What was the Fraternal Order of Daughters of Pocahontas in Connecticut?

Answer 1

History The Daughters of Pocahontas (DOP) was the ladies auxiliary of the Improved Order of Red Men, a fraternal/patriotic society. The Improved Order of Red Men claims to have been founded in 1765 and that it is a continuation of the Sons of Liberty. The aim of the Red Men is "to perpetuate the beautiful legends and traditions of a vanishing race and to keep alive its customs, ceremonies and philosophies." (Axelrod, Alan. The International Encyclopedia of Secret Societies and Fraternal Orders, p. 207.) The Daughters of Pocahontas was authorized by the Improved Order of the Red Men in 1885 in Elmira, New York. The first council, or local chapter, was established in Philadelphia in 1887. Among the principal objectives of the DOP were to embody love and respect for the American flag; preserve the American way of life; keep alive American Indian traditions; and provide organized charity for the needy. (Schmidt, Alvin. Fraternal Organizations. p. 261) As with other fraternal societies, the Daughters of Pocahontas adopted a vocabulary for use during chapter meetings and in the conduct of business with DOP headquarters and chapters-in this particular case, Native American vocabulary was adopted. For example, the presiding officer was known as Pocahontas and the fee for joining the local tepee was called "wampum", and the act of opening a meeting was referred to as "kindling the Council fire". The Tepees also adopted quasi-Native American rituals which were carried out at each biweekly meeting.