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.
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.
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.
Names Used in Cub Scout Packs.
The following (also from the same source) is a list of "Jungle Names for the Cub Pack".
Names held "Ex Officio"
Akela : (Ah-ky-la*h*) The Father Wolf, leader of the Pack Cubmaster
Baloo : (Baa-loo) the Bear Assistant Cubmaster
Bagheera : ( Ba*r*-gheer-a*h*) in history (the Panther) Assistant Cubmaster
Raksha Assistant Cubmaster
Names Awarded for Prowess in Cub Activities
Chil : ( Cheel ) the Kite Singing
Kaa : ( Kar, with a sort of gasp in it.) the Python Tree-climbing.
Nag : ( Na*r*g ) the Cobra First Aid.
Ahdeek : the Reindeer Team Games
Apukwa (the Bulrush) Weaving
| Blue Smoke | Signalling |
| Crimson Arrow | Throwing and catching |
| Dahinda (the Bull-frog) | Leapfrog, cartwheels, etc. |
| Ferao (the Scarlet Woodpecker) | Woodwork. |
| Golden Quill | Artist. |
| Hawkeye | Observation. |
| Hiawatha | All-round athletics. |
| Iagoo (the Story-teller) | Telling stories. |
| Jacala (the Crocodile) | Acting. |
| Karela (the Bitter Vine) | Knotting. |
| Keego (the Fish) | Swimming. |
| Keneu (the Great War Eagle) | Running. |
| Kotick (the Seal) | Wrestling. |
| Kwasin (the Strong Man) | Boxing. |
| Limmerskin (the Wren) | Message-carrying. |
| Little Beaver | Lair-building. |
| Mysa (the Wild Buffalo) | Good hearing. |
| Nushka ("Look!") | Guide. |
| Oonai (the Wolf) | Reciting. |
| Pukeena (the Grasshopper) | High Jump. |
| Scarlet Feather | Fire-lighting. |
| Sea Catch (the Seal) | Diving. |
| Shaw-shaw (the Swallow) | Skipping. |
| Singum (the Lion) | Book-carrying. |
| Rann (the Eagle) | Good eyesight. |
| Tilji-pho (the Lark) | Musician. |
| Toomai | Folk-dancing. |
| Wabeeno (the Magician) | Walking the Plank. |
| Wawbeck (the Rock) | Modelling. |
| White Elk | Long Jump. |
| Won-tolla | Hopping. |
Names Awarded by Akela at his Discretion
Rikki-tikki-tavi : ( Rikky-tikky-tay-vy ) the Mongoose Cheeriness, or Courage.
Hathi : ( Huttee or H*r*-ty ) the Elephant Punctual and regular attendance.
Mowgli : ( Mow(as in "cow")-gly ) the Boy Friend to animals
| Jeebi (the Ghost) | Fattest Cub. |
| Kim (Little friend of all the world) | Helpfulness. |
| Ko (the Crow) | Noisiest Cub. |
| Mang (the Bat) | Obedience. |
| Mor (the Peacock) | Tidiness and cleanliness. |
| Onaway ("Awake!") | Alertness. |
| Shada (the Pelican) | Perseverance. |
| Sona (the Himalayan Bear) | Good manners. |
| Suggeema (the Mosquito) | Smallest Cub. |
| Tall Pine | Tallest Cub. |
Other names
Shere Khan : ( Share-karn ) Tiger
Tabaqui : ( Tar-bár-kee) the Jackal
Tha : Creator of the jungle
Bandarlog : ( Búnder-logue) the Monkey People
Hathi : ( Huttee or H*r*-ty )