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| Racist Evolutionary Thinking |
"In 1906 the crowds thronged the monkey house exhibit at the Bronx Zoo (New York
Zoological Park). Here were man's "evolutionary ancestors" - monkeys,
chimpanzees, a gorilla named Dinah, an orangutan named Dohung and an African
pygmy tribesman named Ota Benga.
Ota Benga was brought from the Belgian Congo in 1904 by noted African
explorer Samuel Verner along with other pygmies and displayed in an exhibit in
the 1904 St. Louis world's Fair. Ota Benga (or "Bi", which means "friend" in his
language) was born in 1881, had a height of 4 ft. 11in. and weighted 103 lbs.
Although he was referred to as a boy he had been married twice. His first wife
had been captured by a hostile tribe and his second wife died by a snake bite.
After the St. Louis exhibit, Ota found himself at the Bronx Zoo which at that
time was under the direction of Dr. William T. Hornaday, who was considered a
bit eccentric. Hornaday believed animals had nearly human thoughts and
personalities, and he could read the thoughts of zoo animals. He "apparently saw
no difference between a wild beast and the little Black man" and insisted he was
only offering an "intriguing exhibit".
The exhibit was immensely popular and controversial; the black community was
outraged and some churchmen feared that it would convince people of Darwin's
theory of evolution. Under threat of legal action, Hornaday had Ota Benga leave
his cage and circulate around the zoo in a white suit, but he returned to the
monkey house to sleep.
In time Ota Benga began to hate being the object of curiosity. "There were
40,000 visitors to the part on Sunday. Nearly every man, woman and child of this
crowd made for the monkey house to see the start attraction in the park - the
wild man from Africa. They chased him about the grounds add day, howling,
jeering, and yelling. Some of them poked him in the ribs, others tripped him up,
all laughed at him." At one point, he got hold of a knife and
flourished it around the park, another time he produced a fracas after being
denied a soda from the soda fountain. Finally, after fabricating a small bow and
arrows and shooting at obnoxious park visitors he had to leave the park for
good.
After his park experience, several institutions tried to help him. He was
placed in Virginia Theological Seminary and College but quit school to work in a
tobacco factory. According to Hornaday (who probably had evolutionary racist
views) "he did not possess the power of learning" .
Growing homesick, hostile, and despondent Ota Benga borrowed a revolver, and
shot himself in the heart, ending his life in 1916. " CS
And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth,
Acts 17:26
And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth,
Acts 17:26
