Convention Centers and Exhibition Halls

[D'Transporter]

The Filipino scouts of the World's Fair looked like they handed down the design of their uniforms to the present PMA cadets.

[dinabaw]

Originally Posted by D'Transporter

It's good to know that Universities in the Philippines these days are actually doing theatrical plays about the life of our countrymen's experiences during the 1904 World's fair. I myself didn't know about the involvement of Filipinos not till I was already here in the US. I still think there are a lot of stories left untold about the event including the way the americans treated our countrymen.

One of the stories I read somewhere is that non-Tagalogs were treated as second class citizens of the Philippines during that time by the Americans. I'm starting to think this must be the reason why we couldn't find photos of Tagalogs because they were treated by the Americans as a more civilized group. The Americans didn't want to show the world that there are no civilized group in the Philippines. They wanted to portray the Tagalogs were the elite class that was representative of the government of the Philippines just like they do in the US. Even the exhibit itself didn't have a Tagalog village to represent the group but they instead have a replica of Walled Intramuros, Santo Thomas, Manila house and Philippine government building. One of the common characteristic of Colonialism was grouping citizens into different class and during that time the White Americans thought of themselves as a higher class citizen than the the colored race.

I read somewhere that Datu Bulon(Bulan) stayed in US worked and became a citizen .

[TheAvenger]

deleted

[bagel]

Originally Posted by demented_pigeon

this is a bit saddening because it reminds me of the americans' attempt to use indigenous mercenaries (makabebe and later the philippine constabulary) to supress the Filipino revolutionaries up until 1913. to think that the our armed forces today is the descendant of the colonial Philippine constabulary and the Philippine scouts.

Well, it's interesting that you say that. The contingent of Philippine Scouts in the St. Louis World's Fair was not just for show. In fact, they were deployed there to help reign in any rebellious tribesmen and women. The Philippine Scouts were ordered to stand guard around the Philippine village and "pacify" anybody who was giving problems. There were military actions against Filipino tribesmen and women who would try to leave their camps. I believe some were also killed by the Philippine Scouts. So even then, Philippine arms were used against Filipinos who wanted a better way of life.

An interesting note also: some of the tribespeople decided that they liked western clothing and started wearing them, as they did their regular thing. The audience did not like it, so they were forced to wear the native attire during the day time-- it was not right to see Filipinos out of their native clothing and heaven forbid if they started to look educated.

[ibeam]

Hello D'transporter,

Do you know if the ethnographic items (clothes, untensils, swords, knives, shields and such) that the filipinos used during the exhibit were collected and in a museum somewhere or where they able to bring them back home??

[D'Transporter]

I have no idea Ibeam, that's why we have this thread so it will help us come up with answers to all unanswered questions. I do know some of the tribesmen decided to stay in Louisiana but I don't have any idea how many of them did. There might be a museum in Louisiana that might have kept some of the items and I'm sure the US Immigration must have documented those Filipinos who remained in the US.

[D'Transporter]

Just found another article about the fair.



'Living Exhibits' at 1904 World's Fair Revisited
Igorot Natives Recall Controversial Display of Their Ancestors
by Greg Allen

Photo Gallery: Igorots at the 1904 World's Fair

© CORBISA group of Igorot villagers from the Philippines on display at the St. Louis World's Fair of 1904.

Morning Edition, May 31, 2004 · In St. Louis this year, residents are commemorating the centennial of the 1904 World's Fair, an event originally held to mark America's progress. Among those returning to the city to mark the occasion are the descendants of tribal peoples put on display in so-called "living exhibits" that recreated their native villages.

The largest of these exhibits was the Philippine village, a 47-acre site that for seven months in 1904 became home to more than 1,000 Filipinos from at least 10 different ethnic groups. The biggest crowd-drawers were the so-called primitive tribes -- especially the Igorots, whose appeal lay in their custom of eating dog.

Mia Abeya, a Maryland resident whose Igorot grandfather was among those on display, says Igorots ate dog only occasionally, for ceremonial purposes. During the fair, they were fed the animals on a daily basis. "They made them butcher dogs, which is really abusing the culture of the Igorots," Abeya tells NPR's Greg Allen.

