Bronx Zoo's Regrettable Display of Ota Benga, a Human Exhibit
In the early 20th century, a man named Ota Benga captured the attention of the world, not as a hero, but as a spectacle. Born in the Ituri Forest, in the northeast of the Congo, to the Mbuti Pygmies, Ota Benga's life was marked by colonial avarice and the quack science of eugenics.
Ota Benga's family was tragically taken from him in the late 1890s when the Force Publique, a Belgian-led occupying army, slaughtered his kin. The Force Publique, formed to enforce rubber quotas, was infamous for its brutal tactics, including whippings, amputations, forced labor, and mass killings.
In 1904, Ota Benga was discovered by American businessman and amateur explorer Samuel Verner. Verner, intrigued by the small stature of Ota Benga, brought him back to the United States. Ota Benga made his first public appearance at the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis, where he imitated the dancing and war-whoops of nearby American Indians for the fair's crowds.
After the fair, Ota Benga traveled with Verner and lived with the Batwa in Africa for a time. His life took another turn when he married a Batwa woman, but tragedy struck again when she died from a snakebite.
In 1906, Ota Benga was displayed at the Bronx Zoo as part of the New York Anthropological Society's exhibit on human evolution. He was bought by Verner for a pound of salt and a bolt of cloth. Ota Benga charged visitors five cents to see his teeth.
The Congo Free State, where Ota Benga was born, was the personal property of King Leopold II of Belgium. Under Leopold's administration, the Congo descended into a nightmare of whippings, amputations, forced labor, and mass killings. Estimates suggest that as many as 10 million Congolese were killed under King Leopold's rule.
Ota Benga did not return to the Democratic Republic of Congo after the death of Leopold II and did not live there until his death. Instead, he stayed at the American Museum of Natural History in New York.
In 1916, Ota Benga's life reached its tragic end. Unable to return to Africa, he shot himself in the heart on March 20, 1916. His story serves as a stark reminder of the dark chapters of colonial history and the exploitation of indigenous peoples.
