''Mangani'' is the name of a fictional species of great apes in the

Tarzan Tarzan (John Clayton II, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adv ...

novels of

Edgar Rice Burroughs Edgar Rice Burroughs (September 1, 1875 – March 19, 1950) was an American author, best known for his prolific output in the adventure, science fiction, and fantasy genres. Best-known for creating the characters Tarzan and John Carter, ...

, and of the invented language used by these apes. In the invented language, ''Mangani'' (meaning "great-ape") is the apes' word for their own kind, although the term is also applied (with modifications) to

human Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, cultu ...

s. The Mangani are represented as the apes who foster and raise Tarzan.

As a species of ape

The ''Mangani'' are described by Burroughs as approximately man-sized, and appear to be a species intermediate between

chimpanzee The chimpanzee (''Pan troglodytes''), also known as simply the chimp, is a species of great ape native to the forest and savannah of tropical Africa. It has four confirmed subspecies and a fifth proposed subspecies. When its close relative t ...

s and

gorilla Gorillas are herbivorous, predominantly ground-dwelling great apes that inhabit the tropical forests of equatorial Africa. The genus ''Gorilla'' is divided into two species: the eastern gorilla and the western gorilla, and either four ...

s. He also described them as “man-like apes which the natives of the Gobi speak of in whispers; but which no white man ever had seen efore Tarzan�� (''

Jungle Tales of Tarzan ''Jungle Tales of Tarzan'' is a collection of twelve loosely connected short stories by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, comprising the sixth book in order of publication in his series of twenty-four books about the title character Tarzan ...

'': "The Battle for Teeka") implying a connection to the Almas or

Yeti The Yeti ()"Yeti"
''

Philip José Farmer speculated they might be a variety of

australopithecines Australopithecina or Hominina is a subtribe in the tribe Hominini. The members of the subtribe are generally ''Australopithecus'' ( cladistically including the genera ''Homo'', '' Paranthropus'', and ''Kenyanthropus''), and it typically include ...

such as ''

Australopithecus ''Australopithecus'' (, ; ) is a genus of early hominins that existed in Africa during the Late Pliocene and Early Pleistocene. The genus ''Homo'' (which includes modern humans) emerged within ''Australopithecus'', as sister to e.g. ''Australo ...

'' in his pseudo-biography of Tarzan, ''

Tarzan Alive ''Tarzan Alive: A Definitive Biography of Lord Greystoke'' is a fictional biography by American author Philip José Farmer, that alleges the life of Edgar Rice Burroughs' character Tarzan, is a story of a real person. The book was first published ...

''. Walt Disney Pictures' 1999 animated feature film ''

'', its sequels '' Tarzan & Jane ''and'' Tarzan II'', and the television series '' The Legend of Tarzan'' based on it, portray the apes who raised Tarzan as gorillas, though in the books gorillas, called ''Bolgani'' by the ''Mangani'', are explicitly stated to be a separate species. As described by Burroughs, ''Mangani'' are organized in tribal bands ruled by dominant males, or "kings", which subsist by foraging for fruit, grubs, insects, and sometimes meat, in localized territories. Tribes are generally identified by the names of their kings. Burroughs portrays the ''Mangani'' (and indeed most jungle animals) as susceptible to occasional bouts of madness in which they will lash out violently and unpredictably at other living creatures in their vicinity. Tarzan is raised in the tribe of

Kerchak Kerchak is a fictional ape character in Edgar Rice Burroughs's original ''Tarzan'' novel, ''Tarzan of the Apes'', and in movies and other media based on it. History In the novel ''Tarzan of the Apes'', Kerchak is the "king" of a tribal band of M ...

, based in the coastal jungle of equatorial Africa, as shown in ''

Tarzan of the Apes ''Tarzan of the Apes'' is a 1912 story by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, and the first in the Tarzan series. It was first serialized in the pulp magazine ''The All-Story'' beginning October 1912 before being released as a novel in June 1 ...

