Native American Environments

Hi M. E. C.,

I take it that Yankton is your tribe. What about band and nation of the Sioux Confederacy?

Also, do you have a list of American Indian resources one could use when creating an American Aborigine setting/campaign?

BTW, around here the local tribes are doing a pretty good job of "liberating" currency from local residents and tourists in their casinos.

Inspired by This Thread

GLOSSARY
Ærth: Earth
Æropa: Europe
Atlantl (a-tlan-tl): Atlantis
Teclan: Successors to the Aztecs
Vargaard: North America
(that should do it)

This thread got me to thinking about the effects of long term (relatively) low level contact between the lands of Æropa and Vargaard (via Atlantl) on the fantasy world of Ærth (Dangerous Journeys: Mythus setting). Fret not, I'll restrain myself and not cover the whole of Vargaard. Just the Missourian Tribes.

Which would be the Vargaardian aboriginal tribes living along the Missouri River.

The current year, by Æropean reckoning, is now 1003 since the fall of Atlantl. After close to 3,000 years of contact with Æropa via Atlantl, Vargaard has gone through a few changes. With the introduction of horses, cattle, and grains, the Missourian tribes have made a few changes. Their villages have grown into towns, and some few have expanded into cities. Making the Missourian culture one of the largest in Vargaard in terms of territory and population.

Along with this urbanization has come a breakdown in the tribal structure. Missourians are more apt to refer to themselves as being from a particular town or city than as belonging to a particular tribe or band.

At present the Missourians are organized as a series of city states, but along the upper reaches the expansion of the Nakota is forcing the western plains tribes (Crow, Arapaho, etc.) into Missourian territory. So the Missourian city states along that stretch of the river are starting to cooperate against the raiders/immigrants. At the same time the Comanche are encouraging the Missourians along the lower third of the Missouri River to join together against the growing Teclan threat.

Other than the Nakota, The Sioux (which also includes the Cheyenne, who joined a couple of generations ago) are being good neighbors. But Missourian colonists are establishing towns, and even a few cities, in Lakota and Nakota territory, which is starting to cause some friction. (The Sioux herd bison, and the introduction of Missourian cattle into their grazing lands is causing no end of resentment.)

There you have a snapshot of current conditions on the High Plains of Vargaard. A new civilization aborning, imminent hostilities, and a paradigm shift in an ancient culture.

I could mention the Iroquis and their expansion westward to incorporate the tribes of the Ohio Valley into their "benevolent" association, which is worrying the Dakota no end, and their allies further west. The Sioux are debating the wisdom of a war to drive the Missourians from their land. A concurrent war against the Iroquis over the Ohio Valley could cripple their defense of their Northern Plains holdings. But, that would make this message a tad too long.

Be that as it may, I hope you found this useful in one way or another.

ON another note(not trying to hijack this thread, BTW) does anybody mix in any bits and pieces of American Indian(or Native American, if you prefer) lore into their games?

posted by mythusmage
I take it that Yankton is your tribe. What about band and nation of the Sioux Confederacy?

Also, do you have a list of American Indian resources one could use when creating an American Aborigine setting/campaign?

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Wow, what a loaded question. I could go into detail about the history of the Sioux (or Lakota/Dakota as some like to be called), but lets just say (and I don't want to get off this thread's topic) that I am decended from those people who now live on the Yankton Sioux Reservation through my grandfather. I actually grew up in the Northwestern US and probably know more about the Indian culture here as I have worked with and have friends from the Indian communities here.

That aside, as far as gaming resources, there have been many named here that are appropriate for campaign purposes. I'm a big fan of Forgotten Realms so Maztica is a great resource (they just need to update it to 3e). There is a nice new website that uses the Aztec culture for 3e at http://www.virtualjuarez.com/Michitlan/ And there is the d20 Aztecs:Empire of the Dying Sun. Also an old article in Dragon (#204 "The People") detailed the use of N. American Indian cultures for use with D&D. Sad to say, there isn't much for South America. I would love to see an Inka d20!

