You might be wondering why anyone would want another KKK; the one we already have is one too many. But, the KKK I’m talking about today is a totally different kettle of fish. It’s just as creepy and just as weird, but much less racist and there’s a lot less violence involved.

Today’s KKK stands for the Kibbo Kift Kindred. Rather than being a racist bunch of American bigots, these guys are more like the scouts on acid.

Images VIA

The Kindred of the Kibbo Kift were formed in 1920 by John Hargrave,  he set out to go one step further than the scout movement. He liked the scout’s living outdoors and making stuff with your hands vibe, but Hargrave paired it up with some weird occult imagery, ancient Egyptian garb and an effort to save the planet.

The reasons for their formation and particularly the reasons why he chose such mad clothes is still a bit of a mystery. You might think that reading why Hargrave started the movement might illuminate the purpose of these oddly dressed nutters. You would be wrong:

“The method of the Kibbo Kift is based upon a direct appeal to the senses by means of colour, shape, sound and movement, that is, by every form of symbolism.”

So… that’s not much help.

Hargrave saw his new movement as a reaction against the sheer horrors of World War I. I suppose that seeing that kind of suffering would do strange things to anyone’s life plan. Such depressing numbers of young people were slaughtered in their prime that Hargrave wanted to save those that were left, and make the best of them. A noble cause indeed.

Each individual who joined this new KKK – and the group consisted of either gender and any age – took on a new, American Indian name and made their own magical-looking outfits.

Rumours were rife surrounding the strange group’s occult connections, and you can see why that might have been the case. Their pagan heritage and wacky religious outlook certainly didn’t help things.

Unfortunately, the movement didn’t really took off and eventually fizzled out, never having had more than a few hundred people in its ranks at any one time. I, for one, would like to see its astral rebirth. It looks like a riot.

Check out these mighty strange and pretty darned creepy photos:

Promising news on the other KKK front though; their old leader says he isn’t a racist anymore. Look, he even took some photos with black people to prove it.