Nude History Month erases indigenous nudity

August is being promoted as nude history month by some in the established nudist community. On its face this will sound like a good things to some, especially those who believe nudity and nudism are the same thing. However, like so many things in the nudist community online these days, I found this celebration wanting. It feels like another way to promote certain individuals, and in the process erase others. All the written accounts of a nude history timeline I have seen, are decidedly Eurocentric and erase the cultural and normative nudity of indigenous people.

Inaccurate, incomplete  history and erasure

In my opinion no commemoration of nudity in history, can be accurate without highlighting nudity among indigenous people. Something the establishment accounts don’t address. This is a pattern of erasure that I have noticed for quite some time.  Many nudists and some naturist of European descent want to suggest that indigenous nudity doesn’t qualify as naturism because it isn’t organized. This despite the fact that indigenous nudity aligns seamlessly with the International Naturist Federation’s definition of naturism.

“Naturism is a way of living in harmony with Nature characterized by the practice of collective nudity, with the purpose of promoting self-esteem, respect for others and the environment.”

More than any European, indigenous people have lived this and continued to live this way of life. If expressions are nudity online are the standard, it is mostly individual and self promoting with little regard for respecting the environment or others.  Marc Alain Descamps a naturist leader, visionary and author whose view is cited as reason for always nude vs clothing optional spaces,  highlighted the natural nudity & cultural naturism of indigenous people around the world.

They are the Great Naked Peoples, on all continents: America (Amazonia, Fuegians), Africa (Nilotes, Pygmies, Boshimans, Karamajongs), Asia (Adaman, Jains, Nagas), Australia (Aruntas, Aborigines), Polynesia (Maoris). These are peoples who live in a perfect natural insertion, saving their resources, without any waste in a real ecology, in harmony with their nature. ¹Nudity and Naturism Marc Alain Descamps (emphasis added)

Compare this description to the highly promoted practice of natourism in the current nudist and naturist community.

The nudity of  indigenous cultures should not be erased from nude history month. Indigenous nudity reflects an indigenous way of life that predates any organized European social nudity. It’s one thing to talk about naturist history and exclude indigenous people. But to talk about nude history and ignore the normal way of life of indigenous peoples around the world is an erasure of indigenous nude history.

A more accurate nude history timeline

A more accurate nude history timeline that isn’t Eurocentric is needed fHistorians like naturist Paul LeValley and writer Aileen Goodson who cites LeValley her book, Therapy, Nudity & Joy provide a much broader, less Eurocentric or American perspective of nude history than some of current “nude historians”.

For example,many people who engage in public/social nudity, often cite Greco-Roman approach to nudity. But few realize this aspect of Greco-Roman culture was greatly influenced by Alexander the Great’s encounter with the naked Sadhus in his conquest of India. It is historically recorded that these naked Sadhus of India influenced Alexander the Great’s view of social nudity through philosophical discourse. Levalley writes about this encounter in his book Seekers of the Naked Truth.
Alexander called the Sadhus gymnosophists or naked philosophers. The spiritual/ethical philosophy aspect of social nudity entered Greco-Roman thought through Alexander. Later during the occupation of the British Raj colonialists stamped out much of Indian social nudity. Ironically, it should be noted that it was during this colonialist time that the first organized nudist club was formed in the Thane India

Modern European naturists used the term Gymnosophy (coined by Alexander to describe the Sadhus), to describe their naturist way of life. In the U.S. As reported by historian Maurice Parmelee and author Donald Johnson (aka John Ball), the term, and philosophy was replaced by the concept of nude recreation. So the language, philosophy and practice of naturism and then nudism originates with nude indigenous people.

What can we do to curb the erasure?

What can be done to curb the commonplace erasure of indigenous people and their culture of social nudity? First nudists of European descent must unlearn their Eurocentric world view of social nudity. As Wayne frequent contributor to the nu Gymnosophy magazine from Britain writes.

“The concept of naturism as a distinct activity/philosophy is then a Western concept incomprehensible and unneeded by people whose lives are ‘naturist’ by custom and culture.”

This view echoes the words of Descamps and the academic research of Irene Watson.

“There are no words that I have come across in our indigenous languages to describe nakedness. Prior to the colonists’ invasion of our territories there was no reflection of our nakedness. The reflection of nakedness came with the other, the clothed colonising peoples. Now there are few who physically walk the land naked. Those who remain undressed of the modern world, and its views of law, time and space, are the few who still walk naked in the law. Most of humanity however has now forgotten how to be naked in law. “²Naked Peoples: Rules and Regulations – Irene Watson

To quote Wayne again.

“We have much history to recover and rediscover. History is written not only by the victorious but also according to cultural norms of the time.”

We need explore a history of nudity that is beyond our immediate circle of influence by reading authors such as Barcan and Parmelee, who are well regarded for their historical analysis of nudity and nudism. Learn more from unbiased sources, not tied to the establishment world view. Even reading fictionalized account of indigenous nudity like Will Forest’s Aglow or  Skinners book series.

Until these kind of steps become commonplace the words of  Chinua Achebe who quoted the African proverb in his book Things Fall Apart, will remain the reality.

“Until the lions have their historians, tales of the hunt shall always glorify the hunter,”

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References

• 1
  Nudity and Naturism Marc Alain Descamps ↩︎
• 2
  Naked Peoples: Rules and Regulations – Irene Watson ↩︎