The Scouting program has used themes from ''

The Jungle Book ''The Jungle Book'' (1894) is a collection of stories by the English author Rudyard Kipling. Most of the characters are animals such as Shere Khan the tiger and Baloo the bear, though a principal character is the boy or "man-cub" Mowgli, w ...

'' by

Rudyard Kipling Joseph Rudyard Kipling ( ; 30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936)''The Times'', (London) 18 January 1936, p. 12. was an English novelist, short-story writer, poet, and journalist. He was born in British India, which inspired much of his work. ...

since 1916. In 1914

Robert Baden-Powell Lieutenant-General Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell, ( ; (Commonly pronounced by others as ) 22 February 1857 – 8 January 1941) was a British Army officer, writer, founder and first Chief Scout of the wor ...

announced a Junior Section for Scouting. In 1916, he published his own outlines for such a scheme, to be called Wolf Cubbing. Baden-Powell may have had a number of reasons to call this section Wolf Cubs: Wolf was the name of the

cannon A cannon is a large- caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder ...

made in the

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

workshops at Mafeking. By analogy, a young boy not old enough to be a wolf or true Scout could be a baby wolf or Wolf Cub. Baden-Powell asked his friend

for the use of his ''

Jungle Book ''The Jungle Book'' (1894) is a collection of stories by the English author Rudyard Kipling. Most of the characters are animals such as Shere Khan the tiger and Baloo the bear, though a principal character is the boy or "man-cub" Mowgli, who ...

'' history and universe as a motivational frame in cub scouting. Baden-Powell wrote a new book, ''

The Wolf Cub's Handbook ''The Wolf Cub's Handbook'' is an instructional handbook on Wolf Cubs training, published in various editions since December 1916. Early editions were written and illustrated by Robert Baden-Powell with later editions being extensively rewritten ...

'', for junior members. In 1917, junior members became known as Wolf Cubs. In the 1960s and later, the ''Wolf Cub'' section departed in many organizations from the jungle theme. Some changed their name to Cub Scout or something similar but retained the Jungle Stories and Cub ceremony as tradition—such as the use of Jungle Books names (as described below); and the

Grand Howl The Grand Howl is a ceremony used by Cub Scouts and Brownies. It was devised by Robert Baden-Powell, the author of the scouting guide ''Scouting for Boys'', and is based on the Mowgli stories in Rudyard Kipling's '' Jungle Book''. In the ceremon ...

which signals the start and end of the Cub Scout Meetings. Other organizations kept the name but changed the theme totally.

Akela

Cub Scout pack Cub Scouts, Cubs or Wolf Cubs are programs associated with Scouting for young children usually between 7 and 12, depending on the organization to which they belong. A participant in the program is called a Cub. A group of Cubs is called a ' ...

s, Akela is a symbol of wisdom, authority, and leadership. Akela is anyone who acts as a leader to the Scout. Akela can be a Cubmaster, Den Leader,

parent A parent is a caregiver of the offspring in their own species. In humans, a parent is the caretaker of a child (where "child" refers to offspring, not necessarily age). A ''biological parent'' is a person whose gamete resulted in a child, a male t ...

teacher A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...

depending on where the guidance takes place. In den meetings, it is the Den Leader who is Akela. During pack meetings it is the Cubmaster. At home, the parents fill this role.The Law of the Pack
/ref>

Sir Robert Baden-Powell Lieutenant-General Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell, ( ; (Commonly pronounced by others as ) 22 February 1857 – 8 January 1941) was a British Army officer, writer, founder and first Chief Scout of the wor ...

, the founder of the Scouting movement, chose

's ''

'' as a source of symbolism and allegorical framework for the youngest members of the Scouting movement. Many references are made to this story in the Cub Scout section, including the "Council Rock" for discussions and planning, and the "Grand Howl" to express a sense of belonging and team spirit.Akela – MeritBadgeDotOrg
/ref> Many Cub Scout packs use an oath called the "Law of the Pack" to show allegiance and demonstrate their relationship to Akela and the pack: :''The Cub Scout follows Akela.'' :''The Cub Scout helps the pack go.'' :''The pack helps the Cub Scout grow.'' :''The Cub Scout gives goodwill.'' In the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, where nearly all of the links with ''

'' have been taken out of the Cub Scout programme, the names of ''Jungle Book'' characters are still used for Cub Scout Leaders. Akela is still reserved for the Leader of a Cub Pack, but is not universally in use (i.e., other character names can be held by the leader, usually to avoid confusion when there is a change of leadership). Rudyard Kipling obtained the name " Akela" from Hindi, meaning "alone."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jungle Book and Scouting Scouting Scouting