Tribesman

The Tribesmen are the native inhabitants of N. Sanity Island. Led by their chieftain, Papu Papu, they thrive across the island building widescale villages and fortresses to keep out evil geniuses and travelling crate salesmen.

Crash Bandicoot
Their first appearance was in Crash Bandicoot, where they did nothing more than act as obstacles and enemies to get in Crash's way, by either ramming him with their shields into hazards or blocking him from proceeding forward. They can be seen in the levels The Great Gate, Hog Wild, Native Fortress and Whole Hog.

Crash Twinsanity
The tribesmen would find their next major role in Crash Twinsanity, found in the levels Jungle Bungle and Totem Hokum. They proceeded to kidnap Cortex after he runs into Papu Papu. They tie him up to a totem that holds a Power Crystal, presumably as a sacrifice. After navigating, the tribesmens' village, Crash rescues both Cortex and the Power Crystal, destroying the sacred totem in the process. In a fit of rage, Papu Papu ordered his tribesman to capture Crash for his crimes, but the latter escapes.

They largely appear as regular enemies, wandering around while wielding spears and chasing Crash down to attack him if he gets too close. There is a variant that carries spiked shields and must be slid into to defeat, seen only in Jungle Bungle. Another variant is encountered in the stealth segments of Totem Hokum, looking out for intruders with binoculars. If alerted, they signal their fellow tribesman hidden in the underbrush to throw spears at the intruder. Tribesmen can also be seen riding rowboats, spinning in whirlpools that make up parts of the river segment. These guys are completely harmless and will not hurt Crash, or even notice him. However, they can be knocked off their boats, where they presumably drown.

Skylanders: Imaginators
Tribesmen also appear in the Thumpin' Wumpa Islands level of Skylanders Imaginators as NPCs, speaking fluent English in a way slightly reminiscent of a stereotypical Californian surfer. All of the tribesmans' names are either references to musical instruments or techniques used in music composition, to complement the musical theming of Thumpin' Wumpa Islands. They also have slight variations in both their hair color, and the color of their grass skirts.

Unlike in other games, the tribesmen are friendly, helpful characters, rather than enemies. Far more advanced than their previous counterparts, these tribesmen appear to have expanded outward from their boxed-in villages, and have formed their own small civilizations across N. Sanity Island, featuring their own rudimentary security systems made from blocks carved out of boulders, and bamboo.

Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy
In the N. Sane Trilogy remake of the first game, the tribesmen repeat the same role which they had in the original with no significant changes.

Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled
They also appear in Nitro Fueled, featured in a cutscene before Papu Papu's challenge, struggling to carry him to his kart. They can also be seen on the sides of the track, watching the proceedings in Skull Rock, and in Tiger Temple.

Personality
The native tribesmen have, for the most part, appeared as mostly mute, aggressive, primitive men who do nothing more than protect their villages and fortresses, and fulfil Papu Papu's every request (mostly pertaining to feeding him). As the franchise has progressed, the tribesmen have remained mostly the same, with differing levels of competence. In Skylanders Imaginators, the tribesmen appear to have become more open to outsiders and speak fondly of Crash, while having distaste for Dr. Cortex (having built structures specifically to keep him and his henchmen away from them). They also seem to have a fondness for music, and death-defying Chili Pepper Runs, which they heckle Crash to participate in.

Physical Appearance
Generally, tribesmen follow the same basic appearance, having long, brown hair that permanently covers their eyes, large oblong noses, and many blemishes or pimples upon their mostly tanned skin. For clothes, they feature green or yellow grass skirts, and accessories such as necklaces, wrist cuffs and footwraps. In Skylanders Imaginators, the tribesmen have slightly differing hair colors and their skirts can be green, yellow, or pink in color. Additionally, the tribesmen carry decorated weapons such as spiked shields, and spears into battle.

Appearances

 * Crash Bandicoot
 * Crash Twinsanity
 * Skylanders: Imaginators
 * Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy
 * Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled

Trivia

 * In Crash Twinsanity, the Tribesmen are voiced by Michael Ensign, Dwight Schultz and Mel Winkler who provided the voices of Doctor Nefarious Tropy, Dingodile and Aku Aku in the same game, respectively.
 * In the Japanese version, they were voiced by Kazuhiro Nakata, the voice actor of N. Gin.
 * In the Willy Wombat bible, Aku Aku was described as a member of the tribe.
 * Strangely, the tribesmen do not have modeled eyes in their appearance in the N. Sane Trilogy, but do have shading and modeled features for where their eyes should be, presumably to save on resources.