Mangani
Encyclopedia
Mangani is the name of a fictional species of great apes in the Tarzan
novels of Edgar Rice Burroughs
, 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
s. The Mangani are represented as the apes who foster and raise Tarzan
.
s and gorilla
s. There have been a number of attempts to identify the fictional Mangani with an actual primate species. Science fiction author Philip José Farmer
speculated they might be a variety of Australopithecus
in his pseudo-biography of Tarzan, Tarzan Alive. Walt Disney Pictures' 1999 animated feature film Tarzan
, its sequels, and the television series The Legend of Tarzan
based on it, portray the apes who raised Tarzan as gorilla
s, though in the books gorillas, called Bolgani by the Mangani, are explicitly stated to be a separate species. It has also been suggested that the Mangani be retroactively identified with the recently discovered Bili Ape
, a type of giant chimpanzee sharing some of the traits of the fictional species, including size and habitat.
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
, based in the coastal jungle of equatorial Africa, as shown in Tarzan of the Apes
and Jungle Tales of Tarzan
. 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
, as the result of a Tarzan impersonator having murdered one of its members.
Altogether, Mangani appear in fifteen of the Tarzan books; the first through seventh (Tarzan of the Apes
, The Return of Tarzan
, The Beasts of Tarzan
, The Son of Tarzan
, Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar
, Jungle Tales of Tarzan
, Tarzan the Untamed
), the ninth (Tarzan and the Golden Lion
), the eleventh (Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle
, the twelfth (Tarzan and the Lost Empire
), the fourteenth (Tarzan the Invincible
), the eighteenth (Tarzan and the Leopard Men
), the twentieth (Tarzan and the Forbidden City
), the twenty-third (Tarzan and the Madman
), and the twenty-sixth (Tarzan: the Lost Adventure
).
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
Tribe of Kerchack (later of Tarzan, Karnath, Pagth)
Tribe of Mal-gash (also called the tribe of Ho-den and the Servants of God)
Tribe of Molak
Tribe of Toyat
Tribe of Ungo (possibly the same as the earlier tribe of Zutho)
Tribe of Zutho (split from the tribe of Toyat, possibly the same as the later tribe of Ungo)
Tribe of Zu-yad
Rogue (tribeless) Mangani
and others), Indonesian orangutans (Tarzan and the Foreign Legion
), and the more man-like Sagoths of Pellucidar
(Tarzan at the Earth's Core
). In the later Tarzan novels Tarzan is actually shown conversing in Mangani with his monkey companion Nkima
more often than with the Mangani themselves. Other jungle animals are depicted as being able to understand it to a greater or lesser degree.
The 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 yodel
" 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 human
s, gomangani ("dark-great-people") for black-skinned humans
and tarmangani ("light-great-people") for white-skinned humans
, suggesting that the Mangani regard human beings as variations on their own type. Notably, gorilla
s do not seem to be regarded as "man" gani, but as a different type of "people," bolgani ("flat" or "earth-bound people").
Some examples (with translation) of Burroughs' Mangani words follow.
Tarzan
Tarzan is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungles by the Mangani "great apes"; he later experiences civilization only to largely reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adventurer...
novels of Edgar Rice Burroughs
Edgar Rice Burroughs
Edgar Rice Burroughs was an American author, best known for his creation of the jungle hero Tarzan and the heroic Mars adventurer John Carter, although he produced works in many genres.-Biography:...
, 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
Human
Humans are the only living species in the Homo genus...
s. The Mangani are represented as the apes who foster and raise Tarzan
Tarzan
Tarzan is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungles by the Mangani "great apes"; he later experiences civilization only to largely reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adventurer...
.
