Alan Hanson Comments ERB-APA #46 A Reply

Alan Hanson - I very much enjoyed reading Part II - Primitive Garments And Gear. I agree with you that Tarzan's first recorded attempt to clothe himself was in Jungle Tales Of Tarzan. In Chapter Nine of Tarzan Of The Apes, at the age of eighteen, Tarzan kills Kulonga, the first human he has ever laid eyes upon, for murdering Kala. In the process, the ape boy takes the native's bow and quiver of arrows. Also taken were the native's knife and sheath and copper anklet. Kulonga's headdress was also taken, and it was used in the first of Tarzan's jungle jokes in chapter ten. Nothing is said about Tarzan taking Kulonga's loincloth, nor do any later passages indicate that he did so.

ERB-APA #46

This has puzzled researchers for years because Edgar Rice Burroughs often indicates that the ape boy desperately wanted to be clothed. "At the bottom of his little English heart beat the great desire to cover his nakedness with clothes for he had learned from his picture books that all men were so covered, while monkeys and apes and every other living thing went naked." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes, chapter seven.

Joe Kubert

Also in chapter seven, it is made very clear that although the man side of Tarzan wanted clothes the beast side of him did not. "Clothes, therefore, must be truly a badge of greatness; the insignia of the superiority of man over all other animals, for surely there could be no other reason for wearing the hideous things." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.

Burne Hogarth

Again in chapter seven, it is stated, "Many moons ago, when he had been smaller, he had desired the skin of Sabor, the lioness, or Numa, the lion, or Sheeta, the leopard to cover his hairless body that he might no longer resemble hideous Hista, the snake; but he was proud of his sleek skin for it betokened his descent from a mighty race, and the conflicting desires to go naked in prideful proof of his ancestry, or to conform to the customs of his own kind and wear hideous and uncomfortable apparel found first one then the other in the ascendency." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.

Joe Kubert

From this passage, we know Tarzan is no longer ashamed of his bare flesh, so, therefore, he had developed split feelings on whether he wants to cloth himself or not. Also, with these passages, ERB could be hinting that Tarzan was just beginning to experiment with clothing but off stage. Note the descriptions of hideous and uncomfortable apparel. How would Tarzan know apparel was hideous and uncomfortable unless he had tried some form on? It is not until the great storm, however, that Tarzan comes to a final decision about clothing.

Joe Kubert

"But to Tarzan dawning light had come to explain the mystery of clothes. How snug he would have been beneath the heavy coat of Sabor! And so was added a further incentive to the adventure," ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes, chapter seven.

Joe Kubert

Now we are right back to the original question. If the ape-man desired clothes so much why didn't he take Kulonga's? Many times ERB has indicated Tarzan's desire from childhood, which is one day to kill a big cat with his own powers and form their skin into clothes. If the ape boy could indeed complete this goal he could accomplish several things.

1. The killing of a cat, which at this point he has not done yet, would fulfill his childhood dreams of becoming conqueror of the deadliest enemy to his people, and the killer of many of his friends.
2. It would soar his rapidly rising self-confidence to even greater heights.
3. It would prove him a mighty hunter and fighter, which in turn would raise his status among the bulls.
4. The cat loincloth would be a constant reminder to the Mangani of his superiority over them.
5. It would also be a reminder to Kerchak, the tribe King, that he was no longer Kala's,  frail bula, but now a  potential challenger for his kingship.
6. It would fulfill his desire to be clothed like a man.

Joe Kubert

The taking of Kulonga's loincloth would represent nothing but clothing himself like a man. The bow and arrows would easily overshadow the doeskin covering in the eyes of the Mangani. If the ape boy had known anything about tanning it is most probable he would have taken Kulonga's loincloth at this time. As mentioned earlier in Chapter Seven of Tarzan Of The Apes, ERB has implied that Tarzan may have been experimenting with clothing. In chapter six, ERB just comes right out and tells us. "The day being sultry, the leopard skin had been left behind." ERB-Jungle Tales Of Tarzan. Outside of this one statement Tarzan is never mentioned wearing clothes again until he is twenty years old.

Frank Frazetta

I have mixed feelings about Tarzan carrying all his weapons at one time on a daily basis. There is Tarzan the ape-man and Tarzan the wanderer. I can easily imagine Tarzan upon the trail packing his entire arsenal. I do not see the ape boy of the tribe of Kercheck doing so, however.