'' and ''

''. As an adult he comes to lead this tribe; later, he becomes accepted in other tribes of ''Mangani'', such as the tribe of Molak in '' The Beasts of Tarzan''. Tarzan continued to associate occasionally with his original tribe until cast out in ''

Tarzan and the Golden Lion ''Tarzan and the Golden Lion'' is an adventure novel by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, the ninth in his series of twenty-four books about the title character Tarzan. It was first published as a seven part serial in ''Argosy All-Story We ...

'', as the result of a Tarzan impersonator having murdered one of its members. Altogether, ''Mangani'' appear in 15 of the Tarzan books; the first through seventh (''

'', ''

The Return of Tarzan ''The Return of Tarzan'' is a novel by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, the second in his series of twenty-four books about the title character Tarzan. It was first published in the pulp magazine '' New Story Magazine'' in the issues for ...

'', '' The Beasts of Tarzan'', '' The Son of Tarzan'', ''

Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar ''Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar'' is a novel by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, the fifth in his series of twenty-four books about the title character Tarzan. It first appeared in the November and December issues of ''All-Story Cavalier W ...

'', ''

Tarzan the Untamed ''Tarzan the Untamed'' is a book by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, the seventh in his series of twenty-four books about the title character Tarzan. It was originally published as two separate stories serialized in different pulp magazines ...

''), the ninth (''

''), the 11th and 12th (''

Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle ''Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle'' is an American animated series created by the Filmation studio for Saturday mornings on CBS, starting in 1976. This was the first animated series about the jungle hero. There are 36 episodes produced over four seas ...

'', ''

Tarzan and the Lost Empire ''Tarzan and the Lost Empire'' is a novel by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, the twelfth in his series of twenty-four books about the title character Tarzan. It was first published as a serial in ''Blue Book Magazine'' from October 1928 thr ...

''), the 14th ('' Tarzan the Invincible''), the 18th (''

Tarzan and the Leopard Men ''Tarzan and the Leopard Men'' is a novel by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, the eighteenth in his series of twenty-four books about the title character Tarzan. It was serialized in ''The Blue Book Magazine'' from August 1932 to January 1 ...

''), the 20th (''

Tarzan and the Forbidden City ''Tarzan and the Forbidden City'' is a novel by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, the twentieth in his series of twenty-four books about the title character Tarzan. Plot summary A young man named Brian Gregory has disappeared in Africa, loo ...

''), the 23rd (''

Tarzan and the Madman ''Tarzan and the Madman'' is a novel by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, the twenty-third in his series of twenty-four books about the title character Tarzan. Written from January to February 1940, the story was never published in Burroughs' ...

''), and the 26th ('' Tarzan: The Lost Adventure'').

Known Mangani tribes

A list of tribal groups of ''Mangani'' and individual named ''Mangani'' associated with them as portrayed in the Tarzan novels follows, together with the titles of the books in which they appear or are referenced. Individuals associated with more than one tribe may be listed more than once. Tribe of Go-lat * Go-lat ("Black-eye") (m.), king – ''

'' * Zu-tag ("Big-neck") (m.) – ''Tarzan the Untamed'' Tribe of Kerchak (later of Tarzan, Terkoz, Karnath, Pagth) * Chulk ("?") (m.) – ''

'' * Gazan ("Red-skin") (m.) – ''Jungle Tales of Tarzan'' * Gobu ("Black-male") (m.) – ''Tarzan and the Golden Lion'' * Go-yad ("Black-ear") (m.), later of the tribe of Toyat – ''

''; ''

'' * Gozan ("Black-skin") (m.) – ''Jungle Tales of Tarzan'' * Gunto ("?-purple") (m.) – ''Tarzan of the Apes''; ''Jungle Tales of Tarzan'' * Kala ("Milk-light") (f.) – ''Tarzan of the Apes''; ''Jungle Tales of Tarzan'' * Kama ("Milk-child") (f.) – ''Jungle Tales of Tarzan'' * Karnath ("?") (m.), king after Tarzan – ''

