Scout handshake

The left -handed Scout handshake is a formal way of greet ing ot her Scout s of bot h genders
and is used by members of Scout and Guide organizat ions around t he world. The handshake is
made wit h t he hand nearest t o t he heart and is offered as a t oken of friendship. In most
sit uat ions, t he handshake is made firmly, wit hout int erlocking fingers, and many organizat ions only
use t his handshake when bot h people are in uniform. There are some variat ions of t he handshake
bet ween nat ional Scout ing organizat ions and also wit hin some program sect ions.[1]

Scout handshake

Mexican scouts using the handshake to welcome new members

The 1935 Boy Scout Handbook says t hat "By agreement of t he Scout Leaders t hroughout t he
world, Boy Scout s greet Brot her Scout s wit h a warm left hand clasp."

All World Associat ion of Girl Guides and Girl Scout s members share t he left handshake, and when
meet ing ot her Girl Guides and Girl Scout s, it may be used in conjunct ion wit h t he Scout sign done
wit h t he right hand.[2]

Meaning of the left-hand

Various sources have at t ribut ed t he origin of t he handshake, as an ancient sign of bravery and
respect , t o Lord Baden-Powell's encount er aft er bat t le wit h Prempeh I, or t o earlier published
works by Ernest Thompson Set on. There exist various versions of t he Prempeh st ory, all
cent ering on African warriors using t he left hand t o hold t heir shields and t o lower it and shake
t he left hand of t he person was t o show t hey t rust ed each ot her.[2]

According t o t he Ashant i warrior version of t he st ory, t hen-Colonel Baden-Powell salut ed t hem

wit h his right hand, but t he Ashant i chiefs offered t heir left hands and said, "In our land only t he
bravest of t he brave shake hands wit h t he left hand, because t o do so we must drop our shields
and our prot ect ion." The Ashant is knew of Baden-Powell's bravery because t hey had fought
against him and wit h him, and t hey were proud t o offer t he left hand of bravery.[1]

Anot her version of t he st ory is t hat t he left -handed handshake was a homage paid t o Chief
Kweku Andoh who was left -handed and had t he t endency t o shake hands wit h his left . Baden-
Powell dedicat ed his account 'The Downfall of Prempeh' t o him: "(Wit hout His Permission). To
Chief Andoh of Elmina. My Guide, Adviser and Friend". Chief Kweku Andoh was t he officer in t he
Brit ish Army t hat led t he t roops t o Kumase when t hey capt ured Prempeh I and purport edly
t aught Baden-Powell how t o scout in t he jungle.[2]

The t erm it self was used as t he t it le of a work by Hilary Saint George Saunders, The Left
Handshake: The Boy Scout Movement during the War, 1939–1945[3], because of t he ext raordinary
courage shown during t hose t imes. According t o t he foreword by Brit ish Chief Scout Lord
Rowallan,

When Colonel Baden-Powell entered the capital city of the Ashanti

people in 1890 he was met by one of the Chiefs who came to him
holding out his left hand. B.-P. held out his right in return but the Chief
said: "No, in my country the bravest of the brave shake with the left
hand." So began the "left handshake" of the world-wide brotherhood of
Scouts. In this book are told some of the stories of courage and
endurance shown by Scouts in many different countries during the
war of 1939–45. There would not be room even in many books to tell
 them all. Many, indeed, can never be told; some for political reasons,
some because the actors died unknown. They remembered their
Promise, to do their best to do their duty to God, and their Country; to
think of other people and not themselves. So, when the time came, they
were prepared in body and in spirit to render their service. Their
record is unsurpassed; they were "the bravest of the brave."[3]

The left hand is also closer t o t he heart , wit h t hat at t endant symbolism.[2]

References

1. Hansen, Walter (1985). Der Wolf, der nie schläft: Das abenteuerliche Leben des Lord Baden Powell (in
German). Freiburg-Basel-Vienna: Herder. p. 162. ISBN 3451204533. "Gruß, Pfiff und System der kleinen
Gruppe; and p. 124, p. 126/27 (Die Krobos:Geheimbund an der Goldküste)"

2. Foster, Michael (1999). "The Origins of the Left Handshake" (http://www.netpages.free-online.co.uk/sh

a/lhs.htm) . Scout History Association. Retrieved 2019-02-15.

3. Saunders, Hilary St. George (1949). The Left Handshake: The Boy Scout Movement during the War,
1939–1945. London: Collins. ASIN B003A06GPK (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003A06GPK) .

External links

"Scout Requirement s St udy Guide" (ht t p://www.boyscout t rail.com/webelos/boyscout reqsai

d.asp) . BoyScoutTrail.com. Ret rieved 2019-02-15.

"The Scout Salut e" (ht t p://bsaden2.t ripod.com/id7.ht ml) . Den 2, Cub Scout Pack 3149.
Hudsonville, MI. Ret rieved 2019-02-15.

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