A traditional tribe meeting is conducted at least once or twice per month. Families take turns in hosting the meetings. The meeting location can be (and is favored to be) in the homes of the host family or some pre-arranged location such as a meeting room of your local church, library, community center, etc. Size of the tribe may also dictate here. Try to have meetings year-round.

Creating and Running a Tribe Meeting: The host family will usually be responsible to plan and provide the craft, refreshments, games, etc. These are all part of planning a meeting. The chief will officiate the meeting, then turn it over to the host family. A traditional tribe meeting will usually contain the following:

Opening and Closing Ceremony:
Be flexible and tailor it to the needs of your tribe but try not to remove the traditional and ceremonial components.

Scouting Reports:
The scouting reports referred to in the meeting agenda are made by the children. Each child is given the opportunity to tell the tribe about an experience (or report on a subject) that has happened to them (assigned to them) in the last month. The tribe chief may assign a subject. Subjects can be endless such as things in nature, tribal Indian lore, athletics, animals, hobbies, family fun, favorite bible stories, vacations, etc. If the tribe prefers, the children tell of their favorite parent/child experience from the last month, such as a hike together. The children could also tell of a special personal event or happening from the last month.

Scouting reports are an important part of the tribal ritual. They develop self-confidence in the child by teaching them to stand before the group and express themselves. The parent should make sure the child is prepared before the meeting to avoid an embarrassing situation. Scouting reports are encouraged, but not a mandatory part of the tribe meeting. Occasionally, it may be a good idea to reward the son or daughter for their scouting reports with a bead, eagle claw, feather, etc.

Craft Project:
Ideas are endless. Many with a nature or Indian theme (great for building your stock of Indian regalia), are always popular. Many seasonal crafts can be also a hit with the children. Keep your project selection simple enough for all of the children to be able to complete with help from their parent, yet interesting enough for all of their age groups. If the craft project will take longer than the allotted time, consider preparing part of the craft in advance of the meeting. Pre-bagging also saves time passing things out. Your craft selection will determine whether or not parents can make the craft for themselves as well. PARENTS LOVE CRAFTS TOO.

Games:
Chose a game that can include all the tribe members including the parents. Consider going outdoors if possible. Parent participation in the game is important. This is usually the loudest portion of the meeting.

Story:
It is usually good to follow the game with a story as it allows the group to settle down and refocus. Many good Indian theme stories that also teach a lesson and possibly spark discussion are available from the support materials for the program. The N.S.D.P. manual also contains a few stories. Take a trip to your local library with your child to find stories.

Story telling and teaching the ways of the Indian, do go hand in hand. However, always remember the great words of one of the great storytellers of our modern times, Walt Disney:

"I would rather entertain and hope they would learn,
than to teach, and hope they were entertained!"

Other Possibilities:
The tribe meeting could include a number of other appropriate activities such as talks by the chief; show-and-tells of hobbies, pets, etc.; songs; devotions.

Refreshments:
Served at the end of all activities, just before closing. Limit these to a dessert or two, and some form of refreshment. Be aware if any children and/or parents have special dietary restrictions. Homemade goodies are usually a favorite. Many times, homemade desserts are fashioned around the season such as Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc.

Attendance at Meetings:
As this is a parent & child program, the parent must attend the meeting with the child. BE ON TIME to tribe meetings. A meeting schedule should be established as soon as possible so host families are aware of their meeting date. Meetings should be scheduled on the day most acceptable to all. Assigning a calendar of meetings at the start of the program year seems to be most effective. Try sticking to same day of week because everyone can plan those dates well in advance.