Did you know that the stereotype of Filipinos as "dog-eaters" started in the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair?

In 1904, a total of 230 Filipinos, including several Igorots, were brought to the United States to participate in the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair, dubbed the largest human zoo in world history.

One of those Igorots was Maura, a Kankana-ey teenager from the Cordillera mountains, who died of pneumonia just days before the opening of the fair.

Igorot tribesmen mourned her loss but were prevented from preparing her body for burial. Records also suggest a world-renowned anthropologist from the Smithsonian Institution's United States National Museum took part of her brain for research.

The Igorot village was one of the most popular exhibits in the World's Fair where the tribesmen were pressured to eat dog every day although they only did it during rare occasions in the Philippines.

This fueled a stereotype of Filipinos as dog eaters that linger to this day.

These and more are just some of the facts revealed in "Paghahanap kay Maura", an investigative piece published by The Washington Post.

ANC, August 18, 2023