Tribesman

Tribesmen are enemies that appear in Tomb Raider III. They are encountered in two types: melee tribesmen that wield pointed axes and long-range tribesmen that shoot poison darts from blowguns.

Background Information
The tribesmen that inhabit Kuru in the South Pacific Islands are the descendants of the Polynesians that originally come from Polynesia, and the ones who settled in Antarctica. Whilst there, the Polynesians fashioned four stones from the remains of a meteorite. These magical stones began to cause mutilations in the Polynesians' newborn however, inciting them to flee Antarctica and re-settle in their homeland, leaving the stones behind.

When Charles Darwin's expedition arrived in Kuru searching for samples, the tribesmen there recognised the artifacts the sailors were carrying. The very same ones that their ancestors had left behind in Antarctica. Smythe, one of the sailors, was killed, eaten, and his artifact taken. The rest of the expedition went on their way. Considering Smythe's death a significant event, the tribesmen named it the Feast of Smythe and would celebrate it in years to come. The artifact Smythe was carrying, the Ora Dagger, fell into the hands of a man named Puna who would continue to hold the artifact for well over a century.

In 1998, an airplane belonging to the Australian military crash landed in Kuru. The tribesmen reacted as they did to Darwin's sailors. At least one of the soldiers, a wounded commander, was taken prisoner and prepared for a feast. Around this time, archaeologist-adventurer Lara Croft arrived on the island searching for the Ora Dagger...

Personality
Life on a ruthless, unforgiving, dinosaur-infested island has reduced the natives to a fearful, defensive, and feral state, and chipped away at any weaknesses or shortcomings, leaving them as raw, wild, ruthless people who regard the unknown and unfamiliar with fear and extreme hostility (not unlike the natives from King Kong). They appear to be intelligent and advanced as they build sophisticated traps, stone structures, artificial waterfalls, and sophisticated security systems that require carved jewels to unlock. They are incredibly tough and tenacious to the point of being suicidal. Given the harshness of life on a prehistoric island, pickiness is a trait that was quickly selected and terminated and therefore the cannibals won't turn up feasting on human flesh whenever the opportunity arises.

Notable Members

 * Puna

Tomb Raider III

 * Coastal Village
 * Crash Site (in the cut scene)
 * Temple of Puna

Development
At least one of the melee tribesmen was to appear at the beginning of Coastal Village. At this point they wielded long spears instead of axes. Also, the feathers on their helmets are of a different color.

Appearances

 * Tomb Raider III: Adventures of Lara Croft (First appearance)