'' *

("?") (m.), king – ''Tarzan of the Apes''; ''Jungle Tales of Tarzan'' * Mamka ("?-milk") (f.) – ''Jungle Tales of Tarzan'' * Mumga ("?-red") (f.) – ''Jungle Tales of Tarzan'' * Mungo ("?-black") (m.) – ''Tarzan of the Apes'' * Neeta ("Duck-little") (f.) – ''Tarzan of the Apes''; ''Tarzan and the Golden Lion'' * Numgo ("?-black") (m.) – ''Jungle Tales of Tarzan'' * Pagth ("?") (m.), king after Karnath – ''Tarzan and the Golden Lion'' * Taglat ("Neck-nose") (m.) – ''Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar'' * Tana ("Warrior-light") (f.) – ''Tarzan of the Apes'' * Taug ("Tall-bottom") (m.) – ''Jungle Tales of Tarzan'' * Teeka ("?") (f.) – ''Jungle Tales of Tarzan'' * Terkoz ("?") (m.), king between Tarzan's stints as king – ''Tarzan of the Apes'' * Thaka ("?") (m.) – ''Tarzan of the Apes,'' ''Jungle Tales of Tarzan'' * Tublat ("Broken-nose") (m.) – ''Tarzan of the Apes''; ''Jungle Tales of Tarzan'' Tribe of Mal-gash (also called the tribe of Ho-den and the Servants of God) * Fernando (m.), ''mangani'' name unknown – ''

'' * Mal-gash ("Yellow-Tooth") (m.), king – ''Tarzan and the Madman'' * Sancho (m.), ''mangani'' name unknown – ''Tarzan and the Madman'' Tribe of Molak * Akut ("Light-hole") (m.), later solitary – ''The Beasts of Tarzan''; '' The Son of Tarzan'' * Molak ("Short-?") (m.), king – ''The Beasts of Tarzan'' Tribe of Toyat * Gayat or Ga-yat ("Red-eye") (m.) – ''Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle''; ''Tarzan and the Lost Empire''; '' Tarzan the Invincible''; ''

'' * Go-yad ("Black-ear") (m.), formerly of the tribe of Kerchak – ''Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle''; ''Tarzan and the Lost Empire'' * M'walot ("Blue-face") (m.) – ''Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle'' * Toyat or To-yat ("Purple-eye") (m.), king – ''Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle''; ''Tarzan the Invincible'' * Zutho or Zu-tho ("Big-mouth") (m.), later king of the tribe of Zutho, later of the tribe of Ungo – ''Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle''; ''Tarzan and the Lost Empire''; ''Tarzan the Invincible''; ''Tarzan and the Leopard Men''; ''

''; ''Tarzan and the Madman'' Tribe of Ungo (possibly the same as the later tribe of Zutho) * Ga-un ("Red-?") (m.) – ''Tarzan and the Forbidden City''; ''Tarzan and the Madman'' * Ungo ("Jackal") (m.), king – ''Tarzan and the Forbidden City''; ''Tarzan and the Madman'' * Zutho or Zu-tho ("Big-mouth") (m.), formerly of the tribe of Toyat, formerly king of the tribe of Zutho – ''Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle''; ''Tarzan and the Lost Empire''; ''Tarzan the Invincible''; ''Tarzan and the Leopard Men''; ''Tarzan and the Forbidden City''; ''Tarzan and the Madman'' Tribe of Zutho (split from the earlier tribe of Toyat, possibly the same as the later tribe of Ungo) * Zutho or Zu-tho ("Big-mouth") (m.), king, formerly of tribe of Toyat, later of the tribe of Ungo – ''Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle''; ''Tarzan and the Lost Empire''; ''Tarzan and the Leopard Men''; ''Tarzan the Invincible''; ''Tarzan and the Forbidden City''; ''Tarzan and the Madman'' Tribe of Zu-yad * Go-lot ("Black-face") (m.) – '' Tarzan: the Lost Adventure'' * Zu-yad ("Big-ear") (m.), king – ''Tarzan: the Lost Adventure'' Rogue (tribeless) ''Mangani'' * Toog ("?") (m.) – ''Jungle Tales of Tarzan''

