Hubbard learned much about the skills and lore of the West from the cowboy and native folk which befriended him in his travels across the western states. Shortly after acquiring the ranch, he began sharing his love for the West and his knowledge of cowboy and Indian cultures by hosting an increasing number of Scout groups during the summer months. Visiting Scouts would learn about camping, archery, horsemanship, native crafts, and native dancing. Among the many counselors Hubbard employed to help him with his summer program was Dr. Charles E. Colgate of St. Louis, Missouri.

Dr. Colgate was fascinated by the Indian dances and crafts he learned from Hubbard. Back in St. Louis, he created and guided a troop of dancing Scouts from 1928 through 1942. Colgate moved to Amarillo, Texas and became an assistant Scoutmaster in Amarillo for Troop 9. In the fall of 1944, Troop 9 Scoutmaster, Ralph Irelan, announced the troop would need to prepare a skit or performance for the Scout skills show held annually in Elwood Park. Dr. Colgate offered to teach the troop an Indian Dance.

As far as we know, Irelan and Colgate intended for the boys to perform only one time. But the telephone rang, and the Lion's Club wanted the boys to dance at their meeting. Then the telephone rang again....and again. The original eight dancers were a very dedicated group, and their program soon began to attract other boys. Since 1944, over 1600 boys have earned a place in the Kwahadi show. They have presented almost 3200 shows in 38 states and overseas. The telephone, fax machine, e-mail, and letters continue to bring friends and opportunities to the boys!

Most of the members of the Kwahadi Venture Crew are not Native Americans, nor is it our intent to "play Indian" or to try to "be" Indian. The Kwahadis are a program for boys and girls dedicated to the education and character development of our members and of those for whom we perform. Over the decades, we have been given great gifts of folkart, crafts, and wisdom by native people from among tribal groups such as the Mohawk, Pueblo, Kiowa, Comanche, Shoshoni, Sioux, and Cherokee. The elders of the Comanche hosted a powwow many years ago and gave the boys the right to use the name Kwahadi (Quahadi), the name of a band of Comanche people who hunted on the High Plains of Texas. It is with respect and gratitude to our native friends that we share our interpretive performances.

We have also had the good fortune through our travels to meet great Scouters, community leaders, artists, and other friends across the nation who have shared their own gifts and helped to build the quality of our program. Our mission is to share through our performances the gifts of song, dance, and wisdom with which we have been blessed. We want to make a positive difference not only in our own boys' lives, but in the lives of as many children as possible. We want to honor and encourage volunteers who share their time, resources, and wisdom with youth.

The Kwahadis have also been blessed with the awesome gift of the collection of art, artifact, and research materials of Rev. Thomas Mails, famous author and artist of Native Americans.

"Tom" Mails published his first work, "Mystic Warriors of the Plains" in 1972 and earned the respect of native leaders of many nations. He has since been invited by elders of a variety of tribes to record and interpret their own stories and cultures. Other works by Mr. Mails include, The Apache, The Cherokee, Sundancing on the Rosebud, Foolscrow, Pueblo Children of the Earth Mother, Hotevilla, Microcosm of the world, and The Hopi Survival Kit. The Kwahadis have built a theater to house our performances and a museum to house the Mails' collections and other gifts with which we have been entrusted.  

The Kwahadis present between 70 and 80 performances each year for conventions, city celebrations, camporees, fund-raisers, touring groups, youth groups, museums, and schools. The show can be presented in gymnasiums, convention halls, activity centers, dining halls and cafetoriums, or outdoors in amphitheaters or football fields. Shows can be scheduled locally on any night of the week, and the Kwahadis travel up to 500 miles on weekends to perform. During the summer months, the troop takes the show on the road for at least two weeks each summer. The long tour gives the boys experiences from coast to coast and enables us to perform for distant friends. 

The Kwahadis present Indian Summer performances on the last Saturday night in September and the first Saturday night in October. The show has been presented annually since 1986. This is an outdoor ceremonial during the delightful fall evenings of the Texas Panhandle.  The show features our favorite dances from the summer season.

Each fall, on the two school days before Thanksgiving, Kwahadis are excused from classes to entertain in 10 to 12 area schools. The Thanksgiving Shows have been presented annually since 1993. Since 1977, the Kwahadis have also presented Dancing in the Homes annually, usually on the Friday and/or Saturday night before Christmas. This is our version of "caroling," and we dress in our winter costumes and travel to nursing homes, retirement centers, orphanages, and the homes of friends. At each stop, small groups perform one dance after another in a mini-ceremonial.

The Kwahadis train each fall to prepare the winter dances, and each spring to prepare summer dances. New members begin in a team called the Kit Fox Society. The Kit Fox Society and the rest of the "showteam," consisting of members of the Kiowa Clan and the Sioux Clan, rehearse primarily on Sunday afternoons.

Typical Kwahadi road show performances vary in length from 45 minutes to 2 hours. Short shows typically include the Flag or Soldier Honoring Dance which recognizes the gift of opportunity we have in life and honors the soldiers and leaders who have preserved our freedom for our children. The Belt Dance honors the importance of our family and associations and reminds us of our responsibilities to others. The Hoop Dance illustrates the story of everyone's life and reminds young people not to let the Whirl Wind defeat them. The Comanche Dance encourages us to stand for something worthwhile and to be prepared to defend our beliefs. Various Eagle dances illustrate the importance of vision in life and encourage young people to set goals. The Trapped Eagle Dance encourages young people to face the whirlwinds of life and to never give up on themselves or their friends. The Shield Dance reminds us of the protective shield in our hearts which is made up of the good things taught to us by our parents, preachers, teachers, elders, coaches, Scouters, and friends. Guiding wisdom such as the Scout Oath and Law are not just rules for boys, but are guiding wisdom for successful adults!

In order to become a member of the Kwahadis, a boy must be registered as a Scout in any troop. He then multiple registers, depending on his age, in Venture Crew 9 and begins training. All Kwahadis are encouraged to achieve two great goals: 1) Earn the rank of Eagle Scout, and 2) Earn the rank of Kwahadi Chief. As a young man progresses up the ranks of Scouting in his troop, he also constructs his costume and attends dance training in his climb from Kit Fox to Chief and from Tenderfoot to Eagle!

One of our traditions is to honor a boy for achieving his goal by performing the Eagle Dance at the Court of Honor when he receives his Eagle Scout award. We have been honored to attend these ceremonies here in Amarillo to as far away as Camp Many Points, Minnesota to perform for a thousand Scouts and Scouters and to take part in an Eagle Scout Award ceremonies for distant friends! 

In just the past few years, the Maiden Society has become a full time group associated with the Venture Crew 9.  Many of the dances have roles for girls which had been performed by the boys in the past.  Then, slowly, sisters and girlfriends began to take these roles, and the dances looked great!   The Maidens now perform throughout the year and on tours with the boys.