Vehemel

Young Tarzan has been naked from age one to age twenty. His only apparel was his grass rope, his father's knife, a Tarzan-made leather sheath, and his mother's locket. This is the regular daily apparel of the teenage Tarzan. As mentioned earlier, in chapter nine of Tarzan Of The Apes at the age of eighteen, Tarzan kills Kulonga for killing Kala. The ape-man takes the native's bow and quiver of arrows, knife and sheath, copper anklet, and headdress.

Russ Manning

These new items, plus his old, must have presented quite a wardrobe. One that obviously made the light-traveling ape man feel very uncomfortable and entrapped. If Tarzan thought of mere clothing as hideous and uncomfortable, just imagine how he felt about this full dress-up. Within all reality, these new editions must have hampered his movement and quietness, especially during tree travel or hunting. Remember, agility and silence were two of the ape man's most valuable weapons.

Joe Kubert

ERB tells us the night Tarzan steals Kulonga's bow and arrows, Tarzan Of The Apes, chapter ten, that he took them to the very top of a giant tree and hid them. ERB describes Tarzan's marking of the tree, as it being common practice. Possessions not in use were stored in caches like this near the tribe's nightly stops. The majority of the time the ape-man stored his treasures at his seaside lair. We learn this from the description ERB provides in chapter thirteen of Tarzan Of The Apes when the Porter mutineers beached and ransacked Tarzan's cabin.

Joe Kubert

Besides this first barrage of weapons, Tarzan steadily collects numerous others from Mbonga's warriors throughout the two years of Jungle Tales Of Tarzan. In chapter thirteen when the Arrow mutineers are put ashore, we learn many of these weapons are also stored at the Greystoke cabin. "Then gathering up his precious tin box, his arrows, and as many bows and spears as he could carry, he hastened through the door and disappeared into the forest." ERB-Tarzan Of The Apes.

Joe Kubert

Besides being a hindrance, I believe there is also another often overlooked reason why Tarzan stored his man-made possessions in the cabin and caches, and seldom took them around the Mangani. In Chapter One, Tarzan's First Love, the ape-man discovers Taug has been captured by Mbonga's warriors. Tarzan then races back to the tribe where he startles them with his sudden appearance. "Tarzan noticed this as he had noticed it many times in the past - that always his sudden coming among them left them nervous and unstrung for a considerable time, and that they one and all found it necessary to satisfy themselves that he was indeed Tarzan by smelling about him a half dozen or more times before they calmed down." ERB-Jungle Tales Of Tarzan.

John Buscema

ERB constantly informs us that Kerchak's tribe does not consider Tarzan one of them. They more or less see him as a friendly alien who has been adopted by the tribe. Like all jungle beasts, the Mangani are very cautious and depend more on their smell than sight. Eyes are often tricked but seldom is the smell. So, to satisfy their suspicious nature they sniff Tarzan every time he comes around to make sure of his identity.

Thomas Yeates

The main problem Tarzan had about wearing his manly possessions around the Mangani, was when they sniffed to identify him they would pick up the faint scent of whoever the object belonged to before him. It's obvious the scent of man would add confusion to their simple brains, and cause them to take much longer before recognizing and accepting Tarzan. The jungle lord definitely did not like this inconvenience, for it was only another obnoxious reminder that he was not one of them. To counter this social inconvenience it seems unlikely to me that Tarzan would seldom ware his native-made objects around them.

Burne Hogarth

Despite our minor indifference I really enjoyed your piece. Alan, please don't get mad at me for constantly commenting on your stuff. I love talking, Tarzan, and we don't always see exactly the same although we do. Nothing personal. If anyone would like to read another view on this subject see Tarzine #31, The Apparel Of Tarzan.

Tom Grindburg

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

James Michael Moody is a lifelong fan and collector of Edger Rice Burroughs. Over the past forty-five years, Moody has contributed over two hundred articles to various ERB-related fanzines. He also manages an unauthorized Tarzan blog titled Greystoke Chronologist: James Michael Moody. There, the researcher chronologies the Tarzan books starting in May 1872 (known as the pushback theory) instead of the more accepted date, May 1888.

James Michael Moody also authorizes the action-packed Sci-Fi fantasy adventure Unium series. Pioneers On Unium, published December 31, 2019, Exiled On Unium, published August 25, 2022, and Swordsman On Unium, published on July 15, 2024.