Saartje Bartman was a Khoikhoi woman who, at the age of 21, was taken from South Africa to Europe in 1810 and displayed as a curiosity in various shows until 1815, when she died. Saartje’s story is one of the most poignant cases of exploitation and manipulationSaartje Bartman was a Khoikhoi woman who, at the age of 21, was taken from South Africa to Europe in 1810 and displayed as a curiosity in various shows until 1815, when she died. Saartje’s story is one of the most poignant cases of exploitation and manipulation.
Saartje was displayed as the perfect Khoikhoi specimen. Khoikhois are herders, but Saartje was in fact a Bushman woman - Bushmen are hunter-gatherers. This important distinction never troubled her exploiters. Saartje’s identity was stolen and manipulated and she was re-named as the Hottentot Venus. The term Hottentot was a collective name given to the people of the Cape by early travellers from Europe, a name that immediately destroyed the various identities and differences shared by people who inhabited a particular geographical area. The appellation Venus is also intriguing, but I wish to think about this a bit more before commenting further.
Hendrik Cezar, a farmer from Cape Town and a British ship surgeon charged admission for people to come and inspect Saartje, who by now was treated as merely an object. Saartje’s main “attractions” were her steatopygious buttocs and her vagina, named the Hottentot apron. Saartje was used to justify current social evolutionary theories that all blacks were slightly evolved apes.
Saartje was also exhibited in Paris, where she died of an “inflammatory and eruptive malady” - most probably a sexually transmitted disease (but I stand to be corrected on this). Although women like her were in theory “repulsive”, many men had no hesitation in examining her genitals in detail and having sex with her.
She was used to epitomize “negro female sexuality” and to lend further credence to social evolutionary theories that black people were almost apes. Moreover, by labelling her Hottentot and explicitly ignoring the fact she came from a hunter-gatherer tribe, Saartje was used to reinforce the idea that the natives had no history of their own. They were simply uncivilized savages who failed to “better themselves” and as such conquering and plundering their lands was fully justified. After all, the colonizers were civilizing these most savage and backward people. The study of native life and customs became mainly the domain of anthropology and much attention was devoted to measuring and recording “freakishness”, usually in the shape of genitals and buttocks.
This classification and labelling lent the proceedings a scientific guise. “Science” was used to re-inforce the imperialist ethos of superior Europeans ruling over inferior natives. Fortunately, not everyone hopped on the exploitation train and Saartje’s case was taken to court, mostly by abolitionists. However, an affidavit was produced, stating that Saartje had left Africa willingly in order to exhibit herself, she was treated well and while she did not fully understand her contract, she knew she would be paid for her show. Doubts have been expressed over this affidavit and it is thought that Saartje was forced to sign a document she could neither read nor understand.
Saartje was also objectified in death. Georges Cuvier diligently dissected her corpse and her brain and vagina were preserved and put on display. Even in death she was used as a “savage” specimen. Her remains were on display at the Musee de l’Homme in Paris as late as 1985. Interestingly, at the time France was happily and self-righteously boycotting South Africa because of Apartheid. The hypocrisy is stingingly blatant.
Saartje’s remains were finally returned to South Africa in 2002. Finally, this woman was laid to rest and was eventually given a proper burial. See here for an account on how South Africa received the news. Saartje was not the only African woman to be exploited. In many ways the barbaric brutality suffered by Saartje represents the pain and humiliation of African women. Unknowingly, she became a symbol of Africa, a symbol that will hopefully be forever etched in our minds as a reminder of a shameful and brutal area. RIP Saartje.
Saartje was displayed as the perfect Khoikhoi specimen. Khoikhois are herders, but Saartje was in fact a Bushman woman - Bushmen are hunter-gatherers. This important distinction never troubled her exploiters. Saartje’s identity was stolen and manipulated and she was re-named as the Hottentot Venus. The term Hottentot was a collective name given to the people of the Cape by early travellers from Europe, a name that immediately destroyed the various identities and differences shared by people who inhabited a particular geographical area. The appellation Venus is also intriguing, but I wish to think about this a bit more before commenting further.
Hendrik Cezar, a farmer from Cape Town and a British ship surgeon charged admission for people to come and inspect Saartje, who by now was treated as merely an object. Saartje’s main “attractions” were her steatopygious buttocs and her vagina, named the Hottentot apron. Saartje was used to justify current social evolutionary theories that all blacks were slightly evolved apes.
Saartje was also exhibited in Paris, where she died of an “inflammatory and eruptive malady” - most probably a sexually transmitted disease (but I stand to be corrected on this). Although women like her were in theory “repulsive”, many men had no hesitation in examining her genitals in detail and having sex with her.
She was used to epitomize “negro female sexuality” and to lend further credence to social evolutionary theories that black people were almost apes. Moreover, by labelling her Hottentot and explicitly ignoring the fact she came from a hunter-gatherer tribe, Saartje was used to reinforce the idea that the natives had no history of their own. They were simply uncivilized savages who failed to “better themselves” and as such conquering and plundering their lands was fully justified. After all, the colonizers were civilizing these most savage and backward people. The study of native life and customs became mainly the domain of anthropology and much attention was devoted to measuring and recording “freakishness”, usually in the shape of genitals and buttocks.
This classification and labelling lent the proceedings a scientific guise. “Science” was used to re-inforce the imperialist ethos of superior Europeans ruling over inferior natives. Fortunately, not everyone hopped on the exploitation train and Saartje’s case was taken to court, mostly by abolitionists. However, an affidavit was produced, stating that Saartje had left Africa willingly in order to exhibit herself, she was treated well and while she did not fully understand her contract, she knew she would be paid for her show. Doubts have been expressed over this affidavit and it is thought that Saartje was forced to sign a document she could neither read nor understand.
Saartje was also objectified in death. Georges Cuvier diligently dissected her corpse and her brain and vagina were preserved and put on display. Even in death she was used as a “savage” specimen. Her remains were on display at the Musee de l’Homme in Paris as late as 1985. Interestingly, at the time France was happily and self-righteously boycotting South Africa because of Apartheid. The hypocrisy is stingingly blatant.
Saartje’s remains were finally returned to South Africa in 2002. Finally, this woman was laid to rest and was eventually given a proper burial. Saartje was not the only African woman to be exploited. In many ways the barbaric brutality suffered by Saartje represents the pain and humiliation of African women. Unknowingly, she became a symbol of Africa, a symbol that will hopefully be forever etched in our minds as a reminder of a shameful and brutal area. RIP Saartje. (by Athena)
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