As a language

The ''Mangani'' language is depicted as a primal universal language shared by many primate species in addition to the ''Mangani'' themselves, including monkeys (''

'' and others), gorillas, Indonesian

orangutan Orangutans are great apes native to the rainforests of Indonesia and Malaysia. They are now found only in parts of Borneo and Sumatra, but during the Pleistocene they ranged throughout Southeast Asia and South China. Classified in the genu ...

s (''

Tarzan and the Foreign Legion ''Tarzan and the Foreign Legion'' is a novel by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, the twenty-second in his series of twenty-four books about the title character Tarzan. The book, written June–September 1944 while Burroughs was living in Hon ...

''), and the more man-like Sagoths of

Pellucidar Pellucidar is a fictional Hollow Earth invented by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs for a series of action adventure stories. In a crossover event, Tarzan, who was also created by Burroughs, visits Pellucidar. The stories initially involv ...

('' Tarzan at the Earth's Core''). In the later Tarzan novels, Tarzan is shown conversing in ''Mangani'' with his monkey companion

Nkima Nkima is a fictional character in Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan novels, and in adaptations of the saga to other media, particularly comics. His name comes from either the word N'kima ('monkey' in the Mbugu language, a regional dialect of Swahili) ...

more often than with the ''Mangani'' themselves. In the crossover novel '' King Kong vs. Tarzan'', the giant, prehistoric ape

King Kong King Kong is a fictional giant monster resembling a gorilla, who has appeared in various media since 1933. He has been dubbed The Eighth Wonder of the World, a phrase commonly used within the franchise. His first appearance was in the novelizat ...

possibly also understands the language; though it is left ambiguous whether he actually understood it or was copying what Tarzan said in ''Mangani''. Other jungle animals are depicted as having their own bestial languages, but also as being able to understand ''Mangani'' to varying degrees. Whether the ''Mangani'' in turn understand any other animal languages is uncertain; Tarzan, at least, comprehends to some extent at least a few. In ''

'', before learning any spoken ''human'' languages, he avers "I speak only the language of my tribe—the great apes who were Kerchak's; and a little of the languages of Tantor, the elephant, and Numa, the lion, and of the other folks of the jungle I understand." The ''Mangani'' language as described by Burroughs is made up largely of grunts and growls representing nouns and various basic concepts. The bestial quality of the speech, however, does not come through in the rather large lexicon of ''Mangani'' words Burroughs actually provides. The ''depicted'' language can be thought of as bearing a relationship to the ''described'' language similar to that of the movies' euphonious "

Tarzan yell The Tarzan yell or Tarzan's jungle call is the distinctive, ululating yell of the character Tarzan as portrayed by actor Johnny Weissmuller in the films based on the character created by Edgar Rice Burroughs starting with ''Tarzan the Ape Man'' ( ...

" to the books' terrifying "victory cry of the bull ape" from which it supposedly derives; the example in each instance falls short of embodying the description. The word "mangani" is a compound, with ''man'' meaning "great" or "large" and ''gani'' meaning "ape" (or perhaps "people"). With modifications, the term is also applied to humans, ''gomangani'' ("dark-great-ape") for black-skinned humans and ''tarmangani'' ("light-great-ape") for white-skinned humans, suggesting that the Mangani regard human beings as variations on their own type. Notably, gorillas do not seem to be regarded as "''man''" ''gani'', but as a different type of "ape," ''bolgani'' ("flat" or "earth-bound ape"). Some examples (with translation) of Burroughs' ''Mangani'' words follow. * ''Tarzan'' = White-skin * ''Mangani'' = Great Apes (also refers to humans) ** ''tarmangani'' = "Great White Apes," i.e., white-skinned people, such as Tarzan himself ** ''gomangani'' = "Great Black Apes," i.e., dark-skinned people, * ''bolgani'' = "Flat arth-boundApes," i.e., gorillas. * ''nala'' = up * ''tand-nala'' = down * '' Kreegah bundolo'' = "Beware (I) kill!" * ''Kagoda'' = "Surrender" (depending upon the inflection used, the word can be a demand for surrender or a concession of surrender) * ''Numa'' = Lion * ''Kanugani'' = False Apes (referring to the

anthropomorphic Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. It is considered to be an innate tendency of human psychology. Personification is the related attribution of human form and characteristics t ...

