The Grand Howl is a ceremony used by

Cub Scouts 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 'P ...

and Brownies. It was devised by

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 author of the scouting guide ''

Scouting for Boys ''Scouting for Boys: A handbook for instruction in good citizenship'' is a book on Boy Scout training, published in various editions since 1908. Early editions were written and illustrated by Robert Baden-Powell with later editions being extens ...

'', and is based on the

Mowgli Mowgli () is a fictional character and the protagonist of Rudyard Kipling, Rudyard Kipling's ''The Jungle Book'' stories. He is a feral child, feral boy from the Pench National Park, Pench area in Seoni, Madhya Pradesh, India, who originally ap ...

stories in

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 Raj, British India, which inspired much o ...

's '' Jungle Book''. In the ceremony, Cubs act out the

wolves The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, and gray wolves, as popularly u ...

greeting Akela, the "Old Wolf", at the Council Rock and are reminded of the

Cub Scout Promise Cub Scouting is part of the Scouting program of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA), available to boys and girls from kindergarten through fifth grade, or 5 to 10 years of age and their families. Its membership is the largest of the five main BSA ...

. Baden-Powell also created a Grand Howl for Brownie Guides, which was in imitation of an owl instead of a wolf. It has been used as an opening and closing ceremony as well as a method of conveying thanks or appreciation by all sections of Scouting.

Origin

In the wild,

howl to assemble the pack usually before and after hunts, to pass on an alarm particularly at a den site, to locate each other during a storm or while crossing unfamiliar territory, and to communicate across great distances. Grand howls had been part of social occasions since at least the 1850s. Five years after the founding of the Scout movement, Baden-Powell and others worked on a scheme for those who were too young to join the

Boy Scouts Boy Scouts may refer to: * Boy Scout, a participant in the Boy Scout Movement. * Scouting, also known as the Boy Scout Movement. * An organisation in the Scouting Movement, although many of these organizations also have female members. There are t ...

at the age of 11, initially called "Junior Scouts". By the time of the launch of the scheme, Baden-Powell had obtained the approval of his friend and neighbor, Rudyard Kipling, to use the ''Jungle Book'' as a theme. Under the name of "Wolf Cubs", the 8- to 10-year-old boys would take part in basic versions of the activities enjoyed by the older Boy Scouts, but within a background of the jungle in the Mowgli stories of Kipling's 1898 book. The Cubs would act out scenes from the stories, and the adult leaders would adopt the names of characters from the book. For example, the leader in charge would be titled Akela, after the character Akela who led the titular

's wolf pack in Kipling's novel. Baden-Powell book, entitled '' The Wolf Cub's Handbook'', was published on 2 December 1916. In the first chapter, he describes the following scene in ''The Jungle Book'' and provides some additional context for the Grand Howl ceremony:

Original Grand Howl

The original instructions for the Grand Howl, described by Vera Barclay and Baden-Powell in ''The Wolf Cub's Handbook''. :Scouter: ''"Pack - Pack - Pack!"'' This calls the Cubs into a Parade Circle. The Cubs reply as they run to their places in the circle. :Cubs: ''"Pack!"'' As the Scouter enters the circle, the Cubs squat down on their heels with their "fore paws" on the ground between their feet and their knees out on either side. :Cubs: ''"Ah-kay-la! We-e-e-e-ll do-o-o-o o-o-o-u-u-r BEST!"'' On the word "BEST", the Cubs jump to their feet with two fingers of each hand at the sides of their heads, to resemble a wolf's ears. :A

Sixer Sixer or Sixers may refer to: * ''Sixer'' (2007 film), an Indian Kannada-language film * ''Sixer'' (2019 film), an Indian Tamil-language film * Philadelphia 76ers, a professional basketball team in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States * For ...

: ''"Dyb - dyb - dyb -dyb"'' The word "dyb" means "Do Your Best" circle around leader DYB DYB DOB which is the first part of the Cub Promise and was the original Wolf Cub

motto A motto (derived from the Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of an individual, family, social group, or organisation. Mo ...

. On the fourth "dyb", the Cubs lower their left hands and the fingers of their right hands extend to form the Wolf Cub salute. :Cubs: ''"We-e-e-e-ll dob-dob-dob-dob"'', meaning "We'll do our best".

National variants

United Kingdom

In 1966, a complete review of the UK Scout Association, '' The Chief Scouts' Advance Party Report'', recommended that less emphasis be placed on the ''Jungle Book'' for Wolf Cubs, who were to be renamed

. Although the Grand Howl was to be retained, it was revised, replacing the "dybs" with plain language to "make the significance clearer to parents and public". (p. 20) The recommendations were accepted and began to be implemented in October 1966. The revised Grand Howl is as follows: :Pack in circle. :Cub Scout Leader in centre, arms outstretched facing Sixer; :Cub Scout Leader arms down; :Pack squats. :Pack: ''"Akela! We'll do our best"''. :Sixer: ''"Cubs! Do your best"''. :Cubs: ''"We ''will'' do our best"'', giving the

Scout salute The three-finger salute is used by members of Scouting, Scout and Guide organizations around the world when greeting other Scouts and in respect of a national flag at ceremonies. In most situations, the salute is made with the right hand, palm ...

