At the end of the Spanish-American war, the United States had acquired the Philippines as a territory. Soon after, world's fairs became involved in a national debate on the legitimacy of the American military rule there. At fairs, the U.S. Government arranged exhibits that displayed "primitive" artifacts and tribal groups -- perhaps to justify an argument that military rule would help "civilize" the Filipino people.

At the Lewis and Clark Exposition, an exhibit on the resources of the Philippines filled the east wing of

the U.S. Government Building. The display was classified into sections on forestry, education, ethnology, fisheries, mines, manufacturers, and agriculture.It also included a large collection of native hats, baskets, and colored woven mats. The U.S. Department of War displayed photographs from the war campaign in the Philippines and uniforms of American soldiers.

In addition, the fair planners arranged to have tribal people from the Philippines exhibited. The Igorot tribe, native to the highlands of the Philippines, was a main attraction. Fairgoers were invited to go see the Igorots in a simulated village of grass-thatched huts near the Trail, where they could see the men, in native attire, prepare feasts of dog. Twenty-two people (sixteen males and six females, including a young girl) were part of the exhibit. People saw them as "primitive and backward people, barely clothed who dance their own ethnic steps to the rhythm of their tom-toms."

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