Tiki Tak Tribe
- “Tell those Tikis to keep it down! I'm an old ape, and I need my rest.”
- —Cranky Kong, Donkey Kong Country Returns
The Tiki Tak Tribe, shortly referred to as Tikis, consists of the main antagonists in Donkey Kong Country Returns and Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D. Most of the Tiki Tak Tribe resemble various musical instruments, with many of the lower-ranking Tikis resembling a drum. This also applies to the Tiki leaders who possess the various bosses. The particular instrument the Tiki resembles also plays in the music of the boss it possesses. Traditionally, Tikis are associated with Polynesian culture, however the Tiki Tak Tribe seems to draw more influence from African tribal culture instead. This is because of the patterns and vibrant colors each Tiki has.
Screaming Pillars, members of the Tiki Tak Tribe, are notable for appearing separately from the rest of their tribe in several games, such as Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. They also appear alongside Tiki Goons in the Mario Kart series course, DK Jungle.
History
In the opening of the Donkey Kong Country Returns, the Tiki Tak Tribe are seen emerging from rocks that are spewed out of the volcano on Donkey Kong Island when the giant Tiki Tong Tower rises out of it, causing it to erupt. Moments after landing, they hypnotize the animals of the island, who proceed to steal Donkey Kong's Banana Hoard. Kalimba then drops into Donkey Kong's house, but he is unaffected by their hypnotic powers. They then pose as the main villains and enemies in the game's levels and can be considered the game's equivalent of Kremlings.
Physical appearance
Most of the Tiki Tak Tribe resemble floating wooden tiki masks, and many are adorned with colored feathers. However, they come in a variety of colors and shapes, such as the Tiki Goons that resemble bongo drums or drums and Tiki Buzzes that resemble birds with wooden wings to their sides. The main servants of Tiki Tong are notable to resemble musical instruments, and most of them have a pair of skinny, twig-like arms.
Special powers and abilities
The Tikis are shown to have many abilities. They are shown to be quite agile, for masks. Some are able to float freely in the air, while others, like the Tiki Buzzes, have the ability to fly by fluttering their wings. Other Tikis have the ability to resist the physical attacks of Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong, such as the Tiki Doom and Tiki Tank. The Tikis are also known to use fire. Despite apparently being made from wood, most Tikis are resistant to be engulfed by fire and some use this element against the Kongs to attack and defend. Tiki Torches are an example. Tiki Tong's main servants possess the ability to hypnotize other animals and control them. However, it seems the ability doesn't work on all the animals, as Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong are not affected by their powers as seen in the intro of the game. Although they count with these powers and abilities, all the members of the Tiki Tak Tribe need bananas because these fruits are the Tikis' main source of power. As seen in Donkey Kong Island's factory, a Tiki can come to life when a mashed-up banana is incorporated into its body. This is further demonstrated with the final battle with Tiki Tong, where they merge with Tiki Tong after he turns the bananas into banana juice and transform into his hands, making him stronger for his battle against the Kongs.
List of members
High ranking
- Tiki Tong (leader)
- Kalimba
- Maraca Gang[1]
- Gong-Oh[1][2]
- Banjo Bottom[1][3]
- Wacky Pipes[1]
- Xylobone[1][4]
- Cordian[1]
Minions
- Tiki Boing
- Tiki Bomber
- Tiki Buzz
- Tiki Doom
- Tiki Goon
- Tiki Pilot
- Tiki Pop
- Tiki Seeker
- Tiki Tank
- Tiki Torch
- Tiki Tork
- Tiki Zing
- Screaming Pillar
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U trophies
| Name | 3DS Image | Wii U Image | Appears in | NTSC-U Description | PAL Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tiki Buzz | 
|
N/A | N/A | This member of the Tiki Tak Tribe appears in Donkey Kong Country Returns. It'd be really tempting to see what kind of sound that drum-shaped head of his would make. In Smash Run, they do a dive-bomb attack if a fighter passes below. You can bounce off their heads to boost your own jump! | A drum-shaped, bird-like creature from the Tiki Tak Tribe. In Smash Run, they float around in the air, and if they end up above you, they'll suddenly drop down, right on your head. Jump on them instead, though, and you can bounce off and go flying through the air. So think twice before you tell these guys to buzz off! |
| Kalimba Krazy Kalimba |
|
|
Wii Donkey Kong Country Returns (11/2010) 3DS Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D (05/2013) |
The Tiki Tak Tribe is an evil group of instrumental Tikis from Donkey Kong Country Returns. You first meet Kalimba as he hypnotizes animals with his music. The top of Kalimba Tiki looks a bit like his namesake, an African instrument that is also called a thumb piano. | The Tiki Tak Tribe are the enemies shaped like musical instruments in Donkey Kong Country Returns. When Kalimba first turns up, he hypnotises the animals with his music. Incidentally, the top of his head looks just like a kalimba, an African instrument. Never seen one? Look it up! |
| Tiki Tong | N/A | 
|
Wii Donkey Kong Country Returns (11/2010) 3DS Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D (05/2013) |
In the scorching hot lava of the Volcano area, Tiki Tong waits for Donkey Kong to arrive. It may look like he's enjoying a nice banana snack, but really he's just preparing his next attack: spitting banana juice on the Tikis! That's gross. Gotta get over how nasty that is, though, as the soaked Tikis join with Tiki Tong to attick- I mean attack! | In the lava-filled Volcano region awaits Tiki Tong, the leader of the Tiki Tak Tribe. He liquefies a whole pile of bananas into goo, and then - instead of eating it - spits it all over his minions and fuses them to him! Ew! The Kongs'll have to hold off on complaining about how disgusting it all is - taking Tiki Tong out takes prioritiki. |
Red indicates exclusive to the Nintendo 3DS version.
Blue indicates exclusive to the Wii U version.
Gallery
- TikiGoon.PNG
- TikiTank.PNG
- Tiki Tong Tower.png
Tiki Tong Tower, the seemingly-alive base of operations
Artwork of the nine Tiki leaders together
Kalimba, who hypnotizes Mugly, and unsuccessfully tries to hypnotize Donkey Kong
The Maraca Gang, who hypnotize the Scurvy Crew
Gong-Oh, who hypnotizes Stu
Banjo Bottom, who hypnotizes Mole Miner Max
Wacky Pipes, who hypnotizes Mangoruby
Xylobone, who hypnotizes Thugly
Cordian, who hypnotizes Colonel Pluck
Tiki Tong, the leader of the tribe
Unused fire-based Tikis
An unused large, drum-like Tiki
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | ティキ族[?] Tiki-zoku |
Tiki Tribe |
Trivia
- In Treacherous Mansion of Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon, Strong Greenies have spears with a Kalimba mask on them.
