er
part of her body, and she is more careful to cover the top or back of
her head than her face.[1439] It appears that if any part of the body is
put under a concealment taboo for any reason whatever, a consequence is
that the opinion grows up that it never ought to be exposed. Then
interest may attach to it more than to exposed parts, and erotic
suggestion may be connected with it. The tradition in which we are
educated is one which has a long history, and which has embraced the
Aryan race. To us it seems "natural" and "true in itself." It includes
some primitive and universal ideas of magic and goblinism which have
been held far beyond the Aryan race. Shame and modesty are sentiments
which are consequences produced in the minds of men and women by
unbroken habits of fact, association, and suggestion in connection with
dress and natural functions. It does not seem "decent" to break the
habits, or, decency consists in conforming to the habits. However, the
whole notion of decency is held within boundaries of habit. Orientals
and Moslems now have such different habits from Occidentals that
latrines are very differently constructed for them and for Occidentals.

+460. Notion of decency lacking.+ There are cases of groups in which no
notions of decency can be found. It is reported of the Kubus of Sumatra
that they have acquired a sense of shame within very recent times.
"Formerly they knew none and were the derision of the villagers into
whose neighborhood they might come."[1440] Stevens never saw an
Orang-hutan girl blush. Those girls have no feeling about their
nakedness which could cause a blush.[1441] The Bakairi show no sense of
shame as to any part of the body. They are innocent in respect to any
reserve[1442] [i.e. no taboo of concealment exists amongst them]. A few
cases are reported in which the awakening of shame has been observed. A
bystander threw a cloth over a nearly naked man on the Chittagong hills.
"He was seen to blush, for it was the first time in his life that he
realized that he was committing a breach of decency in appearing
unclothed."[1443] No doubt the more correct explanation is that he felt
that in some way he was not approved by the English visitors. Semon
tells how he posed a Papuan girl for her photograph, in the midst of a
native crowd. She was "proud of the distinction and attention." Suddenly
she was convulsed with shame and abandoned the pose, blushing and
refusing.[1444] This explanation