Chief Nah-mee or Chief Namee is a character from the Jungle Cruise in the Magic Kingdom who also appeared in Jungle Cruise: Wildlife Expeditions in Tokyo Disneyland. He was amongst the most recognizable characters from the Jungle Cruise, though also a highly offensive racist caricature of Indigenous South American peoples and was removed in 2020s refurbishments. He is often confused for his cousin and Disneyland counterpart, "Trader Sam".
History[]
Background[]
Chief Nah-mee was chieftain of an Indigenous tribe in the Amazon rainforest which practiced cannibalism and the creation of shrunken heads. Nah-mee's cousin was one, "Trader Sam", a centuries-old cannibalistic shrunken head salesman with magical abilities who did work for the British colonial Jungle Navigation Company. By the mid-late 1930s, Nah-mee would dress in beads, a top-hat, umbrella, and skirt made from one of the JNC's boats to trade shrunken heads with the Jungle Navigation Company and their clients.
When the JNC caused mass pollution of the jungles with holiday decorations for their annual, "Jingle Cruise" event, Nah-mee would dress up like Santa Claus and sell shrunken heads under the moniker, "Trader Sam-ta". Nah-mee was also known to be accompanied by Sam's pet Indian elephant, Ellie, to trade tribal masks, produce, and magical pendants known as the Tiger of Courage, the Elephant of Wisdom, and the Monkey of Cleverness. Around the late-1950s/early-1960s, Nah-mee was photographed attending the opening of the bar Trader Sam's Grog Grotto in a Polynesian village.
Development history[]
Chief Nah-mee was designed by animator Marc Davis as a racist caricature of the Jivaroan peoples of the Amazon, a people who were pressured by colonists into trading shrunken heads (created as a religious practice after defeating enemies), while portraying him as a dim-witted and barbaric person, a stereotype created by Spanish colonists in retaliation for their failures at subjugating the Jivaroan; it should also be noted that cannibalism is not notably affiliated with the Jivaroan or South American tribes and is rather a general trait used in racist stereotyping. Nah-mee's design also highly resembles a caricature of North American Indigenous peoples featured in the movie Peter Pan (1953) who wore a top-hat and umbrella, taken from John Darling.
The name, "Nah-mee" or, "Namee" comes from how scripts referred to him as, "Chief (Name)" to encourage the skippers to improvise. When the Jungle Cruise became more dedicated to its dated script, he was most frequently referred to as, "Trader Sam", the figure's Disneyland counterpart. When Trader Sam's Enchanted Tiki Bar was created in 2011, the two were revealed to be cousins and the chief was officially identified as Nah-mee. Both Sam and Nah-mee were removed in a 2021 refurbishment of the Jungle Cruise, aimed at removing explicitly offensive elements and replaced by the (still somewhat racist scene) of, "Trader Sam's Gift Shop!" where an absentee Trader Sam works to sell off items which he's stolen from tourists in the JNC lost & found.
Appearances[]
Jock Lindsey's Hangar Bar[]
In the lost & found is a shrunken head next to several umbrellas.
Jungle Cruise[]
Chief Nah-mee used to appear at the end of the ride, attempting to sell off his shrunken heads. After his figure was removed, a crate from, "C. Namee" addressed to Trader Sam was placed outside of Trader Sam's Gift Shop.
Jungle Cruise: Wildlife Expeditions[]
Chief Nah-mee appears alongside Trader Sam's elephant Ellie, selling pendants, fruits and tribal masks.
Skipper Canteen[]
Nah-mee appeared as an illustration within the menus, holding jewellery. Various books written by Trader Sam are in the library referencing Nah-mee such as, " Top-Hats and Umbrellas", "The Banana Trade" and, "What's In a Name".
Trader Sam's[]
Trader Sam's Enchanted Tiki Bar[]
Nah-mee's umbrella in the bar with a note that reads, "Return to Chief Nah-Mee". Also in the bar is a photograph of the chief with the note, "Trader Sam's cousin, Chief Nah-mee, on opening day of our east coast franchise", and message from the Chieftain, "Sam, thanks for helping me get a head".
Trader Sam's Grog Grotto[]
Framed on the wall is a photograph of Trader Sam and Chief Nah-mee together.
Trivia[]
- One of Nah-mee's shrunken heads was made in the likeness of actress Katherine Hepburn to reference her character Rose Sayer in the film The African Queen which inspired the Jungle Cruise. His umbrella might likewise be in reference to an umbrella used by Rose in the film.
- Nah-mee's skirt was made to look as if it was made from the canopies of original Jungle Cruise boats.
- Nah-mee's top hat was referenced in the Jungle Cruise film when Dr. Lily Houghton traded a top-hat to the Puka Michuna chieftain.
External links[]
- Chief Nah-mee on the Jungle Cruise wiki.