(which had replaced the two-finger salute in the Cub Section). Following a further programme review between 2000 and 2002, the Grand Howl became optional, allowing Packs to adopt themes other than the Jungle Book - although local groups had always adapted the ceremony. The independent Baden-Powell Scouts' Association and

British Boy Scouts and British Girl Scouts Association The British Boy Scouts and British Girl Scouts Association (BBS & BGS Association; also known as The Brotherhood of British Scouts) is an early scouting organisation, having begun as the Battersea Boy Scouts in 1908.'' The Scout'', September 190 ...

continue with the original Grand Howl.

United States

The Cub Scout programme of the

Boy Scouts of America The Boy Scouts of America (BSA, colloquially the Boy Scouts) is one of the largest scouting organizations and one of the largest List of youth organizations, youth organizations in the United States, with about 1.2 million youth partici ...

and Brownies of the

Girl Scouts of the USA Girl Scouts of the United States of America (GSUSA), commonly referred to as simply Girl Scouts, is a youth organization for girls in the United States and American girls living abroad. Founded by Juliette Gordon Low in 1912, it was organized ...

have used the traditional Grand Howl as a "special recognition ceremony" with the person being honoured (a guest, parent or member of the Pack), standing in the centre of the circle. In addition, a Short Grand Howl can be used as follows:

Canada

The

Scouts Canada Scouts Canada is a Canadian Scouting association providing programs for young people, aged 5 to 26, with the stated aim "to help develop well rounded youth, better prepared for success in the world". Scouts Canada, in affiliation with the French ...

use the traditional Grand Howl. The following version is used in French speaking Packs:

Australia

The Grand Howl used by the

of Scouts Australia is as follows: NZ National Jamboree 2008 Cubs Grand Howl

New Zealand

The Grand Howl used by the Cubs of

Scouts New Zealand Scouts Aotearoa, known internationally as Scouts Aotearoa New Zealand is a trading name of The Scout Association of New Zealand, the national Scouting association in New Zealand and an affiliate of the World Organization of the Scout Movemen ...

is identical to the version currently used in the United Kingdom.

Brownies

A junior section of Girl Guides started in 1914 in the United Kingdom, under the name of "Rosebuds"; this name was disliked by girls and it was soon amended to Brownies, being themed on the story by

Juliana Ewing Juliana Horatia Ewing (née Gatty, 3 August 1841 – 13 May 1885) was an English writer of children's stories. Her writings display a sympathetic insight into children's lives, an admiration for things military, and a strong religious faith. Li ...

. In Baden-Powell's 1918 book, "Girl Guiding: A Handbook for Brownies, Guides and Rangers", the Grand Howl is described as "the grandest salute a Pack ''(of Brownies)'' can give, and is only for ''very'' special occasions". Baden-Powell describes how the Brownies should begin in a squatting position, in the same way as the Cub equivalent, but repeating "Tu-whit, tu-whit, Tu-whoo-oo" three times, each time getting louder and rising higher, until at the end of the third repetition, the Brownies were to jump in the air and clap their hands above their heads. In the United Kingdom, the 1966 report called '' Tomorrow's Guide'' by a Working Party set up to revise and update the programme of the

Girl Guides Association Girlguiding is the operating name of The Guide Association, previously named The Girl Guides Association and is the national Girl Guides, guiding Youth organisations in the United Kingdom, organisation of the United Kingdom. It is the UK's larg ...

, recommended a reduction in the number of ceremonies used by Brownies; the Grand Howl was not retained. The Brownie Grand Howl is still used by the Girl Guides of Canada.

Cultural impact

A Wolf Cub Grand Howl takes place in

George Orwell Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950), better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English novelist, essayist, journalist, and critic. His work is characterised by lucid prose, social criticism, opposition to totalita ...

's ''

A Clergyman's Daughter ''A Clergyman's Daughter'' is a 1935 novel by English author George Orwell. It tells the story of Dorothy Hare, the clergyman's daughter of the title, whose life is turned upside down when she suffers an attack of amnesia. It is Orwell's most for ...

''.

References

Bibliography

External links

Instructional video of the Grand Howl by The Scout Association (United Kingdom)
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303233143/https://members.scouts.org.uk/startup/videos/Cub-Ceremony.wmv , date=3 March 2016 Scouting events Squatting position