Book rant? Anthropology, apes, and racism discussion.

I started reading a book titled "Bonobo Handshake" by Vanessa Woods. I picked it up because a) I want to learn more about bonobos since my knowledge of them is minimal. b) the author had interacted with bonobos in person so it's an interesting perspective to read. c) the book had positive reviews.

I was not expecting the author to start off telling us about the 'discovery' of bonobos in this way.

W-what do you mean, in Belgium? The author makes it clear that bonobos live in Congo and she gives us a few examples of local bonobo lore. Meaning, people in Congo know the bonobos very well. Way to go to give a colonizer the credit??? wtf. In this perspective, she is letting us know THAT was the moment when Bonobos entered western science, which is true. But I was really hoping the author would give it a more holistic view than this, but it seems she really believes in this??? And let me tell you, from what I am picking up between the lines, she ONLY accepts western science. Here is an example:

This is the page that confuses me immensely. I don't know if she is trying to come off as sarcastic or not. She sets out for us that Takayoshi Kano is the star of Bonobo research, but in the next paragraph says there is no one studying Bonobos. "there was never a Jane Goodall or Dian Fossey for bonobos." UHM NO? YOU JUST SAID THERE WAS???

[highlighting and writing over a picture of the page (32) since it's a library book and I can't write on it.]

She says Japanese researchers are responsible for all we know on Bonobos, but then starts talking about de Waal's zoo discoveries in detail, and they seem pretty minor compared to Kano's work with wild bonobos. She did point out that scientists don't take de waal's observations seriously because it's from a zoo, but she doesn't remedy that by telling us if it can be supported by Kano's work or not when compared. Kano is ignored. He does have one book available in English, so it's not like we can't ever learn about what he observed. you said western mainstream media don't want to listen to a man who only spoke Japanese??? UHM. You are too??? Why did you jump to de waal? If it's a book about bonobos, then please give Kano a little spotlight and tell about his research. (I actually want to read Kano's book now but I can't find a borrowable copy of it. It's a complicated long loop to get one. But it's possible T-T!!!!)

I very much dislike her tone in 'oh it's the Japanese that tell us about bonobo'. It is as if no one is actually researching them at all. They are 'foreign' so it doesn't count. Meanwhile, if it's a white person's discovery, it is humanity's. But if it's someone else theeennnn well we are not sure if it's actually real :/ Not until a white person observes this can we really put this into humanity's archive of knowledge. Otherwise, whatever they learnt is not very important or worth talking about.

I'm not gonna drop the book, because it does get me thinking about stuff and that's what I read books for. I guess it reminds me of University days, of how irritated I get when we are assigned a problematic reading to pick apart and present to class. I hope I'm not picking this apart too much 😭 I'm not sure if I'm enraged and reading too much into it. I might be totally wrong. idk... I think I need to join an anthropology book club to have people to talk with about this. Only way for now is to share on the internet and maybe a discussion starts. Want to see what others think of this (especially if they read the book).

THE COOL POSTER I MADE IS OUT

BASICALLY I MADE THIS POSTER FOR CHRISDACOW WHO TAUGHT A BONOBO APE TO PLAY MINECRAFT AND BEAT THE ENDER DRAGON!!!!

YOU CAN BUY IT HERE IF YOU WANT!! ALL PROFIT GOES TO THE SANCTUARY

THIS IS THE COOLEST THING I'VE EVER DONE IN MY LIFE

Kanzi the bonobo By: Unknown photographer From: Disney’s Wonderful World of Knowledge 1986

“A woman carer looks after the Bonobo apes at the Lola Ya Bonobo sanctuary park outside of Kinshasa, DRC.”

Kanzi by Ape Cognition and Conservation Initiative <3

The Bonobo and His Pet

By Christian Ziegler 

2023 Nature InFocus Photography Awards

My school's debate team was in the jungle and one kid turned into a gibbon. Some of the students found a baby bonobo and then a mandrill stole the baby bonobo and we were all running through the trees to get it.

"Not my circus. Not my monkeys."

I say, nonchalantly. Arousing no suspicion amidst the angry shouting of offended patrons, as I casually abandon my ill-fated and poorly thought out Bonobo Chimp Circus behind me.

Director Wes Ball and Noa's actor Owen Teague have given interviews examining the power-hungry adversary of Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes, Proximus Caesar, played by Kevin Durand.

Ball elaborated with Games Radar on the ape king's search for human artifacts and knowledge. "Proximus is a fantastically cool character. He is a fan of humans. You see it in the trailer. He says how they were capable of great things. 'They could level mountains. They could speak across oceans. They could fly like eagles fly.' He's fascinated by what humans were and how they fell so far, so he studies them. He knows more about humans than any other ape in our story."

Teague concurred in his own interview about Proximus' fascination with humans, "To apes that forgot about all these [human] things, that's like a magic power." He went on to say about the rise of power for the character set up to be his antagonist, "You get to see how legends and religion, to some degree, play a part in the creation of powerful figures. It's a really smart story to be telling right now, especially, I think."

It will be interesting to see Noa and Proximus Caesar meeting in the movie. With the trailer showing a deep conversation of Proximus trying to convince Noa that all apes will benefit from what he learns, followed by the apes throwing fists in the chimp way, their rivalry will be fun to see on the big screen.

Bonobo By: Unknown photographer From: WWF Threatened Animals 1986

Do you think if Homo sapiens sex culture was more similar to Bonobo sex culture, and Puritanism had never really taken off, that there would Gooning Zones just like there are Smoking Zones?

Bonobo's delight by Jutta Hof <3

A female bonobo feeds fruit to her baby at Lola ya Bonobo Sanctuary, the world's only bonobo rehabilitation facility, outside Kinshasa, in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Baby chimpanzees, gorillas, and bonobos are increasingly being sold into the pet trade and to zoos, according to a new report.

PHOTOGRAPH BY BRYAN DENTON, THE NEW YORK TIMES/REDUX

More Ikoto! At 3 months old, Ikoto is the youngest orphan to be cared for at Lola Ya Bonobo. Dependant on human caretakers at the moment, they are raising him to return to the wild when he is old enough.