Ota Benga Bronx Zoo

ota benga @ bronx zoo in 1906. 5 promotional photos exist of benga s time here, none of them in monkey house ; cameras not allowed.

in 1906, major controversy erupted when ota benga, mbuti pygmy, brought zoo american businessman , explorer samuel phillips verner, , displayed there exhibit; though allowed roam grounds freely. became fond of orangutan named dohong, presiding genius of monkey house , had been taught perform tricks , imitate human behavior. events leading exhibition alongside dohong gradual. benga spent of time in monkey house exhibit, zoo encouraged him hang hammock , shoot bow , arrow @ target. on first day of exhibit, september 8, 1906, visitors found benga in monkey house . soon, sign on exhibit read:

the african pigmy, ota benga.

age, 23 years. height, 4 feet 11 inches.

weight, 103 pounds. brought the

kasai river, congo free state, south

central africa, dr. samuel p. verner.

exhibited each afternoon during september.

hornaday considered exhibit valuable spectacle visitors; supported madison grant, secretary of new york zoological society, lobbied put benga on-display alongside apes @ zoo. decade later, grant became prominent nationally racial anthropologist , eugenicist.

african-american clergymen protested zoo officials exhibit. james h. gordon said, our race, think, depressed enough, without exhibiting 1 of apes ... think worthy of being considered human beings, souls. gordon thought exhibit hostile christianity , promotion of darwinism: darwinian theory absolutely opposed christianity, , public demonstration in favor should not permitted. number of clergymen backed gordon. in defense of depiction of benga lesser human, editorial in new york times suggested:

we not quite understand emotion others expressing in matter ... absurd make moan on imagined humiliation , degradation benga suffering. pygmies ... low in human scale, , suggestion benga should in school instead of cage ignores high probability school place ... draw no advantage whatever. idea men alike except have had or lacked opportunities getting education out of books far out of date.

after controversy, benga allowed roam grounds of zoo. in response situation, verbal , physical prods crowds, became more mischievous , violent. around time, rev. dr. r. macarthur of calvary baptist church, quoted in new york times saying: bad there not society society prevention of cruelty children. send our missionaries africa christianize people, , bring 1 here brutalize him. soon, zoo removed benga grounds. benga committed suicide in 1916 @ age of 32.