Ma Tembo

Ma Tembo is a female elephant. She is the leader of a herd of elephants in the Pride Lands.
In accordance with tradition, Ma Tembo was tasked with finding a new water source for the Pride Landers during the dry season. However, her attempts were frequently stalled by attacks from Janja's clan as well as the commotion and noise from the many animals who were following her. Eventually, with help from Kiara and Makini, Ma Tembo managed to find a water source for the Pride Landers.
After the Army of Scar burned Kilio Valley to the ground, Ma Tembo and her herd were left without a home. Though they tried to move in with several other animal groups, they were continually rejected and forced to move on. Eventually, Ma Tembo deduced that the elephants must leave the Pride Lands, as they were an unwanted burden on the other Pride Landers. However, after the herd helped save the galagos from a fire, Laini invited them to move into Ndefu Grove with her and her fellows.
Later, when the Army of Scar began waging war on the Pride Lands, Ma Tembo joined her fellow Pride Landers in fighting them off and eventually defeating them altogether with an invasion of the Outlands.
==Biography==
===Early life===
Ma Tembo was born to Aminifu. She lived in the Pride Lands. As a calf, she celebrated the Ukumbusho Tradition every year with her herd. She came to greatly admire and enjoy the holiday.
===Aminifu's funeral===
Following the death of her father, Aminifu, Ma Tembo became the leader of her herd. When Simba arrived at Kilio Valley with Nala and Zazu for Aminifu's funeral, he saw members of Aminifu's herd leaving flowers on the old elephant's body while Ma Tembo stood watch. Saddened by the sight, Simba led Nala and Zazu down into the valley.
After the flower ceremony, Simba gathered the herd to give his tribute. Ma Tembo announced the king, and Simba started by recounting his friendship with Aminifu and how he would always remember the old elephant fondly. He attempted to give the standard elephantese tribute of "He had good on him," but accidentally said, "He had poop on him."
Though horrified at this turn of events, Simba began to smile as the herd broke into laughter. Ma Tembo explained that her father had always had poop on him and that it had made them laugh. She fondly added that he had always made them laugh. When Simba still looked unsure, Ma Tembo thanked him for the tribute, and Simba commented that Aminifu had certainly had good on him. Ma Tembo agreed and laughingly added that he had had more poop on him.
===Kupatana===
While on patrol, Beshte and Bunga saw Ma Tembo bathing in the watering hole. They wished her a happy Kupatana, and she returned the greeting.
===Elephant concert===
In accordance with tradition, the royal family resolved to attend the elephants' first concert of the season. Along the way, Simba got trapped in a sinkhole, and Kiara and Nala were forced to go on without him. After the concert, Kiara and Nala praised the elephants' performance, and Nala apologized to Ma Tembo for Simba's absence. Just then, Simba arrived with the Lion Guard, Timon, and Pumbaa. He likewise apologized to Ma Tembo for being late, and she accepted his apology. He then performed "Hakuna Matata" for the elephants alongside his family, Timon, Pumbaa, and the Lion Guard.
===Savannah Summit===
Ma Tembo was invited by Simba to the Savannah Summit. Along with the other animal leaders, she journeyed to Pride Rock, where Simba announced that Makuu, the untrustworthy crocodile leader, had also been invited. Together, the party proceeded to Mizimu Grove, during which Simba and Zazu stressed the importance of equality and unity.
That evening, Kion lied to the Pride Lander leaders that Makuu had fallen into a pit and lost his life. Horrified, Twiga and Vuruga Vuruga exclaimed that they had never intended for Makuu to get hurt, only to fall into a pit of rotten fruit. Just then, Makuu revealed himself and announced to the gathered animals that he had come to the Summit with the intention of helping his float and the Pride Lands but that he had only received distrust and hostility in return. The Pride Landers feared Makuu's wrath, but he merely prompted Simba to let the Summit go on. Negotiations were then reinstated.
