Papago Pete

The History of Papago Pete

Lodge By-laws specify that the Papago Lodge Totem is the "Hohokam conception of the Gambel’s quail". This specification came about during the time of the merger of Victorio Lodge #177, when the Lodge leadership asked Dr. Emil Haury for a Hohokam totem idea. He suggested that the Lodge use the same logo that he had suggested for use by the Southwest Parks & Monuments Association. The Association made a crude sketch of a bird totem from a pottery shard and subsequently gave the Lodge permission to use it. Over the last forty two years, Papago Pete has had many faces and shapes.

The first fully embroidered patch issued in 1961 had a pointy-beaked and pointy-tailed Pete with pointed wing feathers. This version of the totem was used on the pocket flaps with minor variations until 1977. In some of these early versions, notably the ‘vertical sky version’, the top knot curved down and had a pointed end while the beak curved up and was also pointed so as to look as if Pete had an open pair of jaws.

On early Lodge correspondence, the Hohogram and other documents, Pete took the form of a cartoon version of the crude sketch from the Southwest Parks & Monuments Association version. This totem had a slightly widened and up curved tail, a rounded beak and a triangular body with four wing feathers. This version has reappeared many times over the years in many variations.

A later variation of the triangular version with four wing feathers, a bulbous tail and proportionately larger head is one of the most recognized version of Pete, since it is found on our Lodge sweat shirts and on the shirts and hats for several NOAC contingents. It should be noted however, this version has never appear on any pocket flap design.

In the early 1970's, the version of Pete in the Hohogram changed to a more rounded belly shape with a proportionately smaller head which appears to have been a combination of the pointy-beaked version with the triangular version. The top knot is greatly diminished in size and the tail is more pointed. This is the only version where the feet are drawn with toes.

The first truly beaver-tailed or ‘pregnant’ Pete made its’ appearance on the 1977 fully embroidered flap. It appears that this beaver-tailed totem took its’ form due to distortions in copying the triangular version of the totem for the design or in embroidering the totem on the flap. This version of Pete remained in use on the standard or ‘trader’ flap until a redesign in 1990.

In 1985 a modified version of the pottery shard design was used on the diamond jubilee patch. Both the head and body are rounded and the number of wing feathers is reduced back to the original number of three.

A less distorted version of the beaver-tail version appeared on the 1986 NOAC flap. The tail is proportionately longer and wider and the number of wing feathers is back to four. Many variations of this version have been seen over many years with the tail getting much fatter and the wing feathers nearly absent in the 1990 rendition on the trading flap. This version has remained nearly unchanged through its’ use on the 2001 National Jamboree flap.

A true or exact copy of the pottery shard Pete was first used on the1988 NOAC flap and continued in use through the present. This version is seen on all six of the two-piece flaps as well the Lodge service award and both of the lodge jacket-patches. It has also been used on many of the Lodge Banquet commemorative items and the 2002 and 2004 NOAC flaps. This is the recommended version for use on ceremonial costumes since it is copied from an authentic Hohokam artifact.

The latest revision of Pete is the nearly wingless computer generated Pete which has been used on the fiftieth anniversary flap. The wing feathers are small rounded bumps and the tail is long, round and curved up.