The
kudu is one of the largest and most
beautiful antelope in Africa. It is
also the origin of an obscure tradition in Scouting: all over the world, the
elegant spiral horns of the kudu, hollowed out as a wind instrument, are used
as signal horns to call Scout camps and training courses together.
In the 1890s, Baden-Powell fought in the Matabele campaign in what is now Zimbabwe. The Matabele warriors had a unique method of military signalling, using the deep note of a kudu horn to carry coded signals over long distances. After the campaign, B-P took one of these horns home as a trophy - the horn had belonged to the Matabele officer Siginyamatshe.
In the 1890s, Baden-Powell fought in the Matabele campaign in what is now Zimbabwe. The Matabele warriors had a unique method of military signalling, using the deep note of a kudu horn to carry coded signals over long distances. After the campaign, B-P took one of these horns home as a trophy - the horn had belonged to the Matabele officer Siginyamatshe.
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