Paghahanap kay Maura | An illustrated investigation from The Washington Post

Summary

This compelling story centers around Maura, a young Filipino woman who was brought to the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis as part of an exhibition showcasing indigenous Filipinos. Alongside her, over 230 Filipinos were displayed as 'savages' to justify American imperialism in the Philippines. Maura’s life and death raise critical questions about colonial exploitation, racial science, and cultural stereotyping. Her story, uncovered by Filipino-American activist Janna Añonuevo Langholz, explores the dark legacy of human display at the fair, and the tragic collection of Filipino remains by U.S. anthropologists. Through persistent research, Janna seeks justice for Maura and other Indigenous people whose bodies were exploited for racial studies.

Takeaways

• 😀 Maura, a Filipino woman, was part of the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis, Missouri, but was not there as a visitor. Instead, she and others were brought to be showcased in an exhibition.
• 😀 Maura was likely born around 1886 in Suyoc, a mining community in the Philippines, and was part of the Kankanaey, an indigenous group from the Cordillera Mountains.
• 😀 Maura traveled from the Philippines to America aboard a ship, where the passengers were unaware of why they were being brought to the World's Fair.
• 😀 Upon arrival in St. Louis, many of the Filipino participants, including Maura, suffered from severe illness due to the harsh conditions, and several died, including Maura.
• 😀 Maura's death coincided with an unusually rare snowstorm in St. Louis, which further emphasized the challenges she faced in the foreign environment.
• 😀 Despite her death, Maura’s story inspired Janna Añonuevo Langholz, a Filipino-American activist, to investigate and document her life and the lives of others at the Fair.
• 😀 Janna's research uncovered that Maura's remains were likely taken by physical anthropologist Ales Hrdlicka, who collected human remains for racial studies, a practice now considered unethical.
• 😀 The Smithsonian Institution held Maura's cerebellum as part of a controversial 'racial brain collection,' but the identity of the remains was not confirmed until Janna’s research brought it to light.
• 😀 Janna's advocacy led to efforts to return Maura’s remains to the Philippines, where they might be properly memorialized, as part of a broader movement to right historical wrongs.
• 😀 In 2023, after a year of investigation, the Smithsonian returned four brains from the collection, although many others remain stored in the museum, highlighting ongoing challenges in repatriating human remains.

Q & A

Why did Maura and other Filipinos travel to St. Louis in 1904?

Maura and over 230 Filipinos traveled to St. Louis to participate in the 1904 World's Fair, specifically to showcase their culture and way of life in the Philippine Exposition, not just to attend the exhibition.

What is significant about Maura's background?

Maura was a Kankanaey from Suyoc, a community known for mining in the Cordillera region of the Philippines. She was likely from a family of high social standing, as suggested by her tattoos.

How did Maura and other Filipinos journey to the United States?

Maura and the other Filipinos sailed from Manila aboard a commercial ship, Shawmut, crossing the Pacific Ocean for over a month before arriving in Tacoma, Washington, and traveling by train to St. Louis.

What challenges did the Filipino travelers face during their journey?

The Filipino travelers experienced overcrowding, harsh conditions on the ship, extreme heat and cold during their train journey, and several deaths due to pneumonia.

How did Maura's health decline after arriving in St. Louis?

After Maura arrived in St. Louis, she contracted pneumonia and was hospitalized at Mullanphy Hospital, where she later passed away just days before the opening of the World’s Fair.

What happened to Maura's remains after her death?

Maura's death was followed by a mourning ritual by her fellow Filipinos. Although they wished to return her body to the Philippines, her remains were never repatriated, and it was later discovered that her brain was taken by a Smithsonian anthropologist for racial studies.

What role did Ales Hrdlicka play in the events surrounding Maura?

Ales Hrdlicka, a physical anthropologist from the Smithsonian Institution, collected Maura’s brain, specifically her cerebellum, as part of a controversial study on racial differences, which was later criticized.

What did Janna Añonuevo Langholz discover about Maura?

Janna Añonuevo Langholz, a Filipino-American activist, discovered Maura's story while researching the 1904 World's Fair. She found that Maura’s remains were part of the Smithsonian's controversial brain collection.

What did Janna Langholz do to honor Maura's memory?

Janna Langholz began documenting the lives of Filipinos at the World’s Fair through a website and organized efforts to memorialize Maura by investigating her remains, advocating for their return to the Philippines, and seeking acknowledgment for her and others who were exploited.

How did the Smithsonian respond to the findings about Maura's remains?

The Smithsonian initially could not confirm the identity of the person whose brain had been taken. However, after extensive research, they acknowledged the situation, and in 2023, they returned several brains from the collection, including those taken from Filipinos during the World’s Fair.