in the lone ranger what does kemosabe mean
Ke - mo sah - bee - wikipedia Ke - mo sah - bee Ke - mo sah - bee ( / ˌkiːmoʊˈsɑːbiː / ; often spelled kemo sabe , kemosabe or kimosabe ) is the term of endearment used by the fictional Native American sidekick Tonto in the American television and radio programs The Lone Ranger . It has become a common catchphrase . Ultimately derived from gimoozaabi , an Ojibwe and Potawatomi word that may mean `` he / she looks out in secret '' , it is sometimes translated as `` trusty scout '' or `` faithful friend '' . In the 2013 film The Lone Ranger , Tonto states that it means `` wrong brother '' in Comanche , a seemingly tongue - in - cheek translation within the context of the plot . Contents 1 Spelling 2 Meaning and origin 3 Use in the television series 4 Other uses 5 References Spelling ( edit ) Fran Striker , writer of the original Lone Ranger radio program , spelled the word `` ke - mo sah - bee '' . Meaning and origin ( edit ) There are many theories about the origin and meaning of this word . A common story is that it derives from a Spanish phrase such as `` ¿ Quién sabe ? '' or `` quien no sabe '' , meaning `` Who knows ? '' or `` he who does not know '' . This is implausible because Jim Jewell , director of The Lone Ranger from 1933 to 1939 , took the phrase from Kamp Kee - Mo Sah - Bee , a boys ' camp on Mullett Lake in Michigan , established by Charles W. Yeager ( Jewell 's father - in - law ) in 1916 . Yeager himself probably took the term from Ernest Thompson Seton , one of the founders of the Boy Scouts of America , who had given the meaning `` scout runner '' to Kee - mo - sah ' - bee in his 1912 book `` The Book of Woodcraft and Indian Lore '' . Kamp Kee - Mo Sah - Bee was in an area inhabited by the Ottawa , who speak a language which is mutually comprehensible with Ojibwe . John D. Nichols and Earl Nyholm 's A Concise Dictionary of Minnesota Ojibwe defines the Ojibwe word giimoozaabi as `` he peeks '' ( and , in theory , `` he who peeks '' ) , making use of the prefix giimoo ( j ) - , `` secretly '' ; Rob Malouf , now an associate professor of linguistics at San Diego State University , suggested that `` giimoozaabi '' may indeed have also meant scout ( i.e. , `` one who sneaks '' ) . There have been jokes about the name `` kemo sabe '' . A Far Side cartoon had the then long - retired Lone Ranger discover that the name meant the rear end of a horse . Homer and Jethro 's parody of the Stonewall Jackson song `` Waterloo '' had the following verse : `` The Lone Ranger and Tonto rode the trail / catching outlaws and putting them in jail / But the Ranger shot old Tonto ' cause it seems / he found out what Kemo Sabe means / ( Waterloo refrain follows ) The Lone Ranger he did trust / That old Tonto bit the dust . '' Use in the television series ( edit ) In the old Lone Ranger TV series , the Ranger 's faithful friend and partner Tonto , played by First Nations actor Jay Silverheels for the entire run of the series , was asked in many scenes what `` Kemosabe '' meant . His reply was invariably , `` It mean Trusty Scout ! '' The made - for - TV movie Enter the Lone Ranger ( 1949 ) combined the plots of the first three episodes of the Lone Ranger TV series : `` Enter the Lone Ranger '' , `` The Lone Ranger Fights On '' , and `` The Lone Ranger Triumphs '' into a complete story related to the origins of the Lone Ranger and his fight for justice for all regardless of sex , race , or creed . In both , Tonto finds the forever nameless younger brother of a famous Texas Ranger `` Capt . Reid '' barely alive . A medallion around the young man 's neck helps identify him as the same boy who 'd saved Tonto after a renegade attack had wiped out his own family some years earlier . Tonto declares the young man , played by Clayton Moore , worthy of brotherhood and , after a `` traditional '' blood - sharing ceremony gives him the name `` Kemosabe '' or `` Trusty Scout '' . Other uses ( edit ) Khemosabi was the name of a champion Arabian horse . His owners popularized his show career with a series of Lone Ranger themed cartoons . Kimosabe is a 1999 album by Kim Mitchell . Kemosabe Records , American record label owned by Sony `` Kemosabe '' is a 2013 song by the British indie pop band Everything Everything . Kemo Sabe is a fictional type of cruise missile in Matt Ruff 's book Sewer , Gas & Electric : The Public Works Trilogy . One is used to kill President Assad in the War of Syrian Containment ( in the book ) . Larry Pennell plays the character Kemosabe in the 2002 movie Bubba Ho - Tep . References ( edit ) Jay Silverheels biography : TONTO : The Man in Front of the Mask Jump up ^ Rhodes , Richard ( 1993 ) . Eastern Ojibwa = Chippewa - Ottawa Dictionary . New York : Mouton DeGruyter . p . Back cover . ISBN 3 - 11 - 013749 - 6 . Jump up ^ Striker , Jr. , Fran . `` What Does ' Kemo Sabe ' Really Mean ? '' . Old Time Radio . Retrieved November 12 , 2008 . CS1 maint : Multiple names : authors list ( link ) Jump up ^ Adams , Cecil . `` In the old Lone Ranger series , what did `` kemosabe '' mean ? `` . The Straight Dope . Retrieved June 1 , 2013 . Jump up ^ `` The Handbook of Private Schools '' . 1916 . Jump up ^ Seton , Ernest Thompson ( 1912 ) . `` The Book of Woodcraft and Indian Lore '' . Jump up ^ Adams , Cecil ( July 18 , 1997 ) . `` In the old Lone Ranger series , what did `` kemosabe '' mean ? `` . The Straight Dope . Retrieved 2011 - 11 - 28 . <Th_colspan="2"> The Lone Ranger <Td_colspan="2"> Tonto Creators Fran Striker George W. Trendle Television TV series ( 1949 -- 57 ) episodes First animated TV series ( 1966 -- 69 ) The Tarzan / Lone Ranger Adventure Hour ( 1980 -- 82 ) The Lone Ranger TV film ( 2003 ) Film The Lone Ranger ( 1938 serial ) The Lone Ranger Rides Again ( 1939 serial ) The Lone Ranger ( 1956 ) The Lone Ranger and the Lost City of Gold ( 1958 ) The Legend of the Lone Ranger ( 1981 ) The Lone Ranger ( 2013 ) soundtrack Other Video game ( 1991 ) The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven ( 1993 ) Jack Wrather `` Ke - mo sah - bee '' Green Hornet `` William Tell Overture '' Disney Infinity `` The Lone Stranger '' ( 2007 ) Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ke-mo_sah-bee&oldid=854748630 '' Categories : Lone Ranger Catchphrases Hidden categories : CS1 maint : Multiple names : authors list Talk Contents About Wikipedia Add links This page was last edited on 13 August 2018 , at 14 : 24 ( UTC ) . 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1. Ke-mo sah-bee: Term used by Tonto in The Lone Ranger
2. Meaning and origin of Ke-mo sah-bee
3. Use of Ke-mo sah-bee in the television series
4. Other uses of Ke-mo sah-bee
5. Spelling variations of Ke-mo sah-bee