IdRaHaJe is a Christian summer camp located in Bailey, CO. While the camp is great for strengthening faith within the youth community, many of the traditions put on by the camp promote harmful stereotypes to Indigenous communities. 

The camp for 9-12 year olds, Wilderness Ridge (formerly known as Tepee Camp), is made up of tepees named after different Native groups. A handful of the tepees are named after Indigenous groups that never lived nomadic lifestyles. While I'm sure there was no mal intentions in the naming process, some of them have names that promote historical inaccuracies about the groups they are named after. It might seem small, but inaccuracies like this can promote stereotypes and discrimination against them. 

In addition, one tradition of the camp is to have a "war" with the Pioneer/ Mountain Village camps for younger kids. It consists of the "sheriff" of the younger camps and a counselor dressed in a headdress from Wilderness Ridge kidnapping one another other. Then the kids are led to Fort Courage where  they have a water balloon fight, often wearing headdresses and warpaint and being encouraged by counselors to attempt war cries on the walk over.

There is  nothing wrong with kids having a water balloon fight at camp, but it promotes harmful stereotypes to illustrate a "war" between settlers and native groups, especially to kids at such a young and impressionable age. Indigenous clothing is not a costume and by letting our kids dress up that way at a camp without accurate knowledge of the history behind their traditions is very hurtful to the groups they originate from. 

As a Christian camp, IdRaHaJe  has a responsibility to teach kids the values promoted in the Bible, including respect for other cultures. This starts with removing harmful stereotypes against Indigenous groups from their camp. 

IdRaHaJe Fort Fight Video (2018)​

IdRaHaJe Website