Uktena
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“You , who like greedy children were so quick to steal our lands and sacred places, accuse us of keeping knowledge from you. Like children, then, we treat you. When the time is right, we will tell you what you need to know. Until then, do not distract us from our tasks. You little understand what we truly do.”

- Standing Rock, Uktena Theurge and Gatekeeper

Overview


The Uktena were primarily responsible for the network of caerns that bound many Wyrm spirits in the New World. When the Wyrmcomers (European Garou) upset that balance and took many caerns away from the Uktena, the interlopers unleashed horrors held at bay for centuries. Europeans drove the Native Americans from their homelands, and the Red Talons coopted the Uktena wolf-kin, thus disrupting the tribe's breeding stock. Since the first European colonists set foot on American soil, the Uktena have fought a desperate defensive battle to contain the Wyrm's corruption and the Weaver's enticements.

Where once they bred exclusively with Native American stock, the Uktena have broadened their breeding stock to include African-Americans, Hispanics and Asian-Americans in hopes of revitalizing their dwindling human populations. Their solidarity with the civil rights and cultural pride movements among these groups has helped bring the Uktena back from the brink of xenophobia. While many Uktena elders still advocate extreme caution in dealing with Garou of European stock, a growing number of Uktena support forming alliances (albeit wary ones) with the other tribes.

Recently, the Uktena have risen again alongside many groups dedicated to empowering minorities and preserving oppressed cultures. The once-dispossessed tribe is beginning to take back ancient caerns on tribal lands returned to Native Americans. They are reopening some caerns that were abandoned, as a few of them now have "protected" status, either as habitats for endangered species or as cultural landmarks. As it has become "politically correct" to eschew racism, their Kinfolk (and the Uktena themselves) realize greater opportunities to thrive. With this renewed hope, the Uktena have become both more visible and more active.

Visibility invites attack, however, and the Uktena have many enemies, including corrupt government officials who wish to "keep tribals in their place." In many areas, Uktena defend their Kinfolk from exploitation, the influx of drugs and growing violence. Despite their aversion to urban areas, many Uktena find it necessary to live (at least part-time) in the cities.

The plight of urban Uktena and their Kinfolk has reopened old wounds. Growing anger and desperation lead to talk of uprisings as the Uktena strive to prevent the total assimilation of their Kinfolk and the concomitant loss of cultural identity. The preservation of spirituality and secret lore within native cultures has, for the tribe, achieved nearly equal importance with the reclamation of the wilderness and the recovery of forgotten caerns.

Appearance
In Lupus form, most Uktena have reddish-black fur; many skulk as though they are stalking unseen spirits. In Homid form, they project an aura of mystery and menace, with a disconcerting habit of staring intently at everything around them. Many adapt the clothing and appearance of their ancestors. Some "adopted" tribalists are very eclectic, gathering fragments of the cultures that interest them most. While many pure-bred Uktena are Native American, the tribe includes indigenous peoples from throughout the world. Maori warriors and Cherokee mystics work side-by-side with African shamans. When in meditation, an Uktena acts as cryptically as any Umbral spirit, but when angered, she radiates a cold ferocity as fiercely as the balefires of Hell.

Kinfolk
The Uktena are guardians of the dispossessed, of tribes and peoples who have lost their lands to foreign conquest. Uktena Kinfolk belong to a wide spectrum of oppressed ethnic groups. From Native American reservations to urban ‘hoods, from the depths of the Amazon to the islands of the South Pacific, Uktena Kinfolk build strong communities that preserve their heritage. Adversity forces strength. Even lupus Kinfolk gather in tightly knit packs.

Organization


Since they reflect so many disparate cultures and tribal practices, the Uktena rely on a loose structure of councils rather than a strict hierarchy. Within these councils, the voices of the elders carry great weight. While the overall decentralization of the Uktena prevents any one individual or group from gaining too much power and, thus, lessens the chance for corruption, the lack of structured leadership also makes it difficult for the tribe to present a united front on many issues important to the well-being of the Garou.

At each solstice and equinox, a Great Council, made up of a chosen representative from each Uktena protectorate, meets. While any Uktena could be chosen to attend, in actuality the council exclusively comprises respected elders. The Uktena are all too aware of the trouble that can result from the impulsiveness of youth. The council debates matters of great import to the entire tribe. As a governing body, it is not usually effective, for custom dictates that decisions of the council must be unanimous. Feuds among protectorates or individuals on the council preclude many such decisions. Nonetheless, each representative takes back news to his or her protectorate, thus affording the Uktena more communication than might otherwise be possible.

Tribal Weakness


Intense Curiosity
The Uktena are almost pathologically compelled to unravel any mysteries presented to them; their totem is a spirit of secrets and hidden lore, and they feel a very strong compulsion to bring more knowledge to Uktena’s side. When an Uktena learns that somebody knows something he doesn’t, he becomes distracted until he’s able to wrest the secret free. The Storyteller may impose various penalties on the character until he can learn the secret. Examples include having trouble concentrating (+1 difficulty for all Willpower rolls), a short temper (-1 difficulty to frenzy) or a surly disposition (+1 difficulty for Social rolls).

However, when an Uktena has gained the truth behind a secret in a particularly ingenious or clever fashion, he may gain a temporary point of Wisdom Renown or regain a point of spent Willpower (Storyteller’s option).

Camps


Bane Tenders
Uktena who belong to this camp embody the most sinister and brooding aspects of their tribe. Responsible for keeping watch over the Great Banes bound by the tribe in its earliest days in the Pure Lands, these grim Garou spend most of their time locked in endless vigils. When a Bane Tender chooses to attend a council of Uktena, her words weigh heavily upon the ears of her listeners. Treated with respect and fear by their fellow Uktena, Bane Tenders have few friends; most Uktena stay as far away from them as possible. The Earth Guides conduct regular tests upon this camp's members to check them for evidence of Wyrm- taint because of the Bane Tenders' regular proximity to the creatures they guard. For this reason, the Bane Tenders universally loathe the Earth Guides.

Earth Guides
These tradition-minded Garou keep the old ways alive by encouraging Native American practices and spirituality among both Garou and Kinfolk. One of the largest and most respected camps, the Earth Guides try to lead "white folks" to an understanding of these ways as well. They claim credit for the awakening of a new consciousness among Americans since the '60s.

Ghost Dancers
This group embraces members of both the Uktena and Wendigo tribes. Whereas the Wendigo remember the warlike aspects of the Great Ghost Dance of 1889, the Uktena recall the spiritual underpinnings and mystical rites associated with it. Primarily concerned with searching for signs in the Umbra that their fellow Pure Ones, the Croatan, might still exist somewhere, Ghost Dancers also seek to keep their heritage alive for younger Kinfolk.

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