- - - - ~ - .. :r-- - - ~ - _ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . __....,...,,.... _...-....y - - - "'-4') ..v-...,.,..- ......,.. ...

,
morehuman.
'Feral' children- childrenwho havegrown up in the
wild,oftennurturedbywolvesandotherwildanimals-
provide a crypticglimpseinto human nature. Thereare
fewgenuineexamplesof feralchildren,andnoneofthem
has been studied with any rigour or objectivity, but
nonethelesstheyprovideuswithsomelimitedinsightinto
how the development ofhuman nature depends onthe
peopleandculturethatsurroundus.
In 1920, theReverend].Singh,thefounder ofa rural
orphanage in India, was told ofa 'Manush-Bagha', or
'man-ghost',inthejunglesomemilesfromhisvillage.This
apparition wassaid tohavethe bodyofa human being
andthehideousbeadofaghost.Thereverend'scuriosity
was aroused,andheembarkedona tripintothejungle,
makingsuretotakewithhima numberofarmedguards.
Theyarrivedata hugewhiteant-mound,ashigh asa
two-storeybuilding.Arounditweresevenlargeholesthat
ledtoanopeninginthecentreofthemound.RevdSingh
and his party staked out the ant-mound and patiently
waited for the arrival ofthe man-ghost. As dusk was
falling,theheadofanadultwolfappearedattheopening
ofoneoftheholes.It wasfollowed bymorewolvesand
two cubs. Then, crawling after the cubs on all fours,
appearedtheman-ghost.Thebodywasthatofa human
32
child, truly a kind of caveman, the head a big matted ball
staring out of which, Singh could see, were piercing eyes.
The man-ghost ran off, still on all fours, into the jungle.
Singh decided to come back with men and tools in order
to demolish the ant mound and smoke out its inhabitants.
As the first spadefuls of earth were carved out of the
mound, one of the wolves, an adult female, ran out, and
she was shot by one of Singh's men. As they dug further
into the core of the ant-mound they found two cubs and
two 'ghosts' huddled in a corner who struggled with their
captors, baring their teeth, but eventually the men
bundled them into sheets and hauled them away.
The ghosts were two young girls, one an infant, their
faces almost completely hidden by a wild mass of matted
hair. Eventually they became calmer, and Singh was able
to feed them raw milk and water. He cut the two girls'
enormous mass of hair, and named them Kamala and
Arnala. Kamala, he guessed, was around eight years old,
and Amala was about eighteen months.
Behaviourally, the two gir ls were not human, that much
was clear. They bore the marks of their life in the wild,
and were covered in sores, cuts and boils. Their joints had
seized up so they could only move about on all fours; they
certainly could not stand up. They appeared to be
nocturnal, sleepy during the day and lively and awake at
night. Singh reportS that their vision appeared to have
become adapted to the night, and they had an ability to
see in the dark with ease althoul!b on this ooinr he
"""'Ci"i'au -n-, \..-""0\U.i:'.l u Q t S t."an\:1 up. r n c y cap p c a-c... -u .;;o- o c
nocturnal, sleepy during the day and lively and awake at
night. Singh reports that their vision appeared to have
become adapted to the night, and they had an ability to
see in the dark with ease, although on this point he
stretches our credulity. They had a taste for raw meat, too.
Kamala could smell meat from some distance, and once
she was caught eating the entrails of a fowl that had been
thrown outside the orphanage compound. They did not
use their hands to eat, but instead lowered their mouths
to the plate or bowl, like a wolf would do. They showed
no signs of communication, and it would be some time
before Singh heard them utter a single meaningful sound.
33
Copynghtcd mater a
They would urinate or defecate anywhere and at any time,
and slept entwined together like kittens.
Ir was not long before the girls, seemingly in need of
protection and affection, started to show an attachment
towards Singh's wife. They steadily became more trusting
and more playful, but there was still no sign of language,
or comprehension ofgestures beyond the most basic level.
Less than a year had passed when both girls became
and more playful, but there was still no sign of language,
or comprehension ofgestures beyond the most basic level.
Less than a year had passed when both girls became
seriously ill with dysentery. They were found to be
infested with roundworms. They became weaker, and
only moved when drink or medicine was brought to their
lips. Then, Kamala, the elder ofthe two girls, showed signs
of recovery, but the very next day Amala died. Singh
reports that when Amala died, Kamala refused to leave the
body. She touched Amala's face, tried to open her eyelids.
Singh says that two tears dropped from her eyes. For the
next six days Kamala sat in a corner, alone, unresponsive
to affection or touch.
Kamala would sometimes overeat, so much so that she
made herself ill. She would not kill animals herself, but if
she found carrion she would carry it home, sometimes
driving away vultures from the carcass. Occasionally she
would hide the carcasses around the orphanage. She also
developed a taste for sweets.
Slowly, she began to pick up a few words, like ' yes' and
the word for 'dress', and she knew the names of some of
the babies in the orphanage. She understood colours, and
became sufficiently acculturated to use the lavatory, at
least whenever she thought the Singhs were watching. But
she did not progress beyond this. After nine years of living
with the Singhs and their foundlings, Kamala fell ill once
again, and died.
The wolf-girls of Midnapore could never express them-
the word for 'dress', and she knew the names of some of
the babies in the orphanage. She understood colours, and
became sufficiently acculturated to use the lavatory, at
least whenever she thought the Singhs were watching. But
she did not progress beyond this. After nine years of living
with the Singhs and their foundlings, Kamala fell ill once
again, and died.
The wolf-girls of Midnapore could never express them-
selves beyond communicating the most basic needs. Their
story makes clear the fundamental importance of nurture,
experience and the social environment in which we are
34
Copynghted m ilter a
brought up. Our cognitive mechanisms for dealing with
the world - whether they are face recognition, language
acquisition or emotional development- will not appear of
their own accord. Beyond a certain point, it may be too
late to 'switch' them on.
just like the development of a child, the process of
evolution is intertwined with the growth of culture, and
'culture' began well before evolution finally shaped us as
we are today. Professor Geertz reminds us that although
. .
the word for 'dress', and she knew the names of some of
the babies in the orphanage. She understood colours, and
became sufficiently acculturated to use the lavatory, at
least whenever she thought the Singhs were watching. But
she did not progress beyond this. After nine years of living
with the Singhs and their foundlings, Kamala fell ill once
again, and died.
The wolf-girls of Midnapore could never express them-
selves beyond communicating the most basic needs. Their
story makes clear the fundamental importance of nurture,
experience and the social environment in which we are
34
Copynghted m ilter a
brought up. Our cognitive mechanisms for dealing with
the world - whether they are face recognition, language
acquisition or emotional development- will not appear of
their own accord. Beyond a certain point, it may be too
late to 'switch' them on.
just like the development of a child, the process of
evolution is intertwined with the growth of culture, and
'culture' began well before evolution finally shaped us as
we are today. Professor Geertz reminds us that although
. .