===Traveling Baboon Show===
While patrolling the Pride Lands, the Lion Guard noticed several animals taking off in the same direction, including Ma Tembo. They followed the commotion to where Ma Tembo and a large group of Pride Landers had gathered beneath a tree, and Mbeya the rhinoceros explained that the animals had gathered to see a troop of performing baboons. At that moment, Uroho, Mwevi, and Mwizi appeared and performed for Ma Tembo and the rest of the audience. After the show, Ma Tembo left.
Later, the Lion Guard heard Ma Tembo crying for help, and they followed her voice to where a tree had been completely stripped of its flowers and leaves. Ma Tembo declared that there was a food thief in the Pride Lands. The Lion Guard resolved to find the thief and restore order to the Pride Lands. Meanwhile, Ma Tembo left to let the Lion Guard inspect the tree further.
After Uroho, Mwevi, and Mwizi were discovered to be the food thieves, Ma Tembo and several other Pride Landers lined up to receive their food back. Uroho handed Ma Tembo a fruit, which she gratefully accepted. After all the food had been returned, the baboons put on another show for Ma Tembo and the other animals.
===Christmas===
One day, Beshte asked Ma Tembo if her herd would participate in Bunga's Christmas celebration. Ma Tembo was hesitant to accept Beshte's offer, but Mtoto expressed interest in the performance. Because of her love of performing and because Beshte was like family to the elephants, Ma Tembo acquiesced to Beshte's request. That night, Ma Tembo and her herd attended Bunga's rehearsal.
Come sunrise, Kion expressed satisfaction with the animals' performances, but Bunga declared that they still needed more practice. Ma Tembo pointed out that they would never be able to live up to Bunga's expectations, and the other animals agreed. Before the Pride Landers could give up, however, Bunga desperately explained how important the performance was to both himself and Timon, which prompted the Pride Landers to change their minds.
Later that day, Ma Tembo's herd partook in the "The Twelve Ways of Christmas" performance. After the performance, Timon lamented that Dandy Claws would never come, only for Pumbaa to appear in costume. Pumbaa apologized for his lack of gifts, but Timon pointed out that their family and friends were the gifts. The Lion Guard decided to make Christmas an annual holiday in the Pride Lands, and the gathered Pride Landers yelled, "Merry Christmas!" in unison.
===Finding water===
In the Pride Lands, the dry season had started, and the Lion Guard was busier than ever. During their patrol, Ono informed his friends that Janja's clan was attacking Ma Tembo and her herd. The Lion Guard arrived at the scene to see Janja and his minions attacking the elephants.
The team drove the hyenas away, and Ma Tembo explained that the hyenas had been desperate because of the dry season. She also told them that she was trying to find a new water source for her herd. Kion sympathized with Ma Tembo and assured her that he knew how difficult it could be to serve as a new leader. Ma Tembo and her herd then departed to continue the search for water.
Later, Ono told Kion that Janja and his crew were causing trouble again. This time, they were attacking the baboons who had started following Ma Tembo's herd. The Lion Guard arrived and had the elephants run into a rocky gorge. Kion then blasted the hyenas away with the Roar of the Elders.
With the hyenas gone, the baboons revealed that they were following Ma Tembo to a new water source. Ma Tembo resumed her search for a new water source while a concerned Kion decided to talk to his father.
Later, Rafiki's new apprentice, Makini, ordered the crowd of Pride Landers to be silent so Ma Tembo could hear. Ma Tembo at last heard and located a new water source, much to everyone's relief.
===Conflict with Chama===
When Chama proved to be too much of a handful for her herd, Ma Tembo kicked him out. Later, Kion and Bunga accompanied Chama back to his herd, where Ma Tembo explained that Chama was a disruption to the other elephants. Kion encouraged Ma Tembo to give Chama another chance, and she begrudgingly agreed, only because it was Kion who had asked the favor of her. However, when Chama could not fit in with the other elephants, he left the herd again.
===Ukumbusho Tradition===
In Mizimu Grove, Ma Tembo directed her herd in preparing for the Ukumbusho Tradition, a celebration that honored the peace established between the elephants and lions of the Pride Lands. In the midst of the preparations, Makini arrived to paint the elephants for the ceremony.
