1904 World’s Fair: Exhibition of the Igorot People | Asian Americans

At the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair (also known as the Louisiana Purchase Exposition) visitors attended to explore exhibits on science, art and new inventions, like the earliest automobiles and X-ray machines. One of the most horrifying of these exhibits, however, was an anthropological exhibit that was like a human zoo.

The St. Louis World’s Fair was an opportunity for America to demonstrate its strengths to the world and be seen as an imperial power. After the Philippine-American War ended in 1902, the U.S acquired the Philippines as its newest colony. Future president and current governor-general of the Philippines, William Howard Taft, was interested in a way to introduce this newest colony to fellow Americans.

The Philippine Exposition attracted many visitors with an exhibit that included over 130 buildings on 47 acres of fairground and 1,100 Filipinos from over 30 tribes. This exhibit presented four diverse ethnic villages of Philippine culture, including the Igorot, Negrito, Visayan and Moro, with the most popular village the one that featured the Igorot people.