Trader Sam's family is the conjectural name for a group of characters from the Jungle Cruise.
Description[]
This is a family of Indigenous South Americans. They are often affiliated with head-shrinking and cannibalism, sometimes directed at members of their own family. The family also might have an ancestral connection to the supernatural as Sam was an ancient magic-user and other family members are implied to potentially hold similar powers.
Members[]
Persons[]
Confirmed[]
- Billamongawonga: Billamongawonga or, "Trader Bill" is Trader Sam's alleged grandfather. In the 19th century, he worked as right-hand-man to the evil billionaire Harrison Hightower III of the Hotel Hightower and Society of Explorers and Adventurers.
- Chief Nah-mee: Chief Nah-mee is the cousin of Trader Sam who assisted him in his trading business. Nah-mee was also an affiliate of the Jungle Navigation Company who most notably traded the enchanted pendants the Tiger of Courage, the Elephant of Wisdom, and the Monkey of Cleverness.
- Cousin Stu: Cousin Stu was a cousin of Trader Sam's who was killed and eaten.[2][3]
- Trader Sam: Trader Sam is an ancient magic-user who was alive since at-least the early 18th century.
Joke members[]
This references characters brought up in-person by skippers affiliated with the family but which might be subject to dubious cannon
- Nah-mee's brother: Nah-mee and a skipper allegedly cannibalized his brother in a meal involving noodles.
- Nah-mee's father: Nah-mee and a skipper apparently cannibalized the head man's father with the skipper complaining that he had no taste while Nah-mee gave the advice of, "Taking him with a grain of salt".
- Nah-mee's wife: One of the jokes used with Nah-mee involved the skipper referencing Nah-mee having a wife who he cannibalized as a stew.
Groups[]
There are various shrunken heads and photos of hunters and warriors which have been identified as Sam's family.
- East-coast branch: This was the East-coast branch of Sam's, "family tree". Upon their deaths, four of their heads were shrunken.
- Family dinner: Five dark-skinned males who participated in Sam's cannibalizing of Cousin Stu.
- Family tree: These are four individuals in Sam's, "Family tree" who had their heads shrunk by Sam.
- Hunters: These are five individuals who went hunting with Sam on the Amazon river.[4]
Others[]
- Ellie: Ellie was a pet Indian elephant to Trader Sam and Chief Nah-mee.
History[]
Background[]
Development history[]
Creation & Changes[]
Gags about Trader Sam and Chief Nah-mee were told by skippers, usually for jokes about the two eating them. They were not made official characters until 2011 with Trader Sam's Enchanted Tiki Bar. This bar also first established Sam and Nah-mee to be cousins. Many of the references to Sam's family were removed in the 2021 refurbishment.
Racism[]
Trader Sam's family is based on highly inaccurate stereotypes of the South American Jivaroan peoples. In respects to the Jungle Cruise, they have a long history of portraying them as cannibals, thieves, opportunistic criminals, and murderous headhunters. Many of these stereotypes were greatly exaggerated and embellished by European myths (E.G. shrunken heads, blow-darts, headhunting) while others were outright fabricated and based on broader tropes (E.G. thievery, tribal masks and cannibalism).
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. 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.
Appearances[]
Jungle Cruise[]
Trader Sam is referenced as running Trader Sam's Gift Shop! for the Jungle Navigation Company.
Jungle Cruise: Wildlife Expeditions[]
Nah-mee and Ellie physically remain in this attraction, selling enchanted pendants.
Trader Sam's[]
These bars used to have the shrunken heads of Sam's family and many photos of them as cannibals. These were removed in 2021 though allusions to Sam, Ellie and Chief Nah-mee remain.
Trivia[]
- Trader Bill being Sam's alleged grandfather is a reference to how his portrait is concept-art of Trader Sam made by artist Sam McKim.
- It is unknown is Sam or his family have any connection to the chieftain, "Trader Sam" of the Puka Michuna tribe from the Jungle Cruise film.
- The Missing Persons board of the Amazon River Base mentions individuals implied to be being killed by cannibals, who given the South American setting would likely be victims of Sam or his family. Amongst these are Emma Boylen, C.M. Cooken, and possibly B.N. Eaton.
Gallery[]