Under Ma Tembo's direction, the Lion Guard began practicing their lines. Just then, Timon and Pumbaa arrived to help the Lion Guard with their lines. However, before they could start, Ma Tembo pointed out that the Lion Guard was traditionally composed of lions only, which prompted Makini to suggest that she paint each Lion Guard member to resemble a lion.
Later, Makini was painting sunbursts on the elephants' foreheads when she suddenly ran out of yellow paint. In a panic, she related to Ma Tembo how she had used all her paint on the Lion Guard, and Ma Tembo suggested that she collect more yellow fruit from the nearby forest. Makini did as she was told, clearing a hive of bees from a clump of yellow flowers in order to bring the plants before the elephants.
Presently, Simba arrived with his mate, Nala, and daughter, Kiara, as well as the lionesses of his pride. The Lion Guard began to sing "May There Be Peace", during which they commemorated the peace established between the elephants and lions of the Pride Lands. After the song, Kion and Ma Tembo described how Askari, the first leader of the Lion Guard, had made peace with the elephants in order to keep the Circle of Life in balance.
However, in the midst of the ceremony, a horde of bees attacked the elephants, chasing them from the grove. Kion ordered his team to chase down the elephants before they could hurt anyone, and the Lion Guard took off to halt the stampede.
Just then, the Lion Guard ran into a group of elephants that had stopped being chased by the bees, and Kion, Fuli, and Ono pieced together that the bees were attracted to Makini's yellow paint. The team continued chasing down the stampede, and Fuli caught up to Mtoto, suggesting that he try to spray off the paint. Mtoto did as he was told, and the paint disappeared, prompting the bees to fly away. Seeing Mtoto's success, the Lion Guard resolved to use the same trick on the other elephants.
From above, Ono reported that the elephants were racing into Sehemu Pass, where they could get stuck between the rocks. Kion declared that this was a good development. The Lion Guard then gathered at the entrance of the pass, and when each elephant got stuck, Mtoto sprayed their foreheads with dust, clearing away the paint and effectively warding off the bees.
Back at Mizimu Grove, Ma Tembo apologized to Simba for panicking and explained that bee strings in the trunk could be very painful. Makini rushed over and apologized for causing the chaos, to which Ma Tembo assured her that she had not known. When Makini volunteered to collect more yellow fruit for the paint, Kion suggested continuing the ceremony without any paint. Ma Tembo protested that it was difficult for elephants to break with tradition, but Simba told her that this could simply be a new tradition for the elephants of the Pride Lands. Ma Tembo then agreed to the new plan, and the Ukumbusho Tradition continued in a new way.
===Kumbuka===
Ma Tembo attended Simba's Kumbuka celebration at Pride Rock.
===Kilio Valley fire===
In Kilio Valley, the Lion Guard struggled to put out a widespread brush fire. At first, the team believed the fire to have been put out, but then embers began falling from the sky, which reignited the valley. The Lion Guard spread out, accepting help from several of Ma Tembo's herd members, while Ma Tembo led the rest of the herd out of the valley. However, she was cornered among the flames by Janja, Kiburi, Reirei, and their respective followers.
Ono overheard Janja's cackling and reported what he had heard to Kion, who suspected Scar of having caused the trouble. He then ordered his team to protect the elephants, which left Kilio Valley to the mercy of the fire.
Just in time, the Lion Guard arrived to protect the elephants. The Lion Guard then led Ma Tembo and her herd out of the blazing valley. Once to safety, Ma Tembo mourned her destroyed home. She turned to Kion for help in finding a temporary home, and he resolved to help the elephants.
Kion led the elephants to Ndefu Grove, the home of the galagos. At first, Laini was receptive to the elephants staying in her home. However, once their heavy plods started making the ground shake and causing galagos to fall out of trees, she appealed to Kion to take them elsewhere. Kion made two more attempts to find the elephants a home – once with Twiga and her giraffes and again with Bupu and his sable antelope – but both ended in the herd leaders refusing to put up with the elephants' behavior.