As a species of ape
The Mangani are described by Burroughs as approximately man-sized, and appear to be a species intermediate between chimpanzeeChimpanzee
Chimpanzee, sometimes colloquially chimp, is the common name for the two extant species of ape in the genus Pan. The Congo River forms the boundary between the native habitat of the two species:...
s and gorilla
Gorilla
Gorillas are the largest extant species of primates. They are ground-dwelling, predominantly herbivorous apes that inhabit the forests of central Africa. Gorillas are divided into two species and either four or five subspecies...
s. There have been a number of attempts to identify the fictional Mangani with an actual primate species. Science fiction author Philip José Farmer
Philip José Farmer
Philip José Farmer was an American author, principally known for his award-winning science fiction and fantasy novels and short stories....
speculated they might be a variety of Australopithecus
Australopithecus
Australopithecus is a genus of hominids that is now extinct. From the evidence gathered by palaeontologists and archaeologists, it appears that the Australopithecus genus evolved in eastern Africa around 4 million years ago before spreading throughout the continent and eventually becoming extinct...
in his pseudo-biography of Tarzan, Tarzan Alive. Walt Disney Pictures' 1999 animated feature film Tarzan
Tarzan (1999 film)
Tarzan is a 1999 American animated feature film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures on June 18, 1999...
, its sequels, and the television series The Legend of Tarzan
The Legend of Tarzan
The Legend of Tarzan is an animated television series created by The Walt Disney Company in 2001, based on the Tarzan character created by Edgar Rice Burroughs....
based on it, portray the apes who raised Tarzan as gorilla
Gorilla
Gorillas are the largest extant species of primates. They are ground-dwelling, predominantly herbivorous apes that inhabit the forests of central Africa. Gorillas are divided into two species and either four or five subspecies...
s, though in the books gorillas, called Bolgani by the Mangani, are explicitly stated to be a separate species. It has also been suggested that the Mangani be retroactively identified with the recently discovered Bili Ape
Bili Ape
Bili Ape, also Bondo Mystery Ape, is the name given to a large chimpanzee that inhabits Bili Forest in the Democratic Republic of the Congo....
, a type of giant chimpanzee sharing some of the traits of the fictional species, including size and habitat.
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
Kerchak is a fictional ape character in Edgar Rice Burroughs's original Tarzan novel, Tarzan of the Apes, and in the Walt Disney-produced animated movie Tarzan based on it.-History:...
, based in the coastal jungle of equatorial Africa, as shown in Tarzan of the Apes
Tarzan of the Apes
Tarzan of the Apes is a novel written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the first in a series of books about the title character Tarzan. It was first published in the pulp magazine All-Story Magazine in October, 1912; the first book edition was published in 1914. The character was so popular that Burroughs...
and Jungle Tales of Tarzan
Jungle Tales of Tarzan
Jungle Tales of Tarzan is a collection of twelve loosely-connected short stories written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, comprising the sixth book in order of publication in his series about the title character Tarzan...
. 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
The Beasts of Tarzan
The Beasts of Tarzan is a novel written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the third in his series of books about the title character Tarzan. Originally serialized in All-Story Cavalier magazine in 1914, the novel was first published in book form by A. C...
. Tarzan continued to associate occasionally with his original tribe until cast out in Tarzan and the Golden Lion
Tarzan and the Golden Lion
Tarzan and the Golden Lion is a novel written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the ninth in his series of books about the title character Tarzan. It was first published as a seven part serial in Argosy All-Story Weekly beginning in December 1922; and then as a complete novel by A.C. McClurg & Co...
, as the result of a Tarzan impersonator having murdered one of its members.
Altogether, Mangani appear in fifteen of the Tarzan books; the first through seventh (Tarzan of the Apes
Tarzan of the Apes
Tarzan of the Apes is a novel written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the first in a series of books about the title character Tarzan. It was first published in the pulp magazine All-Story Magazine in October, 1912; the first book edition was published in 1914. The character was so popular that Burroughs...
, The Return of Tarzan
The Return of Tarzan
The Return of Tarzan is a novel written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the second in his series of books about the title character Tarzan. It was first published in the pulp magazine New Story Magazine in the issues for June through December 1913; the first book edition was published in 1915 by A. C....
, The Beasts of Tarzan
The Beasts of Tarzan
The Beasts of Tarzan is a novel written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the third in his series of books about the title character Tarzan. Originally serialized in All-Story Cavalier magazine in 1914, the novel was first published in book form by A. C...
, The Son of Tarzan
The Son of Tarzan
The Son of Tarzan is a novel written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the fourth in his series of books about the title character Tarzan. It was written between January 21 and May 11, 1915, and first published in the magazine All-Story Weekly as a six-part serial from December 4, 1915-January 8, 1916. It...
, Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar
Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar
Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar is a novel written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the fifth in his series of books about the title character Tarzan. It first appeared in the November and December issues of All-Story Cavalier Weekly in 1916, and the first book publication was by McClurg in 1918.-Plot...
, Jungle Tales of Tarzan
Jungle Tales of Tarzan
Jungle Tales of Tarzan is a collection of twelve loosely-connected short stories written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, comprising the sixth book in order of publication in his series about the title character Tarzan...
, Tarzan the Untamed
Tarzan the Untamed
Tarzan the Untamed is a book written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the seventh in his series of books about the title character Tarzan. It was originally published as two separate stories serialized in different pulp magazines; "Tarzan the Untamed" in Redbook from March to August, 1919, and "Tarzan and...
), the ninth (Tarzan and the Golden Lion
Tarzan and the Golden Lion
Tarzan and the Golden Lion is a novel written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the ninth in his series of books about the title character Tarzan. It was first published as a seven part serial in Argosy All-Story Weekly beginning in December 1922; and then as a complete novel by A.C. McClurg & Co...
), the eleventh (Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle
Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle (novel)
Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle is a novel written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, generally considered the eleventh in his series of books about the title character Tarzan...
, the twelfth (Tarzan and the Lost Empire
Tarzan and the Lost Empire
Tarzan and the Lost Empire is a novel written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the twelfth in his series of books about the title character Tarzan. It was first published as a serial in Blue Book Magazine from October 1928 through February 1929; it first appeared in book form in a hardcover edition from...
), the fourteenth (Tarzan the Invincible
Tarzan the Invincible
Tarzan the Invincible is a novel written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the fourteenth in his series of books about the title character Tarzan. The novel was originally serialized in the magazine Blue Book from October, 1930 through April, 1931 as "Tarzan, Guard of the Jungle."-Plot summary:Tarzan, his...
), the eighteenth (Tarzan and the Leopard Men
Tarzan and the Leopard Men
Tarzan and the Leopard Men is a novel written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the eighteenth in his series of books about the title character Tarzan...
), the twentieth (Tarzan and the Forbidden City
Tarzan and the Forbidden City
Tarzan and the Forbidden City is a novel written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the twentieth in his series of books about the title character Tarzan.-Plot summary:...
), the twenty-third (Tarzan and the Madman
Tarzan and the Madman
Tarzan and the Madman is a novel written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the twenty-third in his series of books about the title character Tarzan. Written from January-February, 1940, the story was never published in Burroughs' lifetime...
), and the twenty-sixth (Tarzan: the Lost Adventure
Tarzan: the Lost Adventure
Tarzan: the Lost Adventure is a novel written by Joe R. Lansdale based on an incomplete fragment of a Tarzan novel written by Edgar Rice Burroughs but left unfinished at his death...
).
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 (m.), king - Tarzan the UntamedTarzan the UntamedTarzan the Untamed is a book written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the seventh in his series of books about the title character Tarzan. It was originally published as two separate stories serialized in different pulp magazines; "Tarzan the Untamed" in Redbook from March to August, 1919, and "Tarzan and...
- Zu-tag (m.) - Tarzan the Untamed
Tribe of Kerchack (later of Tarzan, Karnath, Pagth)
- Chulk (m.) - Tarzan and the Jewels of OparTarzan and the Jewels of OparTarzan and the Jewels of Opar is a novel written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the fifth in his series of books about the title character Tarzan. It first appeared in the November and December issues of All-Story Cavalier Weekly in 1916, and the first book publication was by McClurg in 1918.-Plot...
- Gazan (m.) - Jungle Tales of Tarzan
- Gobu (m.) - Tarzan and the Golden Lion
- Go-yad (m.), later of the tribe of Toyat - Tarzan, Lord of the JungleTarzan, Lord of the JungleTarzan, Lord of the Jungle is an animated series created by the Filmation studio for CBS. There are a total of 36 episodes produced over the first four seasons....
