The remains of a Filipino named Maura who was part of an exhibit of the infamous St. Louis World Fair in 1904 in the United States were highlighted in a new study.
The Washington Post investigated the body of work of an anthropologist named Ales Hrdlicka.
Hrdlicka, touted as the “bone doctor,” amassed thousands of body parts, including brains, for the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) for around 40 years.
The Post focused on his contributions to Smithsonian’s “racial brain collection,” a collection he used to compare and study races.
The report’s findings were published in an investigative report titled “The Smithsonian’s ‘Bone Doctor’ Scavenged Thousands of Body Parts” on August 15.
In the report, it was stated some of the remains Hridlicka amassed were Filipinos who were part of an exhibit in St. Louis, Missouri in the US.
This exposition was aimed to bring different marvels of the world to an audience in St. Louis. The exhibit, however, is now considered inhumane and shocking in the modern world.
“In St. Louis, he expected that some of the Indigenous Filipino people on display at the 1904 World’s Fair would die, so he made plans to take their brains,” the report said.
One of these indigenous Filipinos was a girl named Maura. The Post highlighted her story in a graphic novel titled “Searching for Maura.”
Parts of the book were also showcased on the publication’s Instagram account.
“Maura fell ill and died, and records suggest a renowned Smithsonian anthropologist, Ales Hrdlicka, traveled to St. Louis and took the cerebellum of her brain to study as part of his ‘racial brain collection,’” part of the caption reads.
The graphic novel follows the life of Maura when she was recruited, along with 1,200 other Filipinos, by Americans in the 1900s. These Filipinos came from different parts of the Philippines.
Shortly after arriving, however, Maura fell ill and died before the controversial world expo started.
Here’s the summary based on the Post’s website:
“Maura came to St. Louis from the Philippines to be put on display at the 1904 World’s Fair. She soon fell ill and died, and records suggest a world-renowned anthropologist took part of her brain. Few people would know what happened to her for more than a century.”
The book can be purchased here “Searching for Maura” graphic novel (English & Filipino) – The Washington Post.
To be brought home
Based on the report, the Smithsonian NMNH’s large collections of brains came from the following countries:
- Canada
- United States
- Peru
- Germany
- Czechoslovakia
- The Philippines
- Malaysia
- Japan
- Egypt
- South Africa
Overall, there are 255 brains in storage at the Smithsonian NMNH.
The Philippine Medical School doctors sent 18 brains to the institute.
Following the publication of this report, the Smithsonian NMNH reached out to the country’s National Museum for a repatriation initiative.
In a statement, the National Museum of the Philippines welcomed and supported this effort to return human remains that belong to the Filipino people.
“In adherence with today’s standards of ethical museum practice, the NMP accepts and supports this effort of the Smithsonian NMNH to do the right thing and facilitate the Filipino remains home as a way of rectifying this unfortunate situation,” the organization said.
READ: US museum eyes to repatriate Filipinos’ remains from racial brain collection