Great Howl of the Wolf Cubs

BEING IN a uniformed group was an exciting experience. The first opportunity at Westlands Primary came when we were allowed to become Wolf Cubs. That was in Standard 3. In our case, it was in 1962. We became “special” people overnight — for once or twice a month we dressed differently; we also had a set of rituals that distinguished us from the rest. We were made to feel that we belonged to a bigger body of people worldwide. We felt somewhat connected with nature with all the antics of boy-wolves. Somehow we didn't feel silly.

Our snatches of memory from those times, however, do not form a coherent whole. We could only remember:

• Repeating “dyb”  (do your best) and “dob”  (do our best) four times, 
• Standing in circles, 
• Doing the Cub salute with two fingers, the shape of our hand resembling a wolf, and 
• Being led by a leader called “Akela” (whom we cannot recall).

Baden-Powell's illustration 
in The Wolf Cub's Handbook (1916) 

showing how a Wolf Cub's squatting 
posture imitates a wolf at the Grand
Howl. Source: Wikipedia

According to the British Boys Scouts and Girl Guides Association (BBSGGA), they were part of a ritual called the “Great or Grand Howl”, one used by Cubs to greet their leader, Akela, the “Old Wolf”. It was created by Scouts movement founder Robert Baden-Powell, based on stories in Rudyard Kipling’s Jungle Book. Read more here.

The BBSGGA says that the Grand Howl takes place at the beginning and end of a pack meeting: “The wolves sit around the ‘council rock’ in a circle and, when Akela takes his or her place on the rock, they all throw up their heads and howl their welcome to him or her.”

Baden-Powell, in The Wolf Cub's Handbook, describes the ritual in the following manner:

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 Sixers: “Dyb - dyb - dyb - dyb” The word “dyb” means “Do Your Best” which is the first part of the Cub Promise and was the original Wolf Cub motto.

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”.

The above extract strings some of our memories together, however, we still want to add more details to our cubbing days. We hope that former fellow Cubs can add to it.,

Massive Grand Howl in Hong Kong: In 2016, the Cub movement in Hong Kong celebrated its 100th year anniversary with a huge Grand Howl. The video can be watched here.