Ota Benga lives

by zunguzungu

These pictures taken at the Oakland Zoo by a friend of the blog. I’m going to have to do some research in the field before I get my full head of blog outrage-steam on, but for the moment,  I offer a couple tidbits for your consideration. More to come.

Point of reference: Ota Benga.

Update from the zoo’s web site:
“Rustic materials were collected…diagrams were diligently studied…and an authentic replica of an East African hut has finally emerged! Oakland Zoo Executive Director Dr. Joel Parrott and Zoo Carpenter Rick Mannshardt spent more than seven months researching and carefully constructing the project. “My goal was to bring an authentic look, feel, and smell into the structure, so visitors receive a true depiction from the exhibit,” says Rick Mannshardt, who has been on staff at the Zoo for more than 17 years. In its completion stands a 23 ft round hut crafted to portray a pre-1903 East African design. Inside the dwelling, Zoo visitors will find a traditional mother’s bedroom, a daughter’s bedroom, and a kitchen with a fireplace. It’s an excellent opportunity to discover the traditional lifestyle of the Kikuyu people, who lived off the land, cooked over wood fires, and raised goats and sheep.”