This article refers to an antagonist from the Tom Sawyer stories of author Sam "Mark Twain" Clemens, referred to by the highly offensive slur name of, "Injun Joe". The character was notably referenced in the attraction Tom Sawyer Island.
History[]
Background[]
"Joe" was an Indigenous American and murderous robber during the early-half of the 19th century. Joe came to make his lair on Jackson's Island on the Mississippi nearby Hannibal, Missouri. Joe's primary base on this island was a series of caves where he sought after treasure, likely that belonging to the pirates who once inhabited the island. Joe came to fight the boy Tom Sawyer who seemingly chased Joe off of the island.
Development history[]
This is a character from the works of Sam Clemens who was heavily referenced in Tom Sawyer Island; much to the complaints of Indigenous guests as not only was the character an offensive, vilified stereotype but also has a slur in his name. This was a factor in the re-theming of Tom Sawyer Island in Disneyland to the Pirates of the Caribbean themed Pirate's Lair on Tom Sawyer Island, where Joe's area was re-themed to, "Dead Man's Grotto". References to the offensive character were not removed in Walt Disney World's Tom Sawyer Island until the 2020s, when Disney was put under more pressure to remove their explicit racism.
Appearances[]
The recognizable, "Face" formations of Joe's cave.
Tom Sawyer Island[]
The caves of Tom Sawyer Island were originally named for Joe (including the slur in his name), and had a sign from Tom explaining that Joe had not been seen in the caves for a long time. In the Magic Kingdom, one of the boats transporting guests to Tom Sawyer Island was named for Joe's character. While most of these references were removed, his nickname is still featured on the Magic Kingdom's island map, and in Tokyo Disneyland.
Trivia[]
- Pirate's Lair on Tom Sawyer Island implies the cave which Joe dwelled in to being a cave where pirates such as Captain Jack Sparrow, or Pintel & Ragetti stored treasure, including the Dead Man's Chest containing William Turner's heart while haunted by the ghost of Davy Jones.