The origin of the word
jamboree is not well understood. This is reflected in many dictionary entries. For example, according to the
Canadian Oxford Dictionary, the etymology is "19th century, origin unknown". The
Oxford English Dictionary (OED) identifies it as coming from American slang, identifying a use in the New York Herald in 1868 and in Irish writing later in the 19th century. It is popularly believed within the Scouting Movement that the word was coined by Baden-Powell, but there is no written documentation by either Powell or Scouting publications, and the word was in use decades earlier.
Use prior to Scouting Baden-Powell was once asked why he chose "jamboree". He replied, "What else would you call it?" Other than a light-hearted retort, one way his response could have made sense is if the word had already had a specific meaning. Other writers used "jamboree" in the early 20th century, prior to its use in Scouting, to refer to "a lavish or boisterous celebration or party". Poet
Robert W. Service used the term in a poem,
Athabaska Dick, published in 1912: "They are all a-glee for the jamboree, and they make the Landing ring".
Lucy Maud Montgomery used the term three times in 1915 in
Anne of the Island, a book set in the 1880s. For example, "There was quite a bewildering succession of drives, dances, picnics and boating parties, all expressively lumped together by Phil under the head of 'jamborees'."
Robert Graves suggested in 1954 that Baden-Powell might have known the word through his regiment's Irish links, rather than from U.S. slang.
Other theories The word "jamboree" has several claimed possible origins, ranging from
Hindi to
Swahili to
Native American languages, which further confuses the meaning used by Baden-Powell. Another theory is that the word "jamboree" is derived from the Swahili for hello,
Jambo!. Baden-Powell spent a considerable amount of time in East Africa in the 1880s, then again in the late 1890s and he is buried in
Kenya.
Use in Scouting The word "jamboree" is used primarily by the Scouting program following the first Boy Scout jamboree in 1920. Baden-Powell is said to have deliberately chosen the name "jamboree" where attendees were warmly welcomed attending this first Boy Scout rally or meeting with the word "jambo", but see Etymology, above. The word jamboree in English is used as a borrowed foreign word, with the ending
-ree. The word jamboree is both a
noun and a
transitive verb, with a direct action of the root word
jambo. For example, an attendee of a
jambo is a
jamboree. Many, at this first "jamboree" or Scout gathering, did not fully capture the spirit of this then-new concept or greeting. At the first World Jamboree at
Olympia, London, in 1920, Baden-Powell said:"People give different meanings for this word, but from this year on,
jamboree will take a specific meaning. It will be associated to the largest gathering of youth that ever took place."
Olave Baden-Powell coined the term ''''
to refer to the lingua franca'' used between Scouts of different languages and cultural habits, that develops when diverse Scouts meet, that fosters friendship and understanding between Scouts of the world. Sometimes the word "jamborette" is used to denote smaller, either local or international, gatherings. A similarly-used word, "
camporee," in the Scouting program is also reflective of the older British use. "Camporee" reflects a local or regional gathering of
Scouting units for a period of camping and common activities. Similar to a camporee, a
jamboree occurs less often and draws units from the entire nation or world. ==International jamborees==