The Umbala witch-doctor is a character from the Jungle Cruise.
History[]
Biography[]
This individual was alive in the 1930s and a member of the Umbala Tribe in North Africa (either Egypt or Sudan). They were the tribe's sangoma (known to colonists as a, "Witch Doctor") and lived in a hut within their territory along the Nile River. The Umbala tribe constantly fought with the Jungle Navigation Company, an international British business of colonists who frequently invaded Umbala territory and stole Indigenous land. At some point, the sangoma decorated their hut with the skulls of two tourists brought to the jungle by the JNC whom the Umbala killed for impeding on their land.
Development history[]
The Umbala tribe was a racist stereotype of Africana peoples put into the Jungle Cruise as antagonists. "Witch doctors" is a western colonial term referring to African healers known as sangoma whom said westerners often characterized as sorcerers. The headhunter tribe was removed from the American parks in a 2021 refurbishment following outrage against the racism of the scene.
Appearances[]
Attractions[]
Jungle Cruise[]
Skippers would reference the witch-doctor's hut as having the skulls of tourists while passing Headhunter territory. A group of drummers visible in a hut might be identified as the witch-doctor.
Paraphernalia[]
The Enchanted Tiki Room & the Adventurous Jungle Cruise[]
In this audio, the skipper makes the comment, "Those two trophies in the witch doctor's hut belonged to two of the nicest tourists who ever took a shortcut through the jungle".
Trivia[]
- A joke referencing witch-doctors sometimes said by skippers while returning to the docks was, "A gentleman visits the witch doctor. He's got a grape up one nostril, and a banana up the other. He's got a mango in one ear, he's got a watermelon in the other. He says, "Witch Doctor, you must help me; I'm not feeling well!" And the witch doctor says, "Of course not. You're not eating right"".
Gallery[]
