Indian Village, 1950s
I have a pair of nice photos from the old Indian Village, along the west shore of Frontierland. As many of you know, guests walked through a tunnel, emerging into a small land that celebrated a number of Native American tribes throughout the Nation.
This first view is pretty much what a guest would have seen when first emerging from the tunnel, with the birch bark "wig-was-i-ga-mig" to the left, and the more familiar teepees in the distance. Eventually a cedar plank ceremonial house from the Pacific Northwest Indians would be added, and artisans could be seen carving totem poles, creating sand paintings, and weaving textiles.
Best remembered are the Indian dancers who performed at the Dance Circle until the Indian Village was replaced by Bear Country in 1972.
12 comments:
Evidently, this particular tribe was heavily into cow skulls, judging by the several examples on the poles throughout the village. I wonder if that was a real thing amongst some real tribes? The teepee closest to us has the latest in rooftop TV antennas. Those dangling logs(?) get great UHF reception!
Really nice photo of the Dancer in his splendid colorful costume. And there's another one of those dangling log-things in the background. Anybody know what they were?
Seems like it's been a while since we've seen Indian Village photos... at least a couple of weeks. ;-)
Thanks, Major.
Major, these are some top quality IV shots, no doubt.
I’m with JB, there are a lot of questions raised, and especially the cow skulls. were these animatronic or did Walt go to the butcher shop and order a dozen wrapped to-go?
I don’t think the logs are tv antennas, pretty sure the IV had cable.
I’m going to wait for Chuck to comment because he will know about the rigging of the tentage.
Thank you!
JG
Oh boy, JG...this may be another ‘attraction’ that Chuck didn’t see. He may not come out to play today....especially after yesterday. I don’t know if he’ll respond.
Major, that second image is a beauty! Thank you.
Sue
JB, I mean, cow skulls are cool, you have to admit. Something tells me that they were not exactly accurate, but I guess people expected to see them (for some reason)? I really don’t know what those dangly things are, though they must have served some purpose (practical or spiritual). I feel like I post Indian Village photos all the time, but I guess it just feels that way to me!
JG, luckily Walt already had a bunch of cow skulls on his Holmby Hills property, it wasn’t uncommon in the 1950s. So he didn’t have to pay “Big Skull” any of his hard-earned dough! It’s almost 1:00 PM and Chuck is still silent. I think we upset him yesterday with our joshing.
Sue, yes, we hurt Chuck’s feelings, and I feel guilty now. I’ll be curious to hear if he visited the Indian Village, though he may have been too young by the time it closed.
Chuck is still sulking in the corner with his teddy bear.
I seem to recall that there were a few different real tribes that participated in authentic-ish dances. Not unlike real life, they and their lands kept getting reduced and pushed to further smaller ‘edge’s of the park…and were an early example of being replaced by AI.
Of course Lillian Disney really was raised in a Native American community in Idaho, the Nez Perce Indian Reservation, so an honest affinity was at work and on display here.
In Chucks defense, prior to 1969 when the mansion finally opened you would have to really make quite a trek out to see them.
MS
"What's the matter, Frank? You don't look like you're having a very good time here at Disneyland."
"Oh, no, Ma. Disneyland's real keen."
"Are you tired, dear? We have been on our feet all day. We walked all the way from tomorrow to yesterday!"
"No, I'm not tired, Ma. I put in more steps than this on my postal route every day."
"You hungry, son? We could head over to Casa de Fritos and get a couple of tamales. You know how you like to watch the Frito Kid dispense corn chips."
"No, Ma, I'm not hungry. I really couldn't eat another bite after all those Aunt Jemima Pancakes. "
"If you're feeling overheated, I could get you an ice-cold Coke. Or is it Pepsi? I can never remember. I just know it's not RC, hahaha!"
"No, thanks, Ma, that Welch's grape juice was enough to keep my whistle wet. It's swell of you to offer, though."
"Are you feeling a vague sense of discomfort at being reminded of our colonialist ancestors, the genocide of indigenous peoples, and the feel-good revisionist history of our popular media?"
"No, of course not!"
"Well, what's wrong, then, Frank? You look just miserable!"
"Oh, it's really nothing, Ma. It's just... I mixed up the suntan lotion and mucilage bottles, is all, and now my hand is stuck to my face."
Sorry, guys. My thumb was stuck in my mouth.
If I visited the Indian Village, I have no recollection of it. I know it was open on my first visit in 1971 (stumbling on the INA guide from that visit about 1978 or 79 was the first time I consciously became aware of the place), and I know I had to have chugged past it on the Mark Twain, but I was too busy running around the boat for it to have made an impression (I do remember running through the Texas, however).
It's too bad the guide has been lost for years, because I'm pretty sure either my parents or grandparents checked off attractions as we visited them.
I'm not sure what those things hanging from the lodge poles are supposed to represent. They look like they might have a spiritual significance like the Major suggested. They are hard to access, so (assuming they are rigged authentically) they probably aren't for storing something that would need to be accessed regularly.
Now I'm imagining 355 Carolwood with antlers on the roof.
JB, “Come back, Chuck!”.
MS, yes, I believe that a number of tribes contributed to the Indian Village, which gave a less-specific (but hopefully fuller?) look at Native American culture. I know I’ve read about Lillian’s upbringing in a Native American community, but I’d forgotten it! Hey, I can’t blame Chuck, I never saw the Indian Village either.
Melissa, I love your script, but it needs more sassy robots and explosions!
Chuck, even passing the Indian Village on the Mark Twain was an experience I did not have, since that was yet another ride that my family never did. WHY? I have no idea. But I didn’t ride the Mark Twain until I was an adult. It really baffles me when I think of the many things we did not do (the Monorail, Tom Sawyer Island, Tahitian Terrace, Golden Horseshoe… etcetera). It is too bad about your family copy of the INA guide, but you can probably get a copy off of ebay for pretty cheap! I know, it’s not the same. Those mystery objects atop the teepees are something I never noticed before, now I need to know their significance!
"Is it because your sassy robot exploded?"
"No Ma, I always knew WILONA-3000 would explode someday. A robot can only snap its fingers so many times before it starts to get its wires crossed."
"Would you like to go see the robot swans explode?"
"I don't think so, Ma. Swans are pretty nifty and all, but I don't think they're as sassy as they're made out to be."
"OK, well, why don't we sue the mucilage company? You'll never have to work another day in your life."
"Well... nah. I think I'll just sit here and try to think of anagrams for 'abcess.'"
The cow skulls were leftovers from the butcher shop on Main Street in the early days.
That Feather Headdress is fantastic...
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