Thursday 01 June 2006
The Left Handshake
There are two explanations on the origin of the Left Handshake in Scouting.
The first explanation is simply that, the left hand is nearest to the heart.
But there is another, more interesting explanation, which comes from the Ashanti tribe.
When Baden Powell entered Kumasi, the capital of Royal Ashanti, he was welcomed by a chief who greeted him with his left hand. The chief explained to him that “the most brave of the braves greet each other with the left hand.”
And from then began the practice of the Left Handshake, which is used today by millions of Scouts throughout the world.




