From the Zuni language, Kia Kimatranslates as "eagles' nest" and has been in use since the camp first opened in 1916.
The camp originally was going to be Camp Chickasaw, but it was named by the first Camp Director, Edward Everett, while on a trip to the property in 1916 to prepare for the summer camp season.
Kiakima was an ancestral Zuni village or pueblo at the southwest base of Dowa Yalanne, a mesa outside of Zuni Pueblo, New Mexico, on the Zuni Indian Reservation.
The official flag of Kia Kima Scout Reservation follows the standard design for Boy Scouts of America summer camps, which is a dark blue flag with the gold BSA emblem in the center, the name "Kia Kima Scout Reservation" at the top and "Chickasaw Council" on the bottom. This flag was first adopted in 2016.
The Kia Kima flag has two additional items that makes it stand out from other camps: a veteran insignia and four gold memorial stars.
Originally written at camp in 1926, the Alma Mater is the official camp song or hymn of Kia Kima. It is traditionally sung at closing campfires, and the original author is unknown.
The song is based off of the Vanderbilt University alma mater which is in turn based off of Cornell University's alma mater, Far Above Cayuga's Waters.
The Kia Kima Grace is the official interfaith prayer offered before meals at Kia Kima. It was written in May 2010 by Kia Kima Staffers, Adam Howard and Josh Weeden, during Staff Training Weekend held at Camp Currier.
Any camper who has stayed in Camp Cherokee will remember the ear-piercing sound of the gong. While it now rings out over John Cooper Lake, it used to ring out over the South Fork, to call for a ferry into camp.
Built in 1928, theThunderbird Lodge is a two-story building of native Arkansas fieldstone that served as the historic headquarters of Kia Kima. It is located at Old Kia Kima.
The Burns Cemetery is a mid-1800s cemetery located on or near Kia Kima Scout Reservation. Little is known about Burns Cemetery, and the actual location is disputed. In around 2015, a family came to KKSR during the off-season and installed a marker where they believe the graves are located, near Site #10 Crazy Wolf. A more likely burial site is located across the property boundary off KKSR property.
The Council Scouts was a camp honor society, similar to the Order of the Arrow, that existed at Kia Kima in the 1920s and '30s. It recognized outstanding Kia Kima Scouts at a secret council fire "held somewhere in the deep woods near camp."
Many of the structures at Old Kia Kima feature stonework architecture, which is distinctive of the Hardy, Arkansas region. The Arkansas Register of Historic Places lists Old Kia Kima for “its use of Rustic Style architecture with local significance.” Built in the 1920s, many of the structures were designed and built by Scouts.
The Bullywumpus is a famous game that was played at Kia Kima in the 1920s and '30s. In 1991, it was decided to use the Bullywumpus as a special program for the 75th Anniversary summer with plenty of promotional material and excitement. The problem, however, was none of the documents that referenced the Bullywumpus actually explained what the game was. This led to the famous question used in the promotional materials: “What is Bullywumpus?” Well, Scout, you’d have to come to Kia Kima to find out!
A 1924 newspaper article reveals the rules of the original Bullywumpus Chase.
The first stand-alone Kia Kima patch was issued in 1941 when the Chickasaw Council had moved its summer camp program to Camp Currier and Eastern Arkansas Area Council leased and operated Kia Kima. The Eastern Arkansas Area Council printed these first patches on the back of leftover patches from the EAAC's 1938 and 1939 summer camps at Camp Crowley, Camp Robertson, and Camp Frierson.
