Tribebook: Uktena (Werewolf)

Rating:
Summary: White Wolf Saved the Best for Last
Review: Honestly, I may be somewhat biased as the Uktena are my favorite Tribe, but I would have to say this is the best Tribebook that was printed for Werewolf: the Apocalypse. The intro fiction was quite enjoyable, introducing us to Erishka Derr, a young Choctaw Uktena who just liberated a stolen Native American fetish from a museum and is acting as a body guard to Jolon, a kinfolk travelling to various Uktena septs around the world (and to Erishka's journal, a very clever plot device the authors used to insert differing opinions and commentary into the book). Together their travels help to introduce the Uktena Tribe in a really enjoyable manner.

Chapter One: Smoke Talk takes our protagonists to a small Seminole Sept in Florida where they learn about the Tribe's history from their arrival in the Pure Lands to the present debate about the Red Star, and everything in between. The Tribe's claiming of Uktena as a totem, the Anasazi, the arrival of the Wyrmbringers (Aztec Uktena were the first to meet them, starting with Shadow Lords who followed the conquistadors), the fall of the Croatan, the Trail of Tears, the War of Tears and the Tribe's arrival in Australia, the war for the Plains and much more gets covered. Even details on the Uktena's decision to include worthy outsiders. In addition, several sidebars provide info on stuff like a small Uktena cult that ate the hearts of it's enemies, the Ghost Dance (allegedly started by their Paiute kin), occult practices in the modern world, slavery and even opposing views on creation and the arrival of the Wyrmbringers. The chapter also closes out with a nice timeline, showing major events both in Uktena history and Native American histroy, with a definate focus on Nations of the california, southeast, southwest and Central America, like the Aztecs, Cherokee, Choctaw, Comanche, Navajo and Hopi. Enough here for any historical game, even if you know next to nothing about Native American history.

Feathered Dances, Hidden Hearts, covers the culture and society of the Uktena Tribe, and finds Jolon and Erishka going to a Cherokee Sept in Appalachia, a Navajo-Hopi Sept in Arizona, a Hawai'ian Sept, a Sept on the Texas-Mexico border and finally an Aboriginal Sept in Australia's Outback. Along the way we learn about Uktena views on the Litany, Auspices, Rites of Passage, Moots, Breeds and the Triat. A deeper look is taken at Uktena Totems, including Uktena himself and his home realm of Galunlati, and theres lots on Kinfolk both Native and non-Native. Theres also a look at the Camps, like the Earthguides, Bane Tenders, Scouts, Ghost Dancers and others. A new Camp, the Web Walkers (who study the Weaver), has formed, and the Society of the Bitter Frost has fallen to the Wyrm (a lesson in the dangers of hatred). Info on the Uktena's territories, from the Americas to Siberia and the Pacific Islands, is also given. It closes out with a look at outsiders, including other Tribes (even the Bunyip and Croatan), other Fera and various odds and ends like vampires, Nunnehi, shaman and witches.

The next Chapter, Deep Waters, gives all kinds of gaming goodies. Theres advice for fleshing out Uktena, such as culture, tribal relations and magic/spirituality, in addition to suggestions for Backgrounds. Amongst the crunchy bits are some new Abilities (Stickball, Gesture and Tribal Lore), lots of Gifts (some adapted from the old Tribebook and the Wild West, others being entirely new; Another's Moccasins, Indian Giver and Becoming Uktena are all pretty cool!), several new Rites (Mockery Curing Way and the Rite of Bane Binding are particularly memorable) and even new Fetishes and Talens (Snake Bow, Flint Arrow Shirt, Ulunsuti and Vision Paint, amongst others, are really neat). Theres also new Totems, like Gila Monster and Wild Turkey, and new spirit allies (including a wild turkey-gaffling). This chapter goes on examining key Septs across the world, including not only updates of Uktena Septs from Rage Across Appalachia, Rage Across Australia, Caerns: Places of Power and Rage Across Russia, but also a new Caern in Arizona that studies Aztec magic! It then ends with some advice for making it scary and mysterious, and some recommended reading. The selections are all excellent, ranging from the fiction of Manly Wade Wellman and Tony Hillerman to Native American mythology, Hawai'ian native activism and James Mooney's History, Myths and Sacred Formulas of the Cherokee. All are good reading.

The book ends with Bottomless Pools, which provides five Uktena templates as usual, one for each Auspice. Suprisingly, all of them are pretty cool and innovative, and they include a healer who mixes modern medicine with shamanism, a museum curator who liberates tribal fetishes, a lupus who seeks out new indigenous kinfolk, a traditional Navajo Singer and a investigator of the occult. Theres also a look at some Uktena of note, including not only the signature character Amy Hundred-Voices but a number of the characters from the text. Theres others too, like Tysoyaha a Miccosukee Ragabash who travelled to Africa to learn about the black slaves the Wyrmbringers brought to Florida and met with one of the Ananasi! And of course, theres an Uktena character sheet you can use in the back of the book.

All in all, this was an amazing book. Everything about it really captured the feel of the Uktena. It was especially interesting to see the focus on making them connected to Native cultures, especially the Maya, Ute, Zuni, Pueblos, Apache, Chickasaw, Seminole and other southern groups. While definately Native American feeling, the book makes it pretty clear that they are not connected to any one culture (in fact at one point they mention how sandpainting is something of the Navajo, not of theirs) yet at the same time open to all manner of indigenous peoples throughout the world. Occaisonal reference is made to Haitian voudon, the Hmong, Pacific Islanders, Maori, Lapps, Bedouin, the Ainu of Japan, Mongols, Yakuts and other native peoples the Uktena have taken in. It really is a nice book, probably one of the best resources for Werewolf. Check it out.