Trader Sam's Outpost is a fictional location from the Jungle Cruise.
Description[]
This was an outpost located along the Amazon river in the Amazon rainforest. It was a mercantile outpost run by the ancient magic user, Trader Sam and his cousin Chief Nah-mee, leader of an Amazonian tribe. The outpost had no ceiling but did have bamboo walls and spikes in its ground. The outpost was located nearby the Amazon River Base, an outpost of the Jungle Navigation Company which was affiliated with Sam.
History[]
Background[]
This outpost was a mercantile run by Trader Sam by the 1930s. He traded shields, artwork, skulls and shrunken-heads from this location along with assorted artifacts which he would store in his bar. Sam's cousin Chief Nah-mee would also trade from the base, namely in fruits and the magical pendants the Tiger of Courage, the Elephant of Wisdom, and the Monkey of Cleverness.
Development history[]
Creation & Changes[]
The outpost appeared in the American Jungle Cruise attractions until 2021 when it was removed due to negative stereotypes of Jivaroan peoples. The outpost was replaced with the new scene of Trader Sam's Gift Shop!. It is unclear if the outpost and lost & found are the same geographic location or not.
Cultural Insenitivities[]
Trader Sam was created as a stereotype of the Jivaroan peoples of the Amazon. In the Spanish Colonial Period, conquistadors perpetuated a propagandistic myth that the Jivaro are the antithesis of, "Civilization" in retaliation to being unsuccessful at conquering Jivaroan territory. Sam being a cannibal was based on general myths as the Jivaroan are not known to practice cannibalism nor are any South American Indigenous tribe. Sam's dark-skinned design also seemed to be more based on an African
Shrunken head trading is inspired by how in the 1910s, many South American Indigenous peoples were pressured into selling shrunken-heads to European colonists who considered them to be exotic souvenirs. Traditionally, shrunken-heads are religious items used to bind the spirit of a potentially vengeful enemy, not items sought after for profit or collection.
The existence of Trader Sam's Gift Shop! has been criticized by some due to him being depicted as an untrustworthy and greedy thief. This subscribes to the aforementioned negative stereotypes of the Jivaro and general stereotypes of Indigenous peoples being sly, conniving and untrustworthy.
Appearances[]
Jungle Cruise[]
Sam's outpost used to appear at the end of the attraction before returning to the Docks of Adventureland. Next to Sam was a shield with two glowing green lights, used to assist cast-members by indicating when their boat is switching tracks.[1]
Jingle Cruise[]
The outpost was involved in this Holiday themed overlay. Sam would be shown trading in champagne while Nah-mee appeared dressed as, "Trader Sam-ta" to make holiday bargains.
Jungle Cruise: Wildlife Expeditions[]
In this version of the attraction, Chief Nah-mee appears trading fruits, jewellery and the enchanted medallions the Tiger of Courage, the Elephant of Wisdom, and the Monkey of Cleverness.
Trader Sam's[]
These bars are decorated with objects acquired by Sam's trading.
Trivia[]
- The outpost has contained artifacts of some significance:
- During Summer of Hidden Mysteries, Sam appeared in the possession of a stone tablet depicting the Crystal Skull of Akator.[2]
- One of Chief Nah-mee's shrunken heads supposedly was modelled after actress Katherine Hepburn to represent her character Rose Sayer from The African Queen.
- Several of the masks/shields found at the outpost were later mounted on trees nearby after Sam's removal.
Gallery[]
