268 CHAPTER 9 Race and Ethnicity
Down-to-Earth Sociology
The Man within the Zoo
The Bronx Zoo in New York Metropolis used to maintain a 22-yearold pygmy within the Monkey Home. The person—and the orangutan he lived with—grew to become the most well-liked exhibit on the zoo. 1000’s of tourists would arrive every day and head straight for the Monkey Home. Eyewitnesses to what they thought was a decrease type of human within the lengthy chain
of evolution, the guests have been fascinated by the pygmy, particularly by his sharpened tooth.
To make the exhibit much more alluring, the zoo director had animal bones scattered in entrance of the person.
I do know it sounds as if I will need to have made this up, however this can be a true story. The World’s Honest was going to
be held in St. Louis in 1904, and the Division of Anthropology needed to indicate villages from completely different cultures. They requested Samuel Verner, an explorer, if he might deliver some pygmies to St. Louis to function stay displays. Verner agreed, and on his subsequent journey to Africa, within the Belgian Congo, he got here throughout Ota Benga (or Otabenga), a pygmy who had been enslaved by one other tribe. Benga, then about age 20, mentioned he was keen to go to St. Louis. After Verner purchased Benga’s freedom for some material and salt, Benga recruited one other half dozen pygmies to go Benga could not suppose very deeply, or else residing with monkeys may trouble him.
When the Coloured Baptist Ministers’ Convention protested that exhibiting Benga was degrading, zoo officers replied that they have been “taking wonderful care of the little fellow.” They added that “he has among the best rooms on the primate home.” (I ponder what animal had the very best room.)
Not surprisingly, this reply did not fulfill the ministers. After they continued to protest, zoo officers determined to let Benga out of his cage. They put a white shirt on him and let him stroll across the zoo. At evening, Benga slept within the monkey home.
Benga’s life grew to become much more depressing. Zoo guests would comply with him, howling, jeering, laughing, and poking at him. Someday, Benga discovered a knife within the feeding room Of the Monkey Home and flourished it on the guests. Sad zoo officers took the knife
Benga then made a little bit bow and some arrows and started capturing on the obnoxious guests. This ended the enjoyable for the zoo officers. They determined that Benga needed to
I eave.
with them.
After the Verner took the Ota Benga, 1906, on exhibit in American youngsters, Benga ended up
After residing in a number of orphanages for African
World’s Honest, the Bronx Zoo. pygmies again to Africa. When Benga discovered that a hostile tribe had worn out his village and killed his household, he requested Verner if he might return with him to the USA. Verner agreed.
After they returned to New York, Verner bumped into monetary hassle and wrote some dangerous checks. Now not capable of take care of Benga, Verner left him with mates on the American Museum of Pure Historical past. After a number of weeks, they grew bored with Benga’s antics and turned him over to the Bronx Zoo. The zoo officers put Benga on show within the Monkey Home, with this signal:
The African Pygmy, ‘Ota Benga.’ Age 23 years. Peak four ft I I inches. Weight 103 kilos. Introduced from the Kasai River, Congo Free State, South Central Africa by Dr. Samuel P. Verner. Exhibited every afternoon throughout September.
Exhibited with an orangutan, Benga grew to become a sensation.
An article in The New York Instances mentioned it was lucky that working as a laborer in a tobacco manufacturing unit in Lynchburg, Virginia,
All the time handled as a freak, Benga was desperately lonely. In 1916, at in regards to the age of 32, in despair that he had no residence or household to return to in Africa, Benga ended his distress by capturing himself within the coronary heart.
Supply: Based mostly on Bradford and Blume 1992; Crossen 2006; Richman 2006
For Your Consideration
See what completely different views emerge as you apply the three theoretical views (functionalism, symbolic interactionism, and battle principle) to exhibiting Benga on the Bronx Zoo.
2. How does the idea of ethnocentrism apply to this occasion?
three. Clarify how the ideas of prejudice and discrimination apply to what occurred to Benga.
the Native People “savages,” making them appear inferior, by some means lower than hu Killing them, then, did not appear the identical as killing whites in an effort to take their professional
It’s true that almost all Native People died not from bullets however from the illnesses t whites introduced with them. Measles, smallpox, and the flu got here from one other contin and the Native People had no immunity towards them (Dobyns 1983). However illness wasn’t sufficient. To perform the takeover of the Native People’ sources, the settlers and troopers destroyed their meals provide (crops and buffalo). From all causes,
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268 CHAPITRE 9 RACISM AND ETHNICITY
Sociology for On a regular basis Individuals
The Zookeeper’s Man
The Monkey Home at New York Metropolis’s Bronx Zoo previously housed a 22-year-old pygmy. The person and the orangutan he lived with grew to become the zoo’s hottest exhibit. 1000’s of tourists would arrive each day and make their method straight to the Monkey Home. Eyewitnesses to what they believed to be a decrease model of human within the lengthy chain
of evolution, the guests have been fascinated by the pygmy, particularly by his sharpened tooth.
To make the exhibit much more alluring, the zoo director had animal bones scattered in entrance of the person.
I do know it sounds as if I will need to have made this up, however this can be a true story. The World’s