; Tarzan and the Lost EmpireTarzan and the Lost EmpireTarzan and the Lost Empire is a novel written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the twelfth in his series of books about the title character Tarzan. It was first published as a serial in Blue Book Magazine from October 1928 through February 1929; it first appeared in book form in a hardcover edition from... - Gozan (m.) - Jungle Tales of Tarzan
- Gunto (m.) - Tarzan of the Apes; Jungle Tales of Tarzan
- KalaKala (Tarzan)Kala is a fictional ape character in Edgar Rice Burroughs's original Tarzan novel, Tarzan of the Apes, and in the Walt Disney-produced animated movie Tarzan based on it....
(f.) - Tarzan of the Apes; Jungle Tales of Tarzan - Kama (f.) - Jungle Tales of Tarzan
- Karnath (m.), king after Tarzan - The Return of TarzanThe Return of TarzanThe Return of Tarzan is a novel written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the second in his series of books about the title character Tarzan. It was first published in the pulp magazine New Story Magazine in the issues for June through December 1913; the first book edition was published in 1915 by A. C....
- KerchakKerchakKerchak is a fictional ape character in Edgar Rice Burroughs's original Tarzan novel, Tarzan of the Apes, and in the Walt Disney-produced animated movie Tarzan based on it.-History:...
(m.), king - Tarzan of the Apes; Jungle Tales of Tarzan - Mamka (f.) - Jungle Tales of Tarzan
- Mumga (f.) - Jungle Tales of Tarzan
- Mungo (m.) - Tarzan of the Apes
- Neeta (f.) - Tarzan of the Apes; Tarzan and the Golden Lion
- Numgo (m.) - Jungle Tales of Tarzan
- Pagth (m.), king after Karnath - Tarzan and the Golden Lion
- Taglat (m.) - Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar
- Tana (f.) - Tarzan of the Apes
- Taug (m.) - Jungle Tales of Tarzan
- Teeka (f.) - Jungle Tales of Tarzan
- Terkoz (m.) - Tarzan of the Apes
- Thaka (m.) - Tarzan of the Apes
- Thaka (f.) - Jungle Tales of Tarzan
- Tublat (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 - Tarzan and the MadmanTarzan and the MadmanTarzan and the Madman is a novel written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the twenty-third in his series of books about the title character Tarzan. Written from January-February, 1940, the story was never published in Burroughs' lifetime...
- Mal-gash (m.), king - Tarzan and the Madman
- Sancho (m.), mangani name unknown - Tarzan and the Madman
Tribe of Molak
- Akut (m.), later solitary - The Beasts of Tarzan; The Son of TarzanThe Son of TarzanThe Son of Tarzan is a novel written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the fourth in his series of books about the title character Tarzan. It was written between January 21 and May 11, 1915, and first published in the magazine All-Story Weekly as a six-part serial from December 4, 1915-January 8, 1916. It...
- Molak (m.), king - The Beasts of Tarzan
Tribe of Toyat
- Gayat or Ga-yat (m.) - Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle; Tarzan and the Lost Empire; Tarzan the InvincibleTarzan the InvincibleTarzan the Invincible is a novel written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the fourteenth in his series of books about the title character Tarzan. The novel was originally serialized in the magazine Blue Book from October, 1930 through April, 1931 as "Tarzan, Guard of the Jungle."-Plot summary:Tarzan, his...
; Tarzan and the Leopard MenTarzan and the Leopard MenTarzan and the Leopard Men is a novel written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the eighteenth in his series of books about the title character Tarzan... - Go-yad (m.), formerly of the tribe of Kerchak - Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle; Tarzan and the Lost Empire
- M'walot (m.) - Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle
- Toyat or To-yat (m.), king - Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle; Tarzan the Invincible
- Zutho or Zu-tho (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 Forbidden CityTarzan and the Forbidden CityTarzan and the Forbidden City is a novel written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the twentieth in his series of books about the title character Tarzan.-Plot summary:...
; Tarzan and the Madman
Tribe of Ungo (possibly the same as the earlier tribe of Zutho)
- Ga-un (m.) - Tarzan and the Forbidden City; Tarzan and the Madman
- Ungo (m.), king - Tarzan and the Forbidden City; Tarzan and the Madman
- Zutho or Zu-tho (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 tribe of Toyat, possibly the same as the later tribe of Ungo)
- Zutho or Zu-tho (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 (m.) - Tarzan: the Lost AdventureTarzan: the Lost AdventureTarzan: the Lost Adventure is a novel written by Joe R. Lansdale based on an incomplete fragment of a Tarzan novel written by Edgar Rice Burroughs but left unfinished at his death...
