Paul Belloni du Chaillu (July 31, 1835 – April 29, 1903) was a French-American traveler and anthropologist. He became famous in the 1860s as the first modern outsider to confirm the existence of
gorillaGorillas are the largest of the living primates. They are ground-dwelling and predominantly herbivorous. They inhabit the forests of central Africa. Gorillas are divided into two species and either four or five subspecies...
s and the
PygmyPygmy is a term used for various ethnic groups worldwide whose average height is unusually low; anthropologists define pygmy as any group whose adult males grow to less than 150 cm in average height. A member of a slightly taller group is termed pygmoid. The best known pygmies are the Aka,...
people of central
AfricaAfrica is the world's second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area. With a billion people in 61 territories, it accounts for about 14.8% of the...
. He later researched the prehistory of
ScandinaviaScandinavia is a geographical region in northern Europe that includes, and is named after, the Scanian Province. It consists of the kingdoms of Norway, Sweden, and Denmark...
.
His date and place of birth are disputed. The year is given as either 1831 or 1835; the date when given is July 31.
Paul Belloni du Chaillu (July 31, 1835 – April 29, 1903) was a French-American traveler and anthropologist. He became famous in the 1860s as the first modern outsider to confirm the existence of
gorillaGorillas are the largest of the living primates. They are ground-dwelling and predominantly herbivorous. They inhabit the forests of central Africa. Gorillas are divided into two species and either four or five subspecies...
s and the
PygmyPygmy is a term used for various ethnic groups worldwide whose average height is unusually low; anthropologists define pygmy as any group whose adult males grow to less than 150 cm in average height. A member of a slightly taller group is termed pygmoid. The best known pygmies are the Aka,...
people of central
AfricaAfrica is the world's second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area. With a billion people in 61 territories, it accounts for about 14.8% of the...
. He later researched the prehistory of
ScandinaviaScandinavia is a geographical region in northern Europe that includes, and is named after, the Scanian Province. It consists of the kingdoms of Norway, Sweden, and Denmark...
.
Early life
His date and place of birth are disputed. The year is given as either 1831 or 1835; the date when given is July 31. Accounts cite either
ParisParis is the capital of France and the country's most populous city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
or New Orleans as his likely place of birth, and his friend
Edward CloddEdward Clodd was an English banker, writer and anthropologist. He cultivated a very wide circle of literary and scientific friends, who periodically met at Whitsun gatherings at his home at Aldeburgh, Suffolk....
mentioned
New YorkNew York is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous. The state is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
as another claimed location, but asserted that du Chaillu's true birthplace was the French island territory of Bourbon (
RéunionRéunion is an island located in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar, about south west of Mauritius, the nearest island.Administratively, Réunion is one of the overseas départements of France...
). A contemporary obituary cites a statement made by du Chaillu referring to "the United States, my country by adoption, and ... France, my native land."
In his youth he accompanied his father, a French trader in the employment of a Parisian firm, to the west coast of
AfricaAfrica is the world's second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area. With a billion people in 61 territories, it accounts for about 14.8% of the...
. Here, at a station on the
GabonGabon is a country in west central Africa sharing borders with the Gulf of Guinea to the west, Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, and Cameroon to the north, with the Republic of the Congo curving around the east and south. Its size is almost 270,000 km² with an estimated population...
, he was educated by missionaries, and acquired an interest in and knowledge of the country, its natural history, its natives, and their languages.
Africa
He was sent in 1855 by the
Academy of Natural SciencesThe Academy of Natural Sciences is the oldest natural science research institution and museum in the New World. It was founded in 1812 by many of the leading naturalists of the young republic with its expressed mission of "the encouragement and cultivation of the sciences." For over nearly two...
at Philadelphia on an African expedition. Until 1859 he explored the regions of
West AfricaWest Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries distributed over an area of approximately 5 million square km:*Benin...
in the neighborhood of the equator, gaining considerable knowledge of the delta of the Ogowe River and the estuary of the Gabon. During his travels from 1856 to 1859 he observed numerous
gorillaGorillas are the largest of the living primates. They are ground-dwelling and predominantly herbivorous. They inhabit the forests of central Africa. Gorillas are divided into two species and either four or five subspecies...
s, known to non-locals in prior centuries only from an unreliable report by
Hanno the NavigatorHanno the Navigator was a Carthaginian explorer c. 500 BC, best known for his naval exploration of the African coast.- Etymology :...
of
CarthageCarthage refers both to an ancient city in present-day Tunisia, and a modern-day suburb of Tunis. The civilization that developed within the city's sphere of influence is referred to as Punic or Carthaginian...
in the 5th century BC, and known to scientists in the preceding years only by a few skeletons. He brought back dead specimens, and presented himself as the first white person to have seen them.
A subsequent expedition, from 1863 to 1865, enabled him to confirm the accounts given by the ancients of a
pygmyPygmy is a term used for various ethnic groups worldwide whose average height is unusually low; anthropologists define pygmy as any group whose adult males grow to less than 150 cm in average height. A member of a slightly taller group is termed pygmoid. The best known pygmies are the Aka,...
people inhabiting the African forests. Du Chaillu sold his hunted gorillas to the
Natural History MuseumThe Natural History Museum is one of three large museums on Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London . Its main frontage is on Cromwell Road...
in London and his "cannibal skulls" to other European collections. (A fine cased group shot by du Chaillu may be seen in
Ipswich MuseumIpswich Museum is a registered museum of culture, history and natural heritage located in Ipswich, the County Town of the English county of Suffolk...
in
SuffolkSuffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
, England.) Narratives of both expeditions were published, in 1861 and 1867 respectively, under the titles
Explorations and Adventures in Equatorial Africa, with Accounts of the Manners and Customs of the People, and of the Chace of the Gorilla, Crocodile, and other Animals; and
A Journey to Ashango-land, and further penetration into Equatorial Africa. While in Ashango Land in 1865 he was elected King of the Apingi tribe.
