A gathering of Rumbaba people performing a sacrifice as seen in The Broken Ear.
The Rumbabas (French: Bibaros) are an enduring group of pre-Colombian indigenous people living deep in the jungles of South America (along the fictional river Coliflor), who behead any strangers who pass their way, shrink the heads down and put them on display. They appear only in The Broken Ear, where while investigating the theft of an Arumbaya idol, Tintin and Snowy venture into the San Theodorian jungle despite being warned of the presence of vicious savages. The bad reputation the Rumbabas have is indeed well earned as they capture Tintin and his newly meet acquaintance Ridgewell and attempt to use them in a human sacrifice. The Rumbabas are fierce enemies of their near-neighbors and rivals, the Arumbayas.
Trivia[]
- The name Rumbaba is a reference to the French pudding Rum baba.
- Their original French name of the Bibaros is a clear reference to the real life Jivaro tribes of South America and possibly the Jíbaro people of Puerto Rico.