For the character of the same name from Disneyland's Jungle Cruise, see Trader Sam.
- "You get me. Trader Sam likes a trade."
- —Trader Sam to Lily Houghton[src]
Trader Sam is a supporting character in Jungle Cruise portrayed by actress Veronica Falcón.
History[]
Biography[]
Background[]
- "Seriously, Frank. Next time I'm going to charge you more for this 'booga-booga' nonsense."
- —Trader Sam to Frank Wolff[src]
Sam was a woman born into the Puka Michuna tribe of the Amazon rainforest. By World War I, Sam was the chieftain of this tribe under the moniker of, "Trader Sam". This alias came from Sam enjoying bartering, going so far as to wear silverware presumably recovered from her dealings.
Trader Sam also had an ongoing deal with Frank Wolff, an immortal conquistador who helped save the Puka Michuna from the mad Lope de Aguirre in 1556. By the 1910s, Wolff ran a charlatanizeid riverboat service for the colonial Jungle Navigation Company in the port-town of Porto Velho. Wolff would spread myths about the Puka Michuna being headhunting cannibals in order to profiteer off their existence while hiring actors to imitate them.
Arrowhead of Lukarina[]
- "You must go. Get out of sight of the river and run. Aguirre only wants the Arrowhead. Just run as fast as you can."
- —Trader Sam to Lily Houghton[src]
In 1916, Frank Wolff found the lost Puka Michuna artifact The Arrowhead of Lukarina in the possession of British explorers Lily and MacGregor Houghton. This artifact could lead to the mystical Tears of the Moon tree which the Puka Michuna guarded and which joined with the arrowhead, could free Frank of his curse. Frank posed as a skipper enlisted by the two, only to lure them into a Puka Michuna ambush where Trader Sam recovered the arrowhead.
While in Puka Michuna territory, Lily Houghton traded a top-hat with Sam in return for her translating the arrowhead. However, the immortal Lope de Aguirre was also seeking after the arrowhead while in the service of Lily's rival, Prince Joachim. Sam advised Frank and the Houghtons to escape from the attack while she made off with her family.
Following this, Sam accompanied MacGregor Houghton back to Porto Velho. However, they were intercepted by Joachim's U-boat submarine. Sam abandonned ship before being able to be captured and her later fate is unknown.
Development history[]
Sam is inspired by Trader Sam, the shrunken head salesman from Disneyland's original Jungle Cruise ride. Sam was one of the most recognizable characters from the attraction but was removed in a 2021 refurbishment, due to the current sensitivities.
Appearances[]
Jungle Cruise[]
Trader Sam is a supporting-character in this film.
Other connections[]
Jungle Cruise (attraction)[]
Sam shares her moniker with the ancient immortal barterer, "Trader Sam" from the Amazon rainforest who worked with and for the Jungle Navigation Company. The chieftain's top hat which she traded from Lily Houghton also mirrors an umbrella which the ancient Sam's cousin Chief Nah-mee wore in the 1930s and which later appeared in Trader Sam's Gift Shop!. While Chief Nah-mee and the original Trader Sam are known to be cousins, it is yet unknown if the film Trader Sam has any connection to the two men.
Trivia[]
- The chieftain is the third character in the Jungle Cruise to have been given the moniker of, "Trader Sam". The first was Disneyland's original Trader Sam and the second was Chief Nah-mee. These characters are also paralleled by the Shaman of Songs on Na'vi River Journey in Disney's Animal Kingdom.
Gallery[]