Outside of gaming, there is a ton of resources one could draw upon for a campaign. I really depends on what geographic area you want, as the environment helped shape the culture (i.e The Great Plains, The Southeast, The Southwest, etc.) A great book is "Through Indian Eyes" by Reader's Digest. It breaks it down region by region. As far as Fantasy Fiction, I recommend the Chosen of Changeling series by G. Keyes. While not entirely based on American Indian cultures, Dr. Keyes, an anthropologist, uses many Indian cultural concepts. Also, the Alvin Maker series by Card are good.

BTW, while the word "Aborigine" does mean "earliest inhabitants of a certain region," it is often used to distinguish those earliest inhabitants of Australia. Again, having worked and lived in the community (and I think this was mentioned above) "Indian" or a specific tribe are how many identify themselves


Ya gotta love those casinos!! Sticking it to da Man.

Native American barbarians

mmadsen said:

In reading Leckie's The Wars of America, I was reminded just how perfectly the European colonists' accounts of Indian attacks would fit Orc barbarians. Politically correct? No. Evocative? Definitely! Imagine Orc raiders ripping open villagers' chests to eat their hearts. Or letting captured PCs live because they didn't cry out under torture -- and inviting them to join the tribe!

Click to expand...

Oh that's great hong!!! I love it.

Only to be outdone by the native Australian Half Elf...

It seems the beauty of native North American culture is rivalled only by the sheer wonder of native Australian culture...

I love the nightlife, I've got to boogie...

Being 1/4 Blackfoot Indian, and a Gamer

I have wanted to attempt a campaign in a setting such as this but I got the calls of Savage, and "my character wears a loin cloth and is called he who walks the walk" so having been degraded by my previous players I gave up, and only recently have I added facets of First American culture into my campaign.


Facets of the Cultures of the Native Americans I am using

Religous, or spiritual beliefs Shamanism, and the Quasi folk lorish background that ties the race in with the rest of the world.

Lack of written tradition, I have used this for wild elves who were the descendents of a vastly more civilized culture who had descendended into wilderness, but still had verbal connections to the ruins in a forested area (though warped by time)

I am however a detail oriented DM and try and flush out my kingdoms to the tiniest dimension

Mean Eyed Cat said:

Wow, what a loaded question. I could go into detail about the history of the Sioux (or Lakota/Dakota as some like to be called), but lets just say (and I don't want to get off this thread's topic) that I am decended from those people who now live on the Yankton Sioux Reservation through my grandfather. I actually grew up in the Northwestern US and probably know more about the Indian culture here as I have worked with and have friends from the Indian communities here.

Click to expand...

So, Lakota or Dakota, and why did you leave out the Nakota?

Do any of your friends game? Could you get them on these boards to chat about their part of the country and their ancestors? Their perspective could be helpful.

I think there's a lot that can be done with the material that exists. Neat and extensive archaelogical and anthropological stuff is out there, not too mention some extensive literary traditions, however oral and corrupted they may be. What's really missing is a proper tradition of fantastic conception of the prior conceptual terrain.

I mean, it's not like standard DnD is really based that extensively on medieval records, reality, or imagination. The most medieval components are the technology, certain components of the societal models, and a bizarre pastiche of ideas about how heroes would be conceived as behaving.

Those components certainly being present, more or less, in our understanding of pre-Columbian cultures, what is really missing to create a great game is all the material that makes up the difference in DnD standard vs. Medieval history.

I've heard that DeLint incorporates a fair amount of North American mythology into some of his novels.

Some of White Wolf's Werewolf, Mage, and Changeling supplements did a pretty great job of creating a proper adventuring arena of North and South American elements.

Actually, a DnD game with the feel of the three North American werewolf tribe books would be very possible and pretty dang cool.

Maztica was a good thought, but not so great in execution, IMO. It was availale on ESD.

I'd love to see a Nyambe style fan book, that would rock! So many regions to develop.... ....mmmmmmmm, cultural diversity...

Had a best friend whose Mother works to construct or restore buildings in New Mexico in styles appropriate to various cultural groups and tribes. So there are precedents for recovery in other fields.