This article considers three moments in the history of Camp Fire, the first American multiracial organization for girls: (1) the foundation of the organization in the 1910s through the 1930s by progressive reformers heavily influenced by ethnological scholarship on Native American rituals and symbolism; (2) the transformation of the organization into a coeducational organization in the 1970s; and (3) current efforts in the organization, now known as Camp Fire USA, to bring its activities more in line with contemporary multiculturalism while retaining its “Indian” traditions as the organization's heritage. These three historical moments are explored through a combination of archival research, interviews, and participant-observation. As a case study, the history of Camp Fire offers the opportunity to (1) deepen our knowledge of the American tradition of “playing Indian” and (2) track changes and continuities in the relationship among race, culture, gender, and sexuality in U.S. informal education.
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