apes Zira and Cornelius in the crossover '' Tarzan on the Planet of the Apes'') *''Tantor'' = elephant

''Mangani'' in other media

Attempts to portray the ''Mangani'' outside the medium of their origin have varied. The Tarzan comic strip and comic books generally have no difficulty in visualizing them according to Burroughs' vision, though the Tarzan comic books published by

Malibu Comics Malibu Comics Entertainment, Inc. (also known as Malibu Graphics) was an American comic book publisher active in the late 1980s and early 1990s, best known for its Ultraverse line of superhero titles. Notable titles published by Malibu included ' ...

in the early 1990s suggested the Mangani were a variety of

Bigfoot Bigfoot, also commonly referred to as Sasquatch, is a purported ape-like creature said to inhabit the forest of North America. Many dubious articles have been offered in attempts to prove the existence of Bigfoot, including anecdotal claims o ...

or Sasquatch. In the live-action Tarzan films they have generally been represented by a token individual, Cheeta, a chimpanzee. The chief exception is the 1984 '' Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes'', which adheres closely to Burroughs' description; in this film, adult ''Mangani'' are portrayed by human actors in ape costumes, while the roles of immature ''Mangani'' are taken by chimpanzees. However, the Mangani language is not used in the film, with subtitles or otherwise, and as a result the name "Tarzan" is used nowhere in the film, except in the title. Walt Disney Pictures' 1999 animated feature film ''

'', its sequels Tarzan & Jane and Tarzan II, and the television series '' The Legend of Tarzan'' based on it, portray the apes who raised Tarzan as gorillas. The only use of the term ''Mangani'' in the television series is as the proper name of an individual ghostly white ape who possesses mystical powers. The

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

live-action film '' The Legend of Tarzan'' featured the ''Mangani'' as a distinct species of ape, describing them as being more aggressive and dangerous than gorillas. The ''Mangani'' themselves were computer-generated images using

motion capture Motion capture (sometimes referred as mo-cap or mocap, for short) is the process of recording the movement of objects or people. It is used in military, entertainment, sports, medical applications, and for validation of computer vision and robo ...

technology. Poems in Mangani have been written by members of the

Oulipo Oulipo (, short for french: Ouvroir de littérature potentielle; roughly translated: ''"workshop of potential literature"'', stylized ''OuLiPo'') is a loose gathering of (mainly) French-speaking writers and mathematicians who seek to create work ...

group, like Jacques Jouet,

Jacques Roubaud Jacques Roubaud (; born 5 December 1932 in Caluire-et-Cuire, Rhône) is a French poet, writer and mathematician Life and career Jacques Roubaud taught Mathematics at University of Paris X Nanterre and Poetry at EHESS. A member of the Oulipo ...

, or Hervé Le Tellier.

Other uses

* In an episode of '' The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers'', Fat Freddy roars "Kreegah!" before robbing a grocery store. * Dogbert reacts to

Dilbert ''Dilbert'' is an American comic strip written and illustrated by Scott Adams, first published on April 16, 1989. It is known for its satirical office humor about a white-collar, micromanaged office with engineer Dilbert as the title charact ...

's descent into savagery with "Kreegah! Bundolo!" in a February 1995 ''

'' strip.

Notes

References

General

* Straight Dope Science Advisory Board.
What kind of ape was Tarzan raised by?
" Nov. 29, 2001.

Lexicons

* Bozarth, David Bruce.

* Coogan, Peter.
English-Mangani/Mangani-English Dictionary
(pdf) * Stephan, Ed.

* Stephan, Ed.

* Whatsits Galore.

{{Tarzan Tarzan characters Fictional apes Fictional languages