But Abeya says the experience had a positive side, too. She notes that many Igorots attended school for the first time while in St. Louis. After returning to the Philippines, Abeya's grandfather made sure all of his children and grandchildren received an education.

Many Igorots plan to return to St. Louis in July to commemorate this controversial chapter in their history.

[bitoy]

This must be how the Pinoy dudes in America looks like in the 1900s.

[Lili]

They looked very sharp and handsome. Where was that taken?

[bitoy]

No definite year was noted but It was from the collection of the Maria Orosa family.

Oldies, 1900's
More, Oldies
Oldies, more

Who knows who these guys are but found this picture in the University of Washington files of Maria Y. Orosa. My guess is that they were students.

[bitoy]

Photographs of the Philippine Reservation at the St. Louis World's Fair
~ Just Click on the photograph above and see the collections from the past ~.

[Lili]

Imagine they built the Fair and those structures for 6 years only to be exhibited for 7 months.

[D'Transporter]

Originally Posted by tsinoy

Photographs of the Philippine Reservation at the St. Louis World's Fair
~ Just Click on the photograph above and see the collections from the past ~.

Thanks for the new link Tsinoy, very good contribution.

[D'Transporter]

Originally Posted by Lili

Imagine they built the Fair and those structures for 6 years only to be exhibited for 7 months.

Then most of it was demolished afterwards.

[bagel]

Yeah a lot of the attention to detail used int he exhibition was a way for the US government to display what it had acquired in the Philippines-- exhibiting the empire it all of the sudden had. So one could say it was a huge PR campaign for US imperialism.

[bitoy]

True, It was more of a showing-off of their prized possessions from all around the globe. My great-grandfather's relative who were asked and promised a good life to work on that fair were not able to join, thus some regions were not represented. But they soon were able to sneak in to California to trace down some relatives in Baja and interior Mexico.

It was noted that the Philippine Reservation was the most famous attraction on that fair. Now, what happened to the next World's Fair?

[bitoy]

Nice jail.... In and Out system...

[Lili]

Yeah but once the prisoner goes out, he will be shot with an arrow. (joke, but may be true)

Imagine this fair costed $15 million to build and $1 million to restore (without the additional costs for maintenance, incidentals and demolition) while the US paid Spain $ 20 million dollars for possession of the Philippines under the Treaty of Paris of 1898.

[le Reine]

kasing presyo na lang pala ng Pilipinas ang St. Louis Fair. Hindi pa kasama inflation (ok hangover ng econ).

Pero joking aside, naaawa ako sa mga pinadala sa fair na iyan. Nalaman ko lang ito nung nanoood ako ng play na: "St. Louis loves dem Filipinos." Sa totoo lang, pati naman yung mga Filipino elites dati na mostly mestizos, siyempre, may kasalanan din. Actually, hindi nila tinuring na Filipinos yung mga tribes na pinadala sa US. Para sa kanila, mga "barbarians" lang sila. Yan yung mga nakita ko sa play. Pero siymepre one-sided lang iyon. Di natin alam kung ano talaga nangyari.

Kaunting mga tao lang ang nakakaalam na may ganito palang nangyari noon(kasama na ako). Hindi ko pa malalaman kung hindi ako nanood ng play. Sana naman nilagay nila sa Phil. History books ito. Kahit footnote kasi wala eh.

[bitoy]

That's what I was trying to relate to some people here.

Hindi natin alam ang lahat na tunay na pangyayari.

What we learned about our history during our school years are different from each year that has come. Lalo na ngayon na maraming naglalabasan na bagong kasaysayan na malamang ay may halong karagdagan para ito ay maging kapanipaniwala na madalas ay kathang isip lamang.

But this 1904 Fair as I've said was like a circus. ginawang parang primal attractions ang mga Pilipinos at Native Americans and some Caribbean’s people.
Primal attractions might not be the right term, but you know what I was trying to say.
At least after less than half a century, Filipinos have proven themselves not as savages but as part of a hard working force globally. Filipinos are almost everywhere around the globe.