- Zu-yad (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 a number of primate species in addition to the Mangani themselves, including monkeys (Jungle Tales of TarzanJungle Tales of Tarzan
Jungle Tales of Tarzan is a collection of twelve loosely-connected short stories written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, comprising the sixth book in order of publication in his series about the title character Tarzan...
and others), Indonesian orangutans (Tarzan and the Foreign Legion
Tarzan and the Foreign Legion
Tarzan and the Foreign Legion is a novel written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the twenty-second in his series of books about the title character Tarzan...
), and the more man-like Sagoths of Pellucidar
Pellucidar
Pellucidar is a fictional Hollow Earth milieu invented by Tarzan creator Edgar Rice Burroughs for a series of action adventure stories. In a notable crossover event between Burroughs' series, there is a Tarzan story in which the Ape Man travels into Pellucidar.The stories initially involve the...
(Tarzan at the Earth's Core
Tarzan at the Earth's Core
Tarzan at the Earth's Core is a novel written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, simultaneously the thirteenth in his series of books about the title character Tarzan and the fourth in his series set in the interior world of Pellucidar.-Plot summary:...
). In the later Tarzan novels Tarzan is actually shown conversing in Mangani with his monkey companion Nkima
Nkima
Nkima is a fictional monkey character in Edgar Rice Burroughs's Tarzan novels, and in adaptations of the saga to other media, particularly comics.-Character:...
more often than with the Mangani themselves. Other jungle animals are depicted as being able to understand it to a greater or lesser degree.
The 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 yodel
Tarzan yell
The Tarzan yell 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 human
Human
Humans are the only living species in the Homo genus...
s, gomangani ("dark-great-people") for black-skinned humans
Black people
The term black people is used in systems of racial classification for humans of a dark skinned phenotype, relative to other racial groups.Different societies apply different criteria regarding who is classified as "black", and often social variables such as class, socio-economic status also plays a...
and tarmangani ("light-great-people") for white-skinned humans
White people
White people is a term which usually refers to human beings characterized, at least in part, by the light pigmentation of their skin...
, suggesting that the Mangani regard human beings as variations on their own type. Notably, gorilla
Gorilla
Gorillas are the largest extant species of primates. They are ground-dwelling, predominantly herbivorous apes that inhabit the forests of central Africa. Gorillas are divided into two species and either four or five subspecies...
s do not seem to be regarded as "man" gani, but as a different type of "people," bolgani ("flat" or "earth-bound people").
Some examples (with translation) of Burroughs' Mangani words follow.
- Tarzan = White-skin
- Mangani = Great Ape (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 [earth-bound] Apes," i.e., gorillas.
- nala = up
- tand-nala = down
- Kreegah bundolo = "Beware; (I) kill!"
- Ka-goda = "Do you surrender?"
Other uses
- The Mangani environmentalist movement is a grassroots environmental organization in the United States, most notably in Florida.
- Mangani is the name of a Reggaeton artist from Loiza, Puerto Rico currently living in Philadelphia,Pennsylvania, signed to Wu Tang Latino Records and running Mangani Entertainment, an artist management company.
- Mangani is an abandoned gold mine located in West Sumatra, Indonesia, that operated prior to World War II.
- In an episode of The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers, Fat Freddy roars "Kreegah!" before robbing a grocery store.
General
- Straight Dope Science Advisory Board. "What kind of ape was Tarzan raised by?." Nov. 29, 2001.
Lexicons
- Burroughs' Ape Language Compilations
- Bozarth, David Bruce. "Ape-English Dictionary"
- Coogan, Peter. "English-Mangani/Mangani-English Dictionary" (pdf)
- Stephan, Ed. "Ape-English Dictionary"
- Stephan, Ed. "Ape-English Vocabulary"
- Whatsits Galore. "Mangani: A Beginner's Dictionary"