Native Peoples in living displays is one of the difficult subjects of early American expositions. Obvious indignities aside, in some situations they were treated cruelly, inhumanely, outrageously, shamefully.
That being said, they were nevertheless a very visible part of the AYPE, and
a fascination to visitors. They were an important part of the certification of
the fair itself - other fairs had them. Any controversy over them tended towards
protection of the visitors; their
display was not only otherwise generally acceptable but helped to establish the
educational credentials of the Pay Streak. As with many aspects of the fair,
what would seem a glaring inconsistency today did not pose a conflict. And at the AYPE,
there does not seem to have been the overt abuse that attended some, earlier
fairs. Depending on the group's background - some groups were professional
performers showing a limited, choreographed view of a national culture, some
families had been participating in this country for a generation, some were
newly arrived - reaction between the fairgoers and the Native Peoples seems to
have been as much one of mutual curiosity and tolerance as anything
else. At least one image exists of a well-dressed, middle-aged, matron-visitor
chatting casually face to face with an Igorrote warrior.
That the
fairgoers viewed the Native Peoples with paternalism there can be no doubt. In
viewing the active displays of craft production, domestic life, dance, clothing and war
making did the fairgoers learn anything? Let us hope so. Did this encourage
eugenics, imperialism, separate-but-equal legislation, immigration quotas? We
might wish to hope not. Just how well each group was treated or profited from
the experience is difficult to determine. Much research has, and continues to be
done, on this complex topic.
