Basilio

The events of the Anthropological Days were contests among minority, aboriginal or native peoples from several lands who were present in so-called “living exhibits” at the Louisiana Purchase Exhibition. The largest of these exhibits was the Philippine Village, a 20 hectare site that was inhabited by more than 1,000 Filipinos from at least 10 different ethnic groups.

The Negritos from the Philippines, once considered a uniform group, actually belong to a great number of various ethnic groups from several islands including Mindanao, Panay, Luzon and Negros. The Negritos acclaimed some fame due to their abilities shown in the pole climbing, particularly Basilio, who won the event with a time of 20.4 as compared to 39.2 for the second placed Bomushubba.