CHAPTER XXXIX CLEANLINESS AND UNCLEANLINESS-ASCETICISM IN GENERAL It seems that man, like many other animals, is naturally endowed with a certain tendency to cleanliness or aversion. to filth. Of Caspar Hauser-the boy who had been kept in a dungeon separated from all communication with the world from early childhood to about the age of seventeen -Feuerbach tells us that "uncleanliness, or whatever he considered as such, whether in his own person or in others, was an abomination to him."1 And the savage boy of Aveyron, though filthy at first, soon became so scrupulously clean in his habits that " he constantly threw away, in a pet, the contents of his plate, if any particle of dirt or dust had fallen upon it; and, after he had broken his walnuts under his feet, he took pains to clean them in the nicest and most delicate manner." 2 Many savages are praised for their cleanliness.3 The Veddahs of Ceylon wash their bodies every few days, as opportunity occurs. Among the South Sea Islanders bathing is a very common practice; the Tahitians bathe in fresh water once or twice a day,1 and the natives of Ni-afu, in the Tonga Islands, are said to spend half their life in the water. So, also, many Indian tribes both in North, Central, and South America are very fond of bathing.3 The Omahas generally bathe every day in warm weather, early in the morning and at night, and some of them also at noon. Among the Guiana Indians it is a custom for men and women to troop down together to the nearest water early in the morning and many times during the day.5 The Tehuelches of Patagonia not only make morning ablutions and, when encamped near a river, enjoy bathing for hours, but are also scrupulously careful as to the cleanliness of their houses and utensils, and will, if they can obtain soap, wash up everything they may be possessed of. The Moquis and Pueblos of New Mexico are remarkable both for their personal cleanliness and the neatness of their dwellings." Cleanliness is a common characteristic of many natives of Africa. The Negroes of the Gold Coast wash their whole persons once, if not oftener, during the day. The Megé, a people subject to the Monbuttu, wash two or three times a day, and when engaged in work constantly adjourn to a neighbouring stream to cleanse themselves.10 The MarutseMabundas, rather than lose their bath, are always ready 1 Ellis, Polynesian Researches (ed. 1829), ii. 113 sq. 2 Romilly, Western Pacific, p. 145. 3 Bancroft, Native Races of the Pacific States, i. 83, 696, 722, 760. Domenech, Seven Years' Residence in the Great Deserts of North America, ii. 337. von Humboldt, Personal Narrative of Travels to the Equinoctial Regions of the New Continent, iii. 237 (Chaymas). von Martius, Beiträge zur Ethnographie Amerika's, i. 600 (Uaupés), 643 (Macusis). Molina, History of Chili, ii. 118; Smith, Araucanians, p. 184. Dobrizhoffer, Account of the Abipones, ii. 53. Dorsey, Omaha Sociology,' in Ann. Rep. Bur. Ethn. iii. 269. Im Thurn, Among the Indians of Guiana, p. 191. Musters, At Home with the Patagonians, p. 173. 'Bancroft, op. cit. i. 540. See also ibid. i. 267 (some Inland Columbians). 8 Waitz, Anthropologie der Naturvölker, ii. 86 (Negroes of Accra, Krus), 464 (Western Fulahs). Torday and Joyce, Ethnography of the Ba-Huana,' in Jour. Anthr. Inst. xxxvi. 292. Rowley, Africa Unveiled, p. 153. Ashe, Two Kings of Uganda, p. 305; Wilson and Felkin, Uganda, i. 184. Casati, Ten Years in Equatoria, i. 122 (Monbuttu). Holub, Seven Years in South Africa, ii. 208 (Manansas). * Cruickshank, Eighteen Years on the Gold Coast, ii. 283 sq. 10 Burrows, Land of the Pigmies, p. 119. to run the risk of being snapped up by crocodiles, and they are in the habit of keeping their materials in wellwashed wooden or earthenware bowls or in suitable baskets or calabashes.1 The cleanliness of the Dinka in everything that concerns the preparation of food is said to be absolutely exemplary.2 Among the Bari tribes the dwellings" are the perfection of cleanliness."3 So also the Bachapins, a Bechuana tribe, are remarkable for the cleanliness of their dwellings, showing the greatest carefulness to remove all rubbish and everything unsightly; but at the same time they are lacking in personal cleanliness.4 7 We commonly find that savages who are clean in certain respects are dirty in others. The Wanyoro bathe frequently and always wash their hands before and after eating, but their dwellings are very filthy and swarm with vermin.5 The Nagas of India and the natives of the interior of Sumatra, though cleanly in their persons, are very dirty in their apparel. The Mayas of Central America make frequent use of cold water, but neither in their persons nor in their dwellings do they present an appearance of cleanliness. So also the Californian Indians, whilst exceedingly fond of bathing, are unclean about their lodges and clothing. The Aleuts, though they wash daily, allow dirt to be piled up close to their dwellings, prepare their food very carelessly, and never wash their household utensils.10 The New Zealander, again, whilst not over-clean in his person, is very particular respecting his food and also keeps his dwelling in as much order as possible. On the other hand there are very many uncivilised peoples who are described as generally filthy in their habits-for instance, the Fuegians,12 many 8 Bancroft, op. cit. i. 654. 