Frustrated, Kion ordered Bupu to be patient with the elephants until the Lion Guard could come up with another solution. He then asked Ono for a report on Kilio Valley. The Lion Guard discovered that Ma Tembo had been forcibly outed by Bupu. Kion approached the herd and assured Ma Tembo that he would find them a new home, but Ma Tembo insisted that they must leave the Pride Lands, as no one else wanted them.
Just then, Ono alerted Kion to a new fire that had broken out at Ndefu Grove. The Lion Guard rushed to the grove, where Laini begged them to save her galagos. Kion resolved to find help, while the rest of the Lion Guard stayed behind to combat the fire.
Kion raced across the Pride Lands to where Ma Tembo and her herd were still en route to another kingdom. He explained the situation to her, and she agreed to help the galagos, as she considered the other Pride Landers to be her family. With Kion and Ma Tembo in the lead, the elephants arrived in Ndefu Grove, where they promptly put out the fire.
After the fire was put out, Laini thanked the elephants for their help and offered them a place at Ndefu Grove. Ma Tembo gratefully accepted but lamented the loss of Kilio Valley. Kion promised her that they would retake her home, to which Ma Tembo stated that while Kilio Valley was just land, the Pride Lands was home.
===Scar's attacks===
Upon concluding that the Pride Landers must unite against the threat of the Outlanders, the Lion Guard recruited Ma Tembo's herd, Bupu's herd, Laini's group, and Mbeya's crash for help. Along the way to Pride Rock, Ma Tembo expressed pride at having been chosen to defend the Pride Lands, only to realize with shock that Bupu had been recruited as well. At first, the Pride Landers were uptight with one another, but Kion worked to defuse the tension and instructed the animals to race toward Bunga. Despite Kion's good intentions, the event quickly got out of hand, for the larger animals tripped over the galagos and ended up in a heap.
Kion then got the idea to call Makuu for help. Ma Tembo remarked that Makuu was "rude" and asked Kion if the Pride Landers had to take orders from him, but Kion persuaded her to hear Makuu out. During Makuu's training of the Pride Landers, he ordered Ma Tembo to perform a move called the "reserve tail whip," but she protested that she could not perform the move, as she was not a crocodile. Frustrated, Makuu left the training session in a huff.
Later, the Army of Scar besieged Makuu's float. Ono witnessed the battle and reported his findings to Kion. Together, the Lion Guard and their Pride Lander allies stormed the watering hole and fought off the Army of Scar. During the battle, Janja and Kiburi attacked Makuu, but Ma Tembo defended him. She called her trick the "reverse, reverse trunk whip," which impressed Makuu. After the fight, Makuu thanked Ma Tembo and her herd for their help and vowed to do the same for them should the need ever arise.
Later, Ma Tembo was present when Dhahabu arrived at Pride Rock to arrange a water treaty with Simba.
One day, Ma Tembo attended Makini's mpando mpaya at Mizimu Grove. In the midst of the celebration, the Army of Scar attacked, and the Pride Landers rose up to defend themselves. Bunga instructed the elephants to protect the other herds, and they did as they had been commanded. However, the battle paused when Scar appeared in the flames and threatened to overtake the entirety of the Pride Lands. Frightened by Scar's unexpected appearance, the remaining Pride Landers fled Mizimu Grove. Though Ma Tembo attempted to stop her herd from stampeding, they ignored her, and Ono was forced to fly after them and calm them down.
Meanwhile, Kion used the Roar of the Elders to defeat the Outlanders, and Ma Tembo deliberated what to do with Simba. After the meeting, Simba approached the Pride Landers and admitted that he had had knowledge of Scar's return for some time. Ma Tembo noted that she did not agree with Simba's decision but understood why he had kept Scar's return a secret. The herds then deliberated whether they should leave the Pride Lands, and Simba told them to inform him of their decision the following morning at Pride Rock.
The next day, Kion implored Ma Tembo and her herd to follow him to Mizimu Grove before they decided to leave the kingdom for good. The herds obediently followed Kion to Mizimu Grove, where Makini's baobab tree seed had survived the fire. This inspired the Pride Landers to remain in the kingdom and work together to defeat Scar.
