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Inki and the Minah Bird were created by Charles M. Jones in 1939 for the
cartoon "Little Lion Hunter". Inki is a small African boy (pictured
in the arms of the lion to the left), who is pretty much a failure when
it comes to hunting animals. The character of Inki seems to have
a direct influence from Disney, and the book "Reading The Rabbit" likens
it to the Disney short "Little Hiawatha." Inki was originally designed
by Charlie Thorston, but because the cartoons were made so far apart, Inki
was re-designed several times by various people. Inki is silent,
as are all other characters who show up in the cartoons with him.
One thing Inki always tries to catch is the mysterious Minah Bird, who
walks to the music of "Fengal's Cave Overture." The Minah always
has a sad, deadpan look upon his face, and he seems to possess some sort
of magic power. The bird has the ability to just appear out of nowhere,
and to change size. He is also strong enough to conquer lions, and
can frighten forests of animals. Inki only appeared in six cartoons,
all of which cannot be seen today. The Minah bird was more fortunate,
you can spot him on "Tiny Toon Adventures", and in the classic Robert McKimson
cartoon, "Hobo Bobo" (1947).
Inki is banned from American television because he could be perceived as a negative stereotype of Africans. However, from what other people and I have seen, he seems more like an anti stereotype. Other Africans depicted in classic cartoons are blood thirsty cannibals, but Inki is fairly quick, gentle, and does not speak. "Inki At The Circus" shows a cage advertising "An African Wild Man", but then we only find little Inki, playing with a yo-yo. From what I have observed, the most negative thing about him would be his lips, which are rather large, but are not as grotesque, or unhuman as those put upon other African cartoon characters. Chuck Jones has stated that he tried to avoid negative stereotyping in his cartoons, and it is rare when such stereotypes show up. To Jones, Inki was just a little boy, and he acted just as all other innocent Chuck Jones characters acted.
The cartoons featuring Inki and the Minah Bird are some of the strangest ever made at Warner Brothers, they are said to have more of a cerebral feel. The cartoons feature wonderful and expressive animation. I have only been privileged enough to see a small portion of these cartoons. Both characters were retired by Jones in 1950, with their last appearance being in "Caveman Inki." Chuck Jones claims that he retired the characters because he never understood them (they were "fourth dimensional," and he didn't understand the "fourth dimension."), not because of any outside pressure to stop using the characters (many cartoons studios stopped using Black characters and black face gags in the early 1950s).
If you have any pictures from Inki cartoons other than "Inki and The Minah Bird", then please contact me at jacktatay@yahoo.com.