The Pygmy camp is a location from the Jungle Cruise.
Description[]
The pygmy camp was a camp along the Congo river in the Congo basin of Africa. The campsite was home to an, "African pygmy" tribe and an outpost for river sailors. The camp was located in the vicinity of, "Gorilla Territory", a region filled with troublesome gorillas and a colonial base camp.
History[]
Background[]
The pygmy camp was active during the 1930s. The tribe was on apparent good terms with the colonial Jungle Navigation Company which used the camp as a stop on their routes through the Congo.
Development history[]
Creation & changes[]
The pygmy camp was designed by Marc Davis for the Magic Kingdom's Jungle Cruise. It was an uneventful scene that was followed by encountering a giant python that had scared off the tribe. In 2021, the scene was removed due to its racist stereotyping. The replacement was the campy fake shop, "Boats & Baits".
Racism[]
The term pygmy is a pejorative term given to Indigenous tribes of the Congo by European colonists. This term refers to a creature from Greek pseudo-scientific texts claimed to be an inhuman race of dwarfs who live outside of Greece.
While the removal of the stereotypes tribe was generally well received, the execution of it was controversial. Namely were claims of the altered attraction adhering to a form of white settler propaganda known as Terra nullius which is historically used to portray Indigenous territories in jungle region as open for colonization due to being allegedly devoid of civilization. This implication was likewise enhanced due to the same refurbishment romanticizing several characters emblematic of white colonial figures including Dr. Albert Falls and the Society of Explorers and Adventurers.
Appearances[]
Jungle Cruise[]
The camp used to be passed by in the Magic Kingdom version of the attraction. Albert Awol mentions one of their used war-canoes being a prize in the, "Name the croc" contest. Following the event's cancellation, Awol says, " For sale: late-model war canoe. Hand-carved wood interior. Dual paddled and naturally air-conditioned. Interested parties should respond through the grapevine".
Trader Sam's Enchanted Tiki Bar[]
Artwork of the camp was hung in the washroom of this bar.[1]
In other media[]
Paraphernalia[]
Jungle Cruise Adventure Game[]
The village appears uninhabited in this game.
Trivia[]
- The figureheads of the war-canoes outside of the camp were modelled after the heads of Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Goofy.
- The camp scene has been compared to Joseph Conrad's novella Heart of Darkness (1899).[2]
Gallery[]
