The Jumaki Tribe are a race of tall, humanoid green avians that dwell in the skies above Jumanji's deepest darkest jungle realm.
Traits[]
Jumaki are tall, honourable strong avian warriors with black eyes that carry spears into battle, led by a more elaborately dressed king who leads warriors from the front and has the same strong build as them. The Jumaki interpreter is child-sized and has no muscles compared to every other adult Jumaki male. While the only female seen is half the size of the Jumaki king and warriors, she has the same proportions as the Jumaki interpreter, who is male. The one Jumaki female looks very close to the interpreter, but with eyelashes and a slightly more feminine-looking silhouette and head feathers. The Jumaki have no surnames, but they call themselves sentient beings with the formula "Given Name, the Nickname".while gaining subtitles on account of their history.
They value their eggs and treat outsiders with hostility; their default reaction to strangers is to throw them through a hole in their city's platform unless they can gain the Jumaki's trust. They are apparently an endangered species since Ibsen almost wipes out an entire generation of Jumaki because he wants to use their eggs' yolk to power his new invention.
Despite Alan claiming the Jumaki are the most dangerous tribe in Jumanji, compared to the Ant Tribes, who fall closer to talking animals, the Jumaki are a genuine attempt to make a civilization of birds with human intelligence. They, like the Manji Tribe, have an unintelligible language that is equal parts chirps and body movements having only one diminutive individual called Fervish who can perfectly translate between fluent English and Jumaki language.
The Jumaki city is built at cloud altitude (if not directly on the clouds), and its inhabitants are hostile to strangers. It used to be at a lower altitude before it was rebuilt closer to Jumanji's sun. They dwell in built high-rise cities that look loosely like aggregated swallow nests, raise their precious eggs communally, attack in chaotic swarms, and have tridents that look loosely like bird feet as their Weapon of Choice.
Episodes[]
Jumaki seize the group.
In Air Judy, Peter and Judy decide to enter Jumanji and are shocked when an airplane comes flying right at them. Judy fixes a hole in the wing with a leaf and sap and Dottie flies the group away, but a sudden hailstorm forces a crash-landing on a cloud. The cloud conceals a Jumaki village, what Alan terms as one of the most dangerous creatures in all of Jumanji. The Jumakis plan to drop them off the platform, but when Judy saves an egg from falling off the platform, the Jumakis change their minds. Fervish, the one Jumaki that can speak English, explains that the Jumakis believed they had come to destroy them and that was why they attacked them. Its also revealed that Jumanji's sun is a fake device that has a flame surrounded by panels that reflect the energy. Fervish explains that the Jumaki used to be a lot more powerful, but an evil black cloud has started attacking them and taking their eggs from them. Fervish reveals that the egg Judy saved is that of his own child which he guesses must've been left behind by the Black Cloud. The Black Cloud shows up and is revealed to be a blimp controlled by Ibsen who is the true enemy that the Jumaki have been dealing with. The kids, Alan and Dottie launch an unsuccessful attack on Ibsen trying to destroy the blimp, but fail and are caught by a steel claw Ibsen deploys. Ibsen reveals he plans to use the captured Jumaki's eggs to power his newest machine and the group notices a hole in the sky and realize that it must be how Dottie got there. Ibsen confirms that but says the hole will soon close. Dottie apparently betrays them, but in reality, she tricks Ibsen and helps the others escape the blimp. Dottie gets everyone back to the Jumaki village, then takes off, unwilling to help and risk the hole in the sky closing. She offers them to come with her, but Judy and Peter decide to stay and help and Alan gives up his chance to go home to do the same. Ibsen returns and collects the Jumaki eggs, but angry at Judy, Peter and Alan's interference in his plans, attacks the village, damaging it. Judy rallies the Jumakis in a massive attack on the blimp and Peter rescues the eggs during the attack. Ibsen fires a blast at them, but they dodge it and it bounces back off the panels surrounding the sun and destroys Ibsen's blimp, Ibsen parachutes to safety and survives.
At the Jumaki village, Fervish translates from the Jumaki chief saying that not only did they save them, but in a way, they gave them back their ability to fly. Judy realizes that they solved their clue and can now return home. Before they can leave, Fervish's egg hatches and he decides to call the baby Judy the Rescuer in honor of Judy's actions.
In The Trial, the prison the Judge sent Peter to for attempting to set Alan free had some Jumaki as in-mates along with members of other Jumanji tribes.
Behind the scenes[]
Some of their aesthetics is of Mesoamerican inspiration, with the king's regalia and the statues of his predecessors being the most notable examples.