The Jungle Book and Cub Scouting

Baden-Powell, the founder of Scouting, based Cub Scouting on one of the stories in Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book. It was called "Mowgli's Brothers." We know it as "The Story of Akela and Mowgli." A copy of part of the story is in the Wolf Cub Scout Book. The story is continued in the Bear Cub Scout Book. A part of the story is also in the Cub Scout Leader Book. (The Jungle Book and other Rudyard Kipling books are described at the Penguin Books website.)

BSA Cub Scouting has drawn upon the adventure and lore of the Native American, just as Seton's Native American lore influenced Boy Scouting; but a strong influence from Kipling's Jungle Book still remains. The words "Law of the Pack," "Akela," "Wolf Cub," " Grand Howl," "den," and "pack" all come from the Jungle Book. The gold and silver arrows, Webelos, and Arrow of Light are taken from our Native American heritage.

Jungle Book Names

The following may be of interest to Scouters not familiar with the Jungle Book nomenclature. It is a table of accepted pronunciations obtained from All the Mowgli Stories; Doubleday, 1936 and from Dee LaRock. These names are used in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and many other countries.

Characters in the Story

Names Used in Cub Scout Packs

Names held "Ex Officio"

Names Awarded for Prowess in Cub Activities

Names Awarded by Akela at his Discretion