On Becoming Human: Us or Them

The world was turned upside down when Jane Goodall, primatologist, observed
chimpanzees using and modifying tools. Chimps are one of our closest relatives including the
bonobo monkey. Her discoveries made us look at what differentiates humans from other
great apes. Anthropologists believe that we share a common ancestor with chimps and
Bonobos that diverged some 6 million years ago. Tool making was seen as the defining
characteristic that distinguished humans from other apes. After Goodall’s discoveries we
needed to either change our definition of what it means to be human or raise up these great
apes to human status.
After years of observation Goodall was accepted by her band of wild chimps and in one
poignant instance, when she offered old Graybeard a piece of fruit, he dropped the fruit and
offered his hand to Goodall instead. Such behavior suggests that great apes are closer in
regard to human attributes than we might believe or wish to believe as they share many of the
same emotions as we do.
Goodall’s world in turn was shattered when she observed chimps killing other chimps:
a mother killing another mother’s child and old Graybeard himself being dismembered by the
group. She observed this darker side of chimps which perhaps reflects their hunting and
meat-eating behavior. Even very young chimps eagerly joined in this melee.
Bonobo monkeys are close relatives of chimps and virtual look a likes but most people
haven’t heard of them. Vanessa Woods and Brian Hare studied them in sanctuaries set up
for orphans in the Congo. These orphans were often the result of the bush meat trade in
Africa or captured juveniles who were being sold as pets. They grow up many times stronger
than humans and can be very dangerous. Having worked with both chimps and bonobos,
they discovered that they behave very differently. While chimps will sometimes kill each other
and eat meat, bonobos don’t. Bonobo apes’ motto would be “make love not war”.
Chimps most often compete with each other while bonobos cooperate and share food
with each other, perhaps a result that food was more abundant where bonobos evolved.
Could food scarcity result in the more aggressive behavior of chimps? Another aspect of
Bonobo society is that it is matriarchal; females run the show. When a male bonobo was
observed hitting an alpha female, she stood her ground and gave him a withering look. Soon
her female companions were chasing this errant male down and gave him a thrashing that he
would not soon forget. Female bonobos know that when they stick together, males can’t
dominate. On the other hand, chimps, even at a young age, will engage in battering females
with the end result that females will be more submissive to males who want to have sex with
them.
Very young chimps display similar behavior to bonobos but when they go through
puberty they change while Bonobos don’t. Testosterone levels are high in bonobos even at
young ages and may account for their sexual prowess.
What seemed clear from testing and experiments that Woods and Hare performed is
that these apes’ brains are wired very differently. Measuring the brain activity through the ear
canal, using an infrared thermometer, it was clear that chimps become much more agitated
when confronted with pictures of or unfamiliar chimps. Bonobos on the other hand welcome
an unfamiliar faces and become interested. While bonobo apes welcomed new comers,
chimps rejected them and this seems to be hardwired in.
Goodall hopes that while humans seem to share some of the traits of chimps, we are
smart enough to recognize and choose what behaviors we wish to express. When we see an
unfamiliar face, do we see a stranger or do we see ourselves? Do we want to be welcoming to newcomers or reject them outright? There is much to be gained by welcoming new folks to our community and nation. After all, the native Americans welcomed us here, even though
we haven’t exactly acted like good neighbors.
Research continues on great apes while populations of these endangered species
decline. What we have most to gain in preserving these apes might be insights into our own
human selves. Can we change enough to save ourselves and the world we inhabit?
What bonobo monkeys have to teach us is that tolerance and cooperation may be what
saves us in the future. As the planet warms and food becomes more scarce, how will we
react? Under what circumstances can we become more tolerant and accepting of each
other? Can we forego some of our innate tendencies in order to preserve peace and in the
long run preserve our security? What can we learn from these close relatives of our past
ancestors? As title of Goodall’s Book suggests, we are on a spiritual journey to discover
exactly what it means to be human.