In 1889, eleven Selk’nam people of Chile —including a child—were taken from their homeland to Europe and displayed in human zoos, where they were exploited, dehumanized, and many died from the brutal conditions. Once a resilient hunter-gatherer society with rich rituals like the Hain initiation, the Selk’nam were devastated by colonization, ranching, and violent persecution, reducing their population from thousands to a handful by the early 20th century.
