‘Scared? Why should I be?’

Invincible Strangers 19 Chapter 7

Imperialism exhibited its subjugated people in zoos. New York circus creator P.T. Barnum established the traffic in the 1840s. It continued into the 20th Century and between 1895 and 1911, four Sāmoan troupes were displayed in German zoos, as were other colonial people. When a troupe of seven men and 35 women appeared in Berlin, Illustrirte Zeitung noted savages ‘can write and send long letters to their homeland’.

A German zoo. Tagesspiegel

Sāmoans were displayed in 1889 by Robert A Cunningham, an agent of Barnum Circus, who had a group of 22 females and four males, taking them to New York, Copenhagen, St Petersburg, Brussels and Cologne. A German scientist, Rudolf Virchow, a Reichstag member and an advocate of the measuring of skulls and bodies in anthropometric research, used his instruments to measure the six men from Tutuila. At a lecture in the Royal Museum he gave detailed measurements of all six men ranging from the height of the ears to breast circumference, from the position of the symphysis pubis to the length of the middle finger. He noted what he said was light skin colour and tattooing. He felt Sāmoans were a sharp contrast to the black races’ and made them identical to southern European races. Virchow said the Sāmoans were 'genuine Polynesians and that they represent a people with excellent racial characteristics.’ The men then were asked to demonstrate their ‘physical abilities’. The minutes note; ‘After the lecture the Samoans sang first some traditional songs, then danced and fought, whereby the confidence and power of their movements manifested themselves admirably. Finally Manoje [Manogi, the leader of the troupe] demonstrated some highly dangerous skills with a long knife which he spun into the air and caught again etc.’ The discussion then descended into debate led by one Richard Neuhaus who reckoned that the Sāmoans present had been adulterated with Melanesian blood. Virchow replied that it was an accepted fact that Sāmoans 'have suffered adulteration with Melanesian blood'.