History
In the novel Tarzan of the Apes, Kerchak is the "king" of a tribal band of Mangani, a fictional species of great ape intermediate between gorillas and chimpanzees. Per the common practice among Mangani tribes, the band self-identifies by the name of its leader, and is therefore known as "the tribe of Kerchak". Kerchak reigns by violence and fear heightened by his unpredictable mood swings and bouts of madness.
In the beginning of the original novel, Kerchak leads his band against Tarzan's marooned father and kills him; the infant Tarzan is saved by a female Mangani named Kala, who rears the baby and protects him from Kerchak. However, after Tarzan reaches adulthood, the ape man's deeds and cleverness raise him to a prominence in the band Kerchak finds impossible to ignore, and the king attacks his human subject. The fight proves Kerchak's undoing, as Tarzan kills the tyrant, succeeding him for a time as king of the apes. [1] Kerchak's terrible reign has made a lasting impression on his subjects, however, as even after his death his former tribe is often referred to as "the tribe of Kerchak", whatever other individual happens to be king.
Burroughs's later Tarzan book Jungle Tales of Tarzan , which relates additional details of Tarzan's youth among the apes, is also set during the period of Kerchak's rule of the ape band. Kerchak does not appear in the book, possibly indicating either frequent absences from the tribe or the author's unwillingness to complicate his story by use of a character whose significant interactions with Tarzan were already detailed. [2]
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