Home > Order of the Arrow > Lodges of Area 4 > Cahuilla Lodge # 127 (1973 – Present) > Historic Drum Teams

Historic Drum Teams

Cahuilla Lodge has a rich history of drum teams that have performed for Scouting events, OA events, Section and National Conferences, and Pow Wow.  Below is a list of drum teams and their impact.  Contact Us if you were a member of these teams or have more information.

Red Thunder

Red Thunder was organized by Adviser Rusty Shoemake in 1993.  Most members were from the Puyumak Chapter.  The drum team was a Northern Drum Team.  The team had a hat with a black cap, red lettering, and a red bill.

Big Heart Singers

1994 NOAC - Big Heart Singers
1994 NOAC – Big Heart Singers

After discovering another team had been using the Red Thunder moniker, the team changed their name to the Big Heart Singers.  This was also another Northern Drum Team and attracted interest throughout the Council.  While most members were part of the newly renamed Tahquitz Chapter, some members of A-tsa also joined.

The team competed at the 1994 National Order of the Arrow Conference at the University of Purdue.  They placed 6th, although every team ahead of them were Southern Drum Teams and the judges were mostly experienced with Southern drum-style.  There was another issue where a judge (who wore a Lenne Lenape interpreter strip) claimed a slight mis-pronunciation, although the team maintained it was accurate.

The Big Heart Singers wore Burgundy hats.

Shadow Lodge Singers

The Shadow Lodge Singers were the next iteration of Northern Drum for Cahuilla Lodge.  The team was led by youth Dustin Shoemake, Danny Souza, and Ian Mulkern.  Both Dustin and Danny were National champions in their respective disciplines at the 1996 National Order of the Arrow Conference.

The Shadow Lodge Singers placed 2nd nationwide and once again, were the highest placing Northern Drum team.

A round patch was issued for the team with a black-and-white design.

Morningstar Singers

Morningstar Singers
Morningstar Singers

The Morningstar Singers were put together by Adviser Peter Mandery Sr.  and John Mulkern.  It’s not confirmed but it’s believed it was named after Morningstar Drive in Murrieta.  Another iteration of the team was led by Adviser David Walsten and most of the youth, again, were from the Tahquitz Chapter.

A round patch was issued for the team with a colorful design.

Rising Sun Singers

Rising Sun Singers were another Northern Drum team in the Tahquitz Chapter led by Adviser David Walsten.

Deer Run Singers

The Deer Run Singers were organized by Adviser James Hermes and was mostly comprised of members of the Aca Chapter.  The team issued 3 Arrowhead patches.


Do you have information, updates, paperwork, or photographs related to this page? We would love your contribution. Feel free to leave a comment below, if enabled, or visit our Contact Page to let us know you can help. We appreciate all contributions and can't wait to include your content on this website.

Last updated: July 9, 2024 at 16:07 pm

Leave a Reply