The creator of Tarzan of the Apes, John Carter of Mars, Carson of Venus and countless other fantasy pulp heroes, Edgar Rice Burroughs, will be celebrated at the 2021 Dum-Dum event, this year being held in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on the weekend of Nov. 6-7.
If you are not familiar with the “Dum-Dum,” it means a “gathering” in the language of the great apes (the Mangani in Burroughs’ series of Tarzan stories.) Here’s an excerpt from the original 1912 Tarzan of the Apes story that explains the event:
“From this primitive function has arisen, unquestionably, all the forms and ceremonials of modern church and state, for through all the countless ages, back beyond the uttermost ramparts of a dawning humanity our fierce, hairy forebears danced out the rites of the Dum-Dum to the sound of their earthen drums, beneath the bright light of a tropical moon in the depth of a mighty jungle which stands unchanged today as it stood on that long forgotten night in the dim, unthinkable vistas of the long dead past when our first shaggy ancestor swung from a swaying bough and dropped lightly upon the soft turf of the first meeting place.”
Tarzan of the Apes, by Edgar Rice Burroughs (Chapter 7: The Light of Knowledge)
In modern times, the Dum-Dum is a Burroughs convention where fans from across the country gather and discuss the late Edgar Rice Burroughs’ work, an author that many consider to be the “Godfather of Modern Pop Culture.” Old friends meet new friends. Art, collectibles and stories are traded, and knowledge of the master storyteller and his characters is shared. If you are a fan of ERB (or just ERB-curious), this is where you want to be.
The Albuquerque Dum-Dum will be organized/hosted by author Gary A. Buckingham, whose new, ERB Inc.-authorized novel Tarzan and the Lion of Judah will debut at the convention and will be included as part of the paid registration package. (Details regarding the event and registration are located at erbzine.com/dumdum).
The Dum-Dum’s “Guest of Honor” will be author Will Murray, whose modern Tarzan novels have been recognized as reviving the Ape-man character. Burroughs’ historian and author of Tarzan: The Centennial Celebration and Tarzan on Film, Scott Tracy Griffin, will also be in attendance.
The Dum-Dum Convention is open to the public and is held as an annual event, taking place in a different state each year (in 2019 it was held in Willcox, Arizona.) The event is affiliated with the Burroughs Bibliophiles, the only organized fan group authorized personally by Edgar Rice Burroughs himself.
Albuquerque in early-November, an Edgar Rice Burroughs convention, first dibs on a copy of Buckingham’s new Tarzan novel… Sounds like a perfect road trip to me! (And don’t miss the chance to eat a famous chili-cheese-dog from Breaking Bad’s “Dog House“.)
See 2021 Dum-Dum registration and convention details at erbzine.com/dumdum
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