Here are descriptions of each of the Lodge Awards, presented during the Lodge Banquet each year.  Please refer to the the annual Lodge Plan Book for lists of recipients of each of the awards.

The Active Arrowman Award

An award to recognize those that attend at least 60% of the events of the lodge.

Honor Chapter Award

The Honor Chapter Award is a very important award, since the Chapters comprise the Lodge and if the Chapters don’t make Honor Chapter, the Lodge will very likely not make Quality Lodge. Requirements for this award are:

• The Chapter had positive growth in the past year.
• The Chapter inducted into the Brotherhood at least 40% of its total eligible members.
• The Chapter turned in an article to every edition of the Arrow’s Path

Then the Chapter must complete four of the five following requirements:

• The Chapter had an effective camp promotion program.
• The Chapter contacted 100% of the troops and held an election if one was requested. The team was trained and properly uniformed.
• The Lodge LLDC was attended by at least 70% of the Chapter officers and advisers
• The Chapter brought more members to lodge functions than the previous year.
• Within the past three years, the Chapter was represented at the LLDC by at least two officers.

Elangomat Recognition

The Elangomat Recognition is given to Arrowmen who serve as an Elangomat, then have a minimum of 50 percent of their tribe attain Brotherhood. This can only be accomplished by the Elangomats keeping in contact with the members of their tribe.

Upon completion of the requirements, recipients will receive a patch, issued only to Elangomat Recognition recipients. The date reflects the year presented.

Troop Representative Award

This award is presented to an outstanding Chapter Troop Representative Chairman.

Founder’s Award

The Order of the Arrow Founder’s Award was developed in 1981 by the National Order of the Arrow Committee to aid lodges in recognizing those Brotherhood or Vigil Honor Arrowmen who have given of themselves to the Order above and beyond normal expectations. A lodge may nominate one Arrowmen per every 500 registered Arrowmen in the lodge per year. If there are two or more, at least 50% of the nominees must be youth members of the Order.

Though conceived in 1981, Ku-Ni-Eh Lodge only began awarding it in 1984 for 1983. Recipients are presented with a certificate and medal (shown below) by their home lodge, along with a universal arrow ribbon that is all red with a gold arrow. Ku-Ni-Eh Lodge also issues a gold bead to these recipients. (Note: At the 1986 Winter Banquet the Founder’s Awards were presented by the new lodge, Ku-Ni-Eh #145, with two Arrowmen receiving the award from each of the two lodges that were involved in the 1985 merger).

Arthur E. Roberts Memorial Chief’s Award

The “Chief’s Award”was developed in 1988 by Lodge Chief Cort O’Neil. This award is dedicated to the memory of Arthur E. Roberts who served as Scout Executive of the Cincinnati Area Council. While developing the summer camp program at Camp Friedlander and serving as Camp Director, he began to see the need to recognize honor campers of the area. As a result, founded the Tribe of Ku-Ni -Eh in 1922. His organization has changed by the way of merger and adaptation into the Order of the Arrow, but still survives in spirit.

Eight to ten awards are presented annually at the Lodge Winter Banquet by the outgoing Lodge Chief to lodge members. The number of awards that may be given out is limited to ten, but not all ten must be given out. It is a way of recognizing those who gave of themselves to help the chief carry out the lodge program in its mission and purpose for that year. Beginning with the award class of 1996, the recipients were issued a silver mylar border lodge flap, in addition to a round silver bead. The silver mylar border lodge flap was changed to a medallion with the class of 2001.

Archie J. Williams Memorial Award

The Archie J. Williams Memorial Award is presented annually to adults in Ku-Ni-Eh Lodge who live by the Scout Oath and Law and have distinguished themselves as advisers of youth. The lodge may recognize one member for every 1,000 members of the lodge.

The award is named after one of the most prominent figures in the history of scouting in Northern Kentucky. The first Eagle in Kentucky and a Scoutmaster for Troop 6 in Covington, Mr. Williams founded “The Council of the Ages.” This organization consisted of scouts dedicated to studying the history of Native Americans. The first clan was the Nipperine. Later, this clan was expanded and called the “Crazy Dog Society.” As this society began to fade away in Northern Kentucky, the Nipperine Lodge, Order of the Arrow started. Mr. Williams was a member of Dan Beard’s “Sons of Daniel Boone.” He founded the Williams Natural History Society, served in World War I, served as a Deputy Scout Commissioner, and received the Silver Beaver Award. Mr. Williams was an instructor in scout training courses at the local, regional, and national levels, inducted in the Sac Fox Tribe, and was a director of the Cincinnati Art Museum.

National Distinguished Service Award

The Distinguished Service Award (DSA) was created in 1940 from the need to honor those Arrowmen who rendered exceptional service to the Order beyond the lodge. Since the first awards in 1940, less than 800 DSA’s have been presented. This select few is a testament to the standard of excellence of this award. Nominations are taken from the home lodge of the Arrowman and the awards are given out bi-annually at the National Order of the Arrow Conference. Ten have been awarded to Arrowmen who were a part of this lodge. The DSA recipient may wear a square knot, which is white on a red background and also a ceremonial necklace

Red Arrow Award

The National Order of the Arrow Committee presents the Red Arrow Award to non-Scouters or Scouters who are not members of the Order of the Arrow, for distinguished service to the OA. These awards are also given out at the National Order of the Arrow Conference. As with the Distinguished Service Award, nominees are named by their home lodge.

New Member Challenge (Retired; replaced with the Active Arrowman Award)

The New Member Challenge is one of Ku-Ni-Eh’s newest awards. However, it is unlike most of the awards presented to Arrowmen of this lodge. Instead of going to someone who has given many years to the service of the Lodge, all recipients of this award have been Arrowmen for just a little over a year.

On November 10, 1996, the Lodge Executive Committee voted to begin presentation of a new award. This award was the New Member Challenge. The purpose is to increase the lodge’s percentage of new members retained as active lodge members and to urge new members to seal their membership in the Order to make it easier to attain National Quality Lodge status.

It is a simple award, which new Arrowmen can earn by completing two requirements. The first is to seal their membership in the Order by attaining Brotherhood Membership. The second is to serve on a lodge or chapter committee or event staff. An Arrowmen has until November of the year following his ordeal to complete the requirements to be eligible for the award. Upon completion of the requirements, recipients will receive a patch, issued only to New Member Challenge recipients, and a certificate at the Lodge Winter Banquet.