You may have heard that Scouts shake hands with their left hand because it is the one closest to the heart and it is true that this has become part of the meaning of the Scout Handshake. But, there is another story that tells of an experience that Lord Robert Baden-Powell had 20 years before he founded the Scouting movement that was the inspiration for the the left-hand handshake. Here is how it goes…
According to the Ashanti warrior version of the story, then-Colonel Baden-Powell saluted them with his right hand, but the Ashanti chiefs offered their left hands and said, “In our land only the bravest of the brave shake hands with the left hand, because to do so we must drop our shields and our protection.” The Ashantis knew of Baden-Powell’s bravery because they had fought against him and with him, and they were proud to offer the left hand of bravery. This version of the origin of the Scout handshake was repeated by many sources and is widely accepted as the true inspiration for this unique tradition.
Another version of the story is that the left-handed handshake was a homage paid to Chief Kweku Andoh who was left-handed and had the tendency to shake hands with his left. Baden-Powell dedicated his account ‘The Downfall of Prempeh’ to him: “(Without His Permission). To Chief Andoh of Elmina. My Guide, Adviser and Friend”. Chief Kweku Andoh was the officer in the British Army that led the troops to Kumase when they captured Prempeh I and purportedly taught Baden-Powell how to scout in the jungle.
Either way, it is a true testament to the character of the man who began the world-wide Scouting movement.
