Showing posts with label history. Show all posts
Showing posts with label history. Show all posts
Thursday, December 11, 2025
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Western civilization keeping people in zoos
At the end of the 19th Century, a group of Selk'nam Indigenous people from Latin America were transported by sea to Europe to be exhibited in human zoos...
The photo was taken in 1899, but the transportation of Selk'nam groups to Europe began in 1889, with the consent of the Chilean government. A total of 11 individuals were sent during this period.
The Selk'nam people lived in the isolated region of Patagonia, between present-day Argentina and Chile. Europeans first encountered them from afar, spotting their distant campfires. Their population was modest; according to a 1896 census, it did not exceed 3,000 individuals. They spoke a language called Chon and lived as hunters and gatherers. They were known for their tall stature, physical strength, and adaptability.
The Selk'nam avoided contact and trade with Spanish colonizers, who seized natural resources, killed off native animals, and established large sheep farms on Selk'nam lands. The Selk'nam could not understand the imposed concept of private property, and hunted sheep for food. Spaniards viewed this as theft and began attacking them — even sending armed gangs to kill them and return with their ears as proof.
In last quarter of the 19th Century, three groups of Patagonian natives were shipped to Europe, where they were weighed, measured, photographed, and displayed in so-called human zoos. They were forced to appear before the public up to six or eight times a day. Healthcare was inadequate, and some did not survive the journey to Europe.
In 1919, only 297 Selk'nam people remained. By 1945, that number had dropped to just 25. In 1974, the last known full-blooded Selk'nam individual, Angela Loij, died — marking the extinction of both the Selk'nam people and their Chon language.
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