2 1 Holub, op. cit. ii. 309. Casati, op. cit. i. 44. 3 Baker, Albert N'yanza, i. 89. 4 Burchell, Travels in the Interior of Southern Africa, ii. 521, 553. 5 Wilson and Felkin, op. cit. ii. 46. Baker, Albert N'yanza, ii. 58. Stewart, Northern Cachar,' in Jour. Asiatic Soc. Bengal, xxiv. 616. 'Marsden, History of Sumatra, p. Powers, Tribes of California, p. 403. Bancroft, op. cit. i. 377, 407. 10 Veniaminof, quoted by Dall, Alaska, p. 398. See also Bancroft, op. cit. i. 267 (Flatheads). 11 Dieffenbach, Travels in New Zealand, ii. 58. 12 Snow, Two Years' Cruise off Tierra del Fuego, i. 345. Indian tribes in the Pacific States,1 several Eskimo tribes,2 various Siberian peoples,3 the Ainu of Japan, most hill tribes in India,5 many Australian tribes, the Bushmans,? and, generally, the dwarf races of Africa. But although these peoples never or hardly ever wash their bodies, or do not change their dress until it is worn to pieces, or eat out of the same vessels as their dogs without cleaning them, or feed on disgusting substances, or regard vermin as a delicacy-we may assume that their toleration of filth is not absolutely boundless. The prevalence of cleanly or dirty habits among a certain people may depend on a variety of circumstances : the occupations of life, sufficiency or want of water, climatic conditions, industry or laziness, wealth or poverty, religious or superstitious beliefs. Castrén observes that filthiness is a characteristic of fishing peoples; among the Ostyaks only those who live by fishing are conspicuous for their uncleanliness, whereas the nomads and owners of 1 Bancroft, op. cit. i. 83, 102, 184, 231, 492, 626. Ibid. i. 51. Seemann, Voyage of "Herald," ii. 61 sq. (Western Eskimo). Kane, Arctic Explorations, ii. 116 (Eskimo of Etah). Cranz, History of Greenland, i. 155. 3 Sarytschew, Voyage of Discovery to the North-East of Siberia,' in Collection of Modern and Contemporary Voyages, v. 67 (Kamchadales). Krasheninnikoff, History of Kamschatka, pp. 176 (Kamchadales), 226 (Koriaks). Sauer, Expedition to the Northern Parts of Russia performed by Billings, p. 125 (Jakuts). Georgi, Russia, ii. 398 (Jakuts); iii. 59 (Kotoftzes), 112 (Tunguses); iv. 37 (Kalmucks), 134 (Burats). Liadov, in Jour. Anthr. Inst. i. 401; Bergmann, Nomadische Streifereien unter den Kalmüken, ii. 102, 123 sq.; Pallas, quoted in Spencer's Descriptive Sociology, Asiatic Races,' p. 29 (Kalmucks). 4 Batchelor, Ainu of Japan, p. 24 sqq. Mac Ritchie, Ainos, p. 12 sq. Spencer, Descriptive Sociology, Asiatic Races,' p. 29. Grange, Expedition into the Naga Hills,' in Jour. Asiatic Soc. Bengal, ix. 962. • Breton, Excursions in New South Wales, p. 197. Barrington, History of New South Wales, p. 19 (natives of Botany Bay). Angas, Savage Life in Australia, i. 80 (South Australian aborigines). Chauncy, in Brough Smyth, Aborigines of Victoria, ii. 284 (West Australian aborigines). Moffat, Missionary Labours in Southern Africa, p. 15. Barrow, Travels into the Interior of Southern Africa, i. 288. 8 Stuhlmann, Mit Emin Pascha ins Herz von Afrika, p. 451. For other instances of uncleanliness in savages see Crawfurd, History of the Indian Archipelago, i. 39; St. John, Life in the Forests of the Far East, i. 147 (some of the Land Dyaks); Andersson, Lake Ngami, pp. 50 (Herero), 470 (Bechuanas). reindeer are not. It has been observed that the inland negro is clean when he dwells in the neighbourhood of rivers.2 In West Australia those tribes only which live by large rivers or near the sea are said to have an idea of cleanliness.3 Concerning the filthy habits of the Kukis and other hill peoples in India, Major Butler remarks that they may probably be accounted for by the scarcity of water in the neighbourhood of the villages, as also by the coldness of the climate.4 Dr. Kane believes that the indifference of many Eskimo to dirt or filth is largely due to the extreme cold, which by rapid freezing resists putrefaction and thus prevents the household, with its numerous dogs, from being intolerable.5 Their well-known habit of washing themselves with freshly passed urine arises partly from scarcity of water and the difficulty of heating it, but partly also from the fact that the ammonia of the urine is an excellent substitute for soap in removing the grease with which the skin necessarily becomes soiled. A cold climate, moreover, leads to uncleanliness because it makes garments necessary; and among some savages the practice of greasing their bodies to protect the skin from the effects of a parching air produces a similar result.8 Lord Kames maintains that the greatest promoter of cleanliness is industry, whereas its greatest antagonist is indolence. In Holland, he observes, the people were cleaner than all their neighbours because they were more industrious, at a time when in England industry was as great a stranger as cleanliness.9 Kolben says that the general laziness of the Hottentots accounts for the fact that "they are in the matter of diet |