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In
this series, we share our gorilla research and care activities
with you through the following features:
1)
Caregiver Corner (what
it's like to interact and communicate with gorillas Koko, Ndume
and Michael)
2) Research Revelations
(what we're learning through interspecies communication and
what it means for humanity)
prepared
by our staff under the supervision of Dr. Penny Patterson, Director
of Research. (Journal PhotoBlog
Archive) |
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| Koko Makes a Halloween Mask |
October 30, 2002 |
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Dr.
Francine "Penny" Patterson has a Ph.D. in Developmental
Psychology from Stanford. She is President and Research
Director of The Gorilla Foundation, and a Member
of the Board of ApeNet - a consortium of foundations
supporting the welfare of great apes through interspecies
communication. She is also the Editor-in-Chief of
"Gorilla, the journal of The Gorilla Foundation/Koko.org."
"Penny's Journal" provides insight into her facinating
relationship with Koko and a way to share with us
her experiences as Koko lives, learns and communicates
"The
differences between humans and gorillas are greatly
overshadowed by what we have in common — and by
communicating with them, we can learn as much about
our own true nature as theirs." Penny Patterson |
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| Koko's Halloween Mask ("Eye Hat") |
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Occasionally, members write to us concerned that some of the things that Koko and Ndume do, such as donning whimsical headdresses, subtract from their dignity. Both gorillas, especially Koko are highly perceptive of, and responsive to, holiday traditions much as human children are, and want to participate. As Halloween was approaching one year, Koko actually fashioned a mask (without any prompting at all) from a gayly colored sheet of paper by carefully making eyeholes. Then, holding it up to her face, she used it to scare her human companion by charging over to her thus disguised. Such object use by the gorillas is a reflection of their creativity, playfulness and complex psychological makeup as gorilla persons.
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Koko with Lei, Penny with Cat Costume
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Recently, from a bag of costume accessories, Ron selected and wore a black feather boa, and Koko a flowered lei. I donned a cat mask, and meowed asking Koko "Who am I?" She steadfastly ignored my question, so we went about our play.
I showed Koko some fake cat whiskers, mentioning that the attachment was too tight to be placed on her nose, and put them to my ear suggesting use as an earring. As the videotape rolled, and I looked away
from Koko, she signed "Cat that that" first to my black mask, then to the cat whiskers she tucked fashionably over her right ear.
It's amazing how much we would miss about Koko if it weren't for video technology,
which allows us to catch her signing side comments to herself and the camera.
We should definitely use more of this technology in the future, especially at the Maui Sanctuary, to record our research from multiple angles
and share it with other researchers and educators via the internet.
Penny
PS: See Koko being really silly and intelligent at the same time, on our new version of KokoTV.
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Please
email us at research_feedback@koko.org
if you have any questions, or would like to share an observation
or insight about the preceding interspecies conversations.
Your feedback can inform our research and is a vital part
of our mission.
Thank you,
Dr. Francine Penny Patterson
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