===Battle for the Pride Lands===
Over the seasons, Ma Tembo helped drive out the Army of Scar whenever they tried to invade the Pride Lands. Eventually, she gathered with her fellow Pride Landers at Pride Rock to train for a coming battle with the army. That night, the Pride Landers witnessed Scar's spirit manifesting in a fire at Pride Rock and warning them to leave before his army conquered the Pride Lands.
As the flames died down, Scar disappeared, and the Pride Landers grew worried about their chances against him. Ma Tembo expressed concern that Scar knew what the Pride Landers were planning and asked Kion if they knew how to defeat him, to which Kion admitted that they did not. Just then, Janja approached the Pride Landers and told them how they could defeat Scar. Heeding Janja's advice, Simba readied an invasion force for the following morning and sent the Pride Landers to get some rest.
The next morning, Ma Tembo assembled with the other Pride Landers to invade the Outlands. As the Pride Landers charged into battle, Ma Tembo vowed to keep the Outlanders off the Lion Guard. She then attacked Reirei. After an extended fight, the Lion Guard vanquished Scar's spirit, and the Pride Landers defeated the army of Outlanders. Ma Tembo rejoiced that the Lion Guard had escaped Scar's clutches and watched as Jasiri was made the queen of the Outlands.
===Lion Guard's trip to the Tree of Life===
Ma Tembo gathered with other Pride Landers at Pride Rock to bid farewell to the Lion Guard, who were departing for the Tree of Life. When Beshte returned to Big Springs from his journey, Ma Tembo and her herd arrived to welcome him back.
===Battle of the Lion Guards===
Later, Ma Tembo and Zito served as props for the Battle of the Lion Guards, during which Kion's and Vitani's Lion Guards faced off. Each elephant stood on a boulder while the contestants for the Strongest member of the Lion Guard, Beshte and Imara, pushed their rock toward the finishing line. The competition began, and Beshte pushed Ma Tembo's rock across the plains. However, Ma Tembo noticed that he was sunburning, so Beshte abandoned the contest to roll in some mud, which cost him his victory.
Later, Ma Tembo watched both Fuli's and Anga's competitions. She witnessed the final mashindano between Kion and Vitani, and reacted with awe when Askari's spirit appeared in the sky and when Kion used the Roar of the Elders to lift Pride Rock.
===Kion's coronation===
Ma Tembo attended Kion's coronation and wedding to Rani at the Tree of Life.
==Physical appearance==
Ma Tembo has the characteristic large and rounded frame of the elephant, with floppy ears, thick legs, and a winding trunk. Unlike the other members of her herd, who are blue and gray in color, she is pale gray tinged with pink, with a lighter gray chest, toenails, and trunk tip. Her inner ears are a deeper shade of pink than her main body, and her eyelids are rimmed with dark gray. Like her father, Aminifu, she bears spots on her back. She also has three markings on her forehead. A patch of stunt brown hairs sticks up from her head, and one of her tusks is broken at the tip. Her eyes are dark blue.
==Personality and traits==
Ma Tembo is always game for a laugh. Even when Simba made a mistake at her father Aminifu's funeral, she was gracious and kind, and made light of the situation by dwelling on the good. She is similarly gracious to Nala and Kiara when they were the only members of their family to attend the elephant concert.
As a leader, Ma Tembo is strong-willed and dutiful. She takes her responsibilities seriously and strives to protect her herd at all costs. Despite her position, she is humble and takes instruction well from those in authority, such as Simba. She is also brave and ready to serve her kingdom in battle. Like most elephants, Ma Tembo reveres tradition and likes for ceremonies such as the Ukumbusho Tradition to be executed perfectly and respectfully. Even so, she is open to creating new traditions.
==Appearances==
==Trivia==
* Ma Tembo was voiced by Lynette DuPree.
* The first part of Ma Tembo's name ("ma") means "mother," while the latter part ("tembo") means "elephant" in Swahili.
==References==
Category:Canon articles
Category:Characters
Category:Elephants
Category:Females
Category:Leaders
Category:The Lion Guard characters
Category:Pride Landers