of this Cabin.
The rules of procedure are as follows:
Should you desire to enter the room after the Cabin is in session. you will give three raps on the inner door which will be answered by two raps from within which you will answer by one rap. You will then give your name and the password through the wicket.
If you have forgotten the password, give your card to the Cabin Sentinel, in order that he may be assured that you are a member in good standing.
After being admitted you will put on your regalia, advance to the altar, and give the sign - thus - which will be returned by the Northern Chief - thus - you will then he seated.
Should you wish to retire, or cross the room for any purpose, while the Cabin is in session, you will first approach the altar and give the sign.
Never cross in front of the altar.
We have certain rules of order. One rap of the gavel calls the Cabin to order. *. Two raps of the gavel calls the officers to their feet. * *. Three raps calls up the entire Cabin. * * *. One rap seats them all. *.
Secret work explained.
You will return to the station of the Northern Chief, who will give you the yearly password, and invest you with the final authority to membership in the Alaska Yukon Pioneers.
Trail Blazer conducts the candidate to the station of the Northern Chief.
Trail Blazer: Northern Chief, I present this Pioneer for your final instructions.
Northern Chief: My friend, it is with pleasure that I now greet you as Brother. Your having been admitted to membership in the Alaska Yukon Pioneers proves that you played your parts in those early, strenuous days, when the real calibre of a man was put to the test.
Many of those brothers are now gone, never to meet with us again until we reach that Mystic Land; but, with their names emblazoned upon the tablets of our hearts, they left the memory of their splendid manhood. as a legacy of the Alaska Yukon Pioneers.
The energy and daring of these men has never been equaled by any Pioneer body on the frontiers of the American continent, and we who are left can do no less than emulate the example they set us, by doing all in our power to advance the interests of our wonderful Northland.
In becoming a member of the Alaska Yukon Pioneers, your paramount duty will be to help promote the advancement of Alaska and the Yukon, like our early brother Pioneers.
The Trail Blazer will now invest you with the regalia of our organization, and may you never dishonor it.
After regalia is placed on candidate, Northern Chief: Trail Blazer, you will now face the new brother to the Cabin. * * *. Brother Pioneers, it gives me great pleasure to introduce to you Brother … names brother by full name.
Applause.
Northern Chief: I now declare this new member legally elected members of the Alaska Yukon Pioneers, and entitled to all the benefits and privileges of the Order. *.
The new member will now sign the roll at the Recorder's desk and then be seated.
Recess.
 
 
 
Closing Ceremony
 
Northern Chief: Brothers, we are about to close the doors of this Cabin, to mingle again with the outer world. As we leave this room, let us not forget to take with us into our every day lives, those noble lessons of fraternity laid down by our Ritual. * * *.
Trail Blazers, retire the flags. Trail Blazers secure and retire the flags to the anti-room.
Northern Chief: Brothers, you are earnestly enjoined not to discuss or report any of the proceedings of this Cabin outside of these walls, particularly in public places, and never with any person not a member. I now dec1are this Cabin closed until our next regular meeting, unless called earlier for the purpose of a special meeting. *.

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