Use of Slaves
The use of slaves for the collection of ivory has negatively impacted society because the slave population dropped dramatically and outsiders found the slaves' harsh working conditions unacceptable.
Many workers died trying to obtain ivory is because they must slaughter the elephants in order to get their tusks. This is because African elephants use their tusks as a defense mechanism, and if they feel threated, they will charge, using their tusks to stab a predator. Slaves had to kill the elephants first, to aviod being beat by the elephant. However, even attempting to kill the elephants was a dangerous process, for the elephants tried to revolt and could trample a slave in hope of survival. According to Wikipedia, by 1909 an estimated amount of 2 to 15 million works, all Congo nativies, died trying to collect ivory.
Below is a slide show with various images including the slaves, and what life was like for them:
Below is a slide show with various images including the slaves, and what life was like for them:
Rebellion
If the slaves were not working hard enough or collecting enough tusks, the consequences included a whiping, a shot to the hands of slaves, or death. This formulated problems because workers with mutilated hands could no longer work, and other slaves were dying. The amount of slaves able to produce ivory was decreasing. When the Conogolese slaves could no longer take the cruilty they were facing, some rebelled about the forced labor policies. According to Dean Pavlakis, "the slaves that refused to work would flee to their villiage to hide in the wilderness, but the King Leopold ordered officers to find the hiders and shoot them" (Pavlakis 1). Kind Leopold crushed every uprising the people had, and would not listen to their pleading.