At the time, he was in great demand on the public lecture circuits of New York, London, and Paris. Although there were initial challenges of his accounts, they came be accepted, although
Encyclopedia Britannica speculated that "possibly some of the adventures he described as happening to himself were reproductions of the hunting stories of natives."
Northern Europe
After some years residence in America, during which he wrote several books for the young founded upon his African adventures, du Chaillu turned his attention to northern Europe. After a visit to northern Norway in 1871, over the following five years he made a study of customs and antiquities in
SwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe...
,
NorwayNorway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a country in Northern Europe occupying the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, as well as Jan Mayen and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard under the Spitsbergen Treaty...
, Lapland and Northern
FinlandFinland , officially the Republic of Finland
, is a Nordic country and democracy situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. It borders Sweden on the west, Russia on the east, and Norway on the north, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland...
. He published in 1881
The Land of the Midnight Sun (dedicated to his friend Robert Winthrop of New York), as a series of Summer and Winter Journeys, in two volumes.
His 1889 work
The Viking Age (also in two volumes) was a very broad study of the early history, manners, and customs of the ancestors of the English-speaking nations. He labored for eight and a half years and carefully read hundreds of Sagas that describe the life of the people who inhabited the
Scandinavian peninsulaThe Scandinavian Peninsula is a geographic region in northern Europe, consisting of Norway and Sweden. The name Scandinavian is derived from Scania, a region at the southernmost extremity of the peninsula. The Scandinavian Peninsula is the largest peninsula in Europe.-Geography:The Scandinavian...
from the
Stone AgeThe Stone Age is a broad prehistoric time period during which humans widely used stone for toolmaking.Stone tools were made from a variety of different sorts of stone. For example, flint and chert were shaped for use as cutting tools and weapons, while basalt and sandstone were used for ground...
to the
Middle AgesThe Middle Ages of European history is a period of European history covering roughly a millennium in the 5th century through 16th centuries. More specific starting and ending points are sometimes adopted by scholars to suit their respective specializations or current focus...
(including literary remains). This scholarly work demonstrates what is now generally recognised, the importance of the
NorseNorsemen is used to refer to the group of people as a whole who speak one of the North Germanic languages as their native language. The meaning of Norseman was "people from the North"...
, including Norway, Sweden, and Denmark to the cultural dimension and transformation of
British IslesThe British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include Great Britain, Ireland and numerous smaller islands. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and Ireland...
during the fifth to eleventh centuries. This view was then unfamiliar and was ridiculed by Canon
Isaac TaylorIsaac Taylor was an English philosophical and historical writer, artist, and inventor.-Life:He was the most eminent member of the Taylors of Ongar, a family known especially in art and literature. His grandfather and father, who bore the same name, were both eminent engravers, and the latter was...
. This book (in two volumes) is now a very collectible item. In 1900 he also published
The Land of the Long Night.
Personal life
Du Chaillu was a friend of
Edward CloddEdward Clodd was an English banker, writer and anthropologist. He cultivated a very wide circle of literary and scientific friends, who periodically met at Whitsun gatherings at his home at Aldeburgh, Suffolk....
and was present at one of Clodd's
WhitsunWhitsun, also known as Pentecost in the Christian calendar, is the seventh Sunday after Easter. Whitsun commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples of Christ .-Etymology:...
gatherings at Strafford House,
AldeburghAldeburgh is a coastal town in Suffolk, East Anglia, England. Located on the Alde river at 52° 9' North, 1° 36' East, the town is notable for its Blue Flag shingle beach and fisherman huts , its proximity to Thorpeness village and boating mere and golf courses at Aldeburgh, Thorpeness and Ufford Park...
,
SuffolkSuffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
in company with
John RhysSir John Rhys was a Welsh scholar, fellow of the British Academy, celticist and the first Professor of Celtic at Oxford University.-Early years and education:...
,
Grant AllenCharles Grant Blairfindie Allen was a science writer, author and novelist; an able upholder of the theory of evolution.-Biography:He was born near Kingston, Ontario, Canada,...
, York Powell and
Joseph ThomsonJoseph Thomson was a Scottish geologist and explorer who played an important part in the Scramble for Africa. Thomson's Gazelle is named for him. Excelling as an explorer rather than an exact scientist, he avoided confrontations among his porters or with indigenous peoples, neither killing any...
. He was a member along with a variety of mostly literary figures in author
J. M. BarrieSir James Matthew Barrie, 1st Baronet, OM , more commonly known as J. M. Barrie, was a Scottish author and dramatist. He is best remembered for creating Peter Pan, the boy who refused to grow up, whom he based on his friends, the Llewelyn Davies boys...
's amateur cricket team, the "
AllahakbarriesAllahakbarries was an amateur cricket team founded by author J. M. Barrie, and was active from 1890 to 1913. The team was named in the mistaken belief that Allah akbar meant Heaven help us in Arabic . Notable figures to have featured for the side included Arthur Conan Doyle, H. G. Wells, Jerome K....
".
He died following a stroke of paralysis at
St. PetersburgSaint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. The city's other names were Petrograd and Leningrad...
, while on his way home from Russia. He is interred under an unusual grave marker at Woodlawn Cemetery in Bronx, NY.