Ota Benga was a Mbuti man famous for appearing in exhibits at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1904 and as a human zoo exhibit at the Bronx Zoo in 1906.
The adventurer Samuel Phillips Verner, a businessman looking for African people for the exhibition, had bought Benga from African slave traders and brought him to the United States.
Benga was permitted to roam the Bronx Zoo’s grounds both before and after he was put on display in the Monkey House.
What Happened To Ota Benga Teeth?
Ota Benga’s teeth were polished and capped. Visitors were excited to examine his sharply shaped teeth, which had been done in his early years as a form of ritual ornamentation.
Africans picked up the practice of charging for performances and photos. As “the only authentic African cannibal in America,” according to one newspaper article, Benga’s teeth were “worth the five cents he charges for presenting them to visitors.”
Gordon had Benga’s teeth capped and bought him American-style clothing so that he could more readily fit into the local society.
Ota Benga Bronx Zoo- How Long Was He There?
In 1906, Verner took Ota Benga to the Bronx Zoo at Bumpus’ recommendation.
Benga was initially hired by the zoo’s director, William Hornaday, to assist with maintaining the animal enclosures.
Hornaday eventually put together an exhibition to highlight Benga after realizing that visitors paid more attention to him than to the zoo’s other animals.
The Mbuti man was given free use of the zoo’s property, but there is no proof that he was ever compensated for his labor.
The zoo allowed Benga to hang his hammock there and use his bow and arrow to fire at a target while he was spending time in the Monkey House exhibit. Following the controversy, Benga was permitted to walk the zoo’s grounds.
Ota Benga Children: Who Is His Wife?
Ota Benga has two children whose names are still unknown. His wife was a Batwa who eventually passed away from a snakebite.
Benga lost his wife and two children, but he managed to escape because the Force Publique assaulted his hamlet while he was out hunting.
However, not much is known about this second marriage. Benga decided to travel back to the United States with Verner since he did not feel at home among the Batwa.
Eventually, Verner set up a place for Benga to remain while he took care of other matters at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.
Verner and the curator Henry Bumpus haggled over how to display his African artifacts and possible employment.
Ota Benga Family
Regarding Ota Benga’s family, there isn’t a lot of information. He was a very private person, especially with his family.
He was born in Ituri Rainforest, Colonial Congo. Ota Benga resided in the Congo Free State, then in the tropical jungles close to the Kasai River.
The Force Publique, a force set up by King Leopold II of Belgium to keep the locals under control—the majority of whom were utilized as slave labor to take advantage of the Congo’s abundant supply of rubber—attacked his people.