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In today’s History Page, we tell the story of Ota Benga, a pygmy who was brought to the U.S. in 1904 to live as a zoo inmate and celebrated curiosity.
At the World’s Fair, Benga was displayed alongside the Indian chief Geronimo, who gave Ota an arrowhead as a token of affection. So began his career as a human specimen. This would continue in New York, when Verner leased him in 1906 — for the substantial sum of $275 — to the Bronx Zoo. Benga was installed in the Monkey House, alongside a chimpanzee named Dohong. At first, the exhibit was a great success. Thousands of New Yorkers flooded the zoo, arriving by car or the newly constructed elevated trains, young boys and old men and dignified ladies, all jostling for a glimpse of the pygmy. Obligingly, Benga grinned back at the spectators, baring his well-sharpened teeth. He wove mats and shot arrows at a straw target. He frolicked around the enclosure with Dohong. Sometimes he drank soda, which pleased onlookers immensely.
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