Muscogee Lodge #116

Sukeu Sipo

The lodge is comprised of 7 local chapters, each covering a designated service area within the boundaries of the Indian Waters Council. An Arrowman’s chapter is determined based on the district (of the council) in which their unit is chartered, and much of the lodge program and administration are organized around chapter membership (e.g., competitions at the Fellowships, Unit Election Team visits). When a chapter is initially established, the members choose a fitting name, which is both distinctive and provides some level of identity for the chapter members.

Service Area

The Edisto District of the Indian Waters council covers Bamberg, Calhoun and Orangeburg counties. The Congaree River and Lake Marion mark the northern borders of Calhoun and Orangeburg counties, and the Salkahatchie River forms the southern border of Bamberg county all within the Edisto District.

Chapter Details

Summary

Chapter Name Etymology

The Indian Waters Council Edisto District is nestled in the wet embrace of the North Fork and South Fork of the Edisto River, the largest and longest completely contained river system within the state. The Edisto is a blackwater river, one of the longest free-flowing blackwater rivers in North America[1]. The black color owes itself to the tannins leached into the water as it percolates through the decaying vegetation and soils of the 12 counties along its path to the Atlantic Ocean[2]. Had the Lenni Lenape settled along the banks of the Edisto, perhaps, they would have named it the Sukeu Sipo, the Lenape words for “black” and “river”[3].

1South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, Water Resources Division. Managing Resources for a Sustainable Future: the Edisto River Basin Project Report, SCDNR, 1996.
2McAden, Marie. “Explore One of the Longest Free-Flowing Blackwater Rivers in the World.” The Official Website of the South Carolina Office of Tourism, South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism, 22 Aug. 2018, discoversouthcarolina.com/articles/explore-one-of-the-longest-free-flowing-blackwater-rivers-in-the-world.
3Brinton, Daniel Garrison, and Albert Seqaqkind Anthony, editors. “A Lenape-English Dictionary: From an Anonymous Manuscript in the Archives of the Moravian Church at Bethlehem, PA”. The Historical Society of Pennsylvania, 1888.

The Edisto River, one of the largest blackwater rivers
The Edisto River, one of the largest blackwater rivers in the US[1]

Contact Leadership

Each chapter has an elected Chapter Chief, Vice Chief, and Secretary, with guidance provided by their selected adviser. Chapter members should contact their Chapter Chief with any questions or to schedule a unit election visit.

Chapter Chief
Derwyn B.
Chapter Vice Chief
Melvin H.
Chapter Secretary
Caleb B.
Chapter Adviser
Ernest Nimmons
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