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Our name is rooted in the history of the land, and comes from the Coahuiltecan people of San Antonio. Aguayaam Guan (pronounced ‘awa yām wān’) is Pajalate, the Coahuilteco language, for water bird. The water bird is a symbol for renewal of life, rivers and rains, and a teacher in nature.
The Payaya are part of the Coahuiltecan band of indigenous people whose territory encompasses the area of present-day San Antonio. In 1718 Spanish priests encountered their village when they established the Alamo Mission in San Antonio and recorded their colonization and “conversion” to Christianity. They are the earliest recorded inhabitants of San Pedro Springs Park, the geographical area that became San Antonio. They called this land, their village, the river, and the river spirit, Yanaguana.
Yanguana lore shared by the Payaya describes a catalytic event in early history in which a blue panther chased an anhinga water bird out of its lair, the blue hole (springs). The bird’s flight out of the springs caused droplets of water to fall from the bird’s feathers and form all of the life in the Yanaguana (San Antonio) River Valley.
Visit the Tāp Pīlam Coahuiltecan Nation and American Indians in Texas at the Spanish Colonial Missions websites for more information about the history of Yanaguana (San Antonio TX).
Our necker colors are inspired by San Antonio’s Native American culture, the Spanish Mission era, and the bright, Lantinx culture San Antonio has today.
Native Americans used these pigments of ochres, ores, and stained earths in ceremonies, clothing, and art. They painted thousands of pictographs, some over 4,000 years old, with these pigments. Together with the missionaries they painted the frescos of the San Antonio Missions with these colors.
Today these colors continue to represent the spirit of San Antonio and it’s vibrant culture!
OSG believes that all people and all families should have an equal place in the scouting movement. We welcome scouts and their families as they come to us, and we will do our best to make scouting and its activities accessible to every child or adult who wishes to join.
Our badgework and program are simple, our uniform is minimal. We teach real outdoor skills and engage in adventures, campouts, and community-building. Service is one of our core tenets, as we create a culture where children and adults ask, “How can we help?”
A scout is Trusty, Loyal and Helpful, Brotherly, courteous, kind, Obedient, Smiling and Thrifty, Pure as the rustling wind.
“BE PREPARED”
