Ranger sign
Ranger signs are a special form of route signs and information signs that are mainly used by scout groups . They are used for communication when playing e.g. B. on a scavenger hunt or on a shark . There they are either "drawn" with sawdust or simply placed with sticks or stones and enable information to be transmitted to a subsequent group.
A first set of Scout Ranger characters were in the first Boy Scout manual Scouting for Boys by Robert Baden-Powell mentioned. However, each group can create its own character set, which can lead to overlapping meanings of the same characters. This common "secret" character set is part of the group identity within scout tribes or alliance groups .
Examples of application
One of the simplest signs is an arrow (→) and means straight ahead or further in the same direction . By adding a straight line at the beginning (↦) the meaning changes to the opposite, you should go in exactly the opposite direction. The arrow with the line can also mean wrong way .
Special characters
The sign “ circled point ” is usually assigned the meaning I have done my job and have gone home . It has manifested itself within the scout movement as a symbol of mourning, used on obituaries, gravestones, etc. The symbol is also on the headstone of the founder of the Boy Scout Movement , Sir Robert Baden-Powell .
Ranger mark in the scout associations
The largest German Protestant scout association, the Association of Christian Scouts and Boy Scouts (VCP) , has been using ranger marks as an integral part of its corporate design since 2015. A set of over 50 characters has been defined that can be used freely. For some time, the German Scout Association Sankt Georg (DPSG) used ranger symbols for association communication. They can now be found there under the "Methods for Spiritual Education".
Trivia
Ranger signs are related to the robber's teeth , which are / were almost exclusively attached to house entrances with blackboard chalk . Also there is a relationship to the fraction character of the hunter . These always consist of broken branches of certain tree species, some of which are worked with a knife.
Ranger signs that are laid out in the "terrain", unless they are of importance to others, are cleared after inspection in order to conceal one's own approach to others and to avoid confusion during activities in the same area.