Research and Inspirational Materials

## **Art**

* The Art of Kirby Sattler
* Dan Nance, Historical Artist
* Eva Wiedermann’s *Inuit Mythology Project*
* JerMohler on deviantART
* Jim Carson Studio (Images of the Great West)
* kyoht on deviantART

## **Films**

* Apocalypto
* Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner
* Black Robe
* Brotherhood of the Wolf (*Le Pacte des Loups*)
* Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
* Dances With Wolves
* The Last of the Mohicans
* The Mission
* Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
* Sleepy Hollow

## **Games**

* Assassin's Creed III
* Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag
* Going Native: Warpath
* New Fire RPG
* Oregon Trail

## **Maps**

* Aztec Empire and Mayan Zone of Influence
* First Nations of Canada
* Native American Tribes of the United States
* Western Native American Trade Routes and Rendezvous Points

## **Online Resources**

* The North American Indian, by Edward S. Curtis (photography)
* First People - Native American Legends
* The Immolation of Hernán Cortés, by Ross Hassig
* Inhabit Media
* InuitMyths.com
* Lands of Ice and Mice: An Alternate History of the Thule
* Native American Indian Legends and Folklore
* Peru: Hell and Back, by Kira Salak (writing for National Geographic)
* The Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian - Collections Search

## **Music**

* Authentic Music of the American Indian, by Various Artists
* Fourth World, Rainbow World, by R. Carlos Nakai
* Native American Music Mew
* songs of the voyageurs and french Canada
* "Tobacco Island", by Flogging Molly
* "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald", by Gordon Lightfoot
* Yuan, by the Guo Brothers

## **Nonfiction**

* 1421: The Year China Discovered America, by Gavin Menzies
* 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus, by Charles C. Mann - If you only read one thing on this entire list of materials, make sure it's this book. We promise, it *will*blow your mind.
* Black Elk Speaks: Being the Life Story of a Holy Man of the Oglala Sioux, by Black Elk and John G. Neihardt
* The Chinese Discovery of the New World, 15th Century: What the expedicions of a eunuch admiral might have led to, by Theodore F. Cook, Jr.
* Everyday Life Among the American Indians, 1800 to 1900, by Candy Moulton
* Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies, by Jared Diamond
* Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, by Harriet Ann Jacobs
* Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition (a.k.a. "The Corps of Discovery Expedition"), by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark
* Trade, Transportation, And Warfare (American Indian Contributions to the World), by Emory Dean Keoke and Kay Marie Porterfield

## **Novels**

* **American Gods, by Neil Gaiman** - It might not be *entirely*set in the right historical period, but it's still one of the best works of American fantasy-fiction ever written, even if the author *is* a Brit. Highly recommended, especially for campaigns which deal with spirits and/or deities. Look especially to the "Coming to America" sections.
* **Call of the Wild, by Jack London** - A tale of kidnapping, slavery, violence, rescue, friendship, and survival in the harsh Arctic... from a sled dog's perspective.
* **Roots: The Saga of an American Family, by Alex Haley** - A sprawling (and true!) epic of an American family, from enslavement to emancipation and beyond.
* **The Song of Hiawatha, by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow** - Though it's only loosely based on actual Indigenous stories (and includes a few episodes that Longfellow just made up out of whole cloth) and gets most of the names wrong, this lengthy poem gives the same epic treatment to Native American heroes that was formerly reserved for protagonists of Greco-Roman epics. Excellent Cahokian League adventure-material here, not to mention ideas for some wicked villains and awesome equipment.
* **Waterlily, by Ella Cara Deloria** - A rare glimpse into the realities of precontact tribal life. This book is made even more unusual by the fact that it is told from a woman's perspective, making it a rare tale indeed.

## **Short Stories**

* **The Cremation of Sam McGee, by Robert W. Service** - *The*archetypal Arctic ghost-story. The driving, relentless meter of this short narrative poem will leave it etched into your memory forever.
* **The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, by Washington Irving** - One of the first truly "American" writers weaves a tale of a small town, bitter rivalries, and a headless horseman who may or may not be supernatural in nature.
* **To Build a Fire, by Jack London** - A very short story of how quickly things can go fatally wrong when travelling the wilderness.
* **The Wendigo, by Algernon Blackwood** - The author's naked racism is a little shocking to modern sensibilities, but the way the author slowly ratchets up the spook-factor while denying us any true knowledge of the beast is masterfully done. DMs with interest in Tuniitaq should read this classic horror story.

## **Webcomics and Graphic Novels**

* **In the Hall of the Octopus, by Jonathan Dalton** - Just a quick little adventure-story in the Pacific Northwest. Short, but very well written and completely self-contained.
* **Lords of Death and Life, by Jonathan Dalton** - Tragically short but exquisitely illustrated, with top-notch worldbuilding.
* **Northlanders, by Brian Wood** - It's vikings, but finally done *right*! Not a single horned helmet to be found here, just blood, oaths, inheritance, and lots and lots of violence.
* **The Sandman: The Dream Hunters, by Neil Gaiman and P. Craig Russell** - Though it's set in old Japan, not China, this *Sandman*spinoff provides a very lucid glimpse into the psychology of the Huli Jing fox-spirits.
* **Snow by Night: A Tale of Colonial Fantasy, by Eric Menge, et al.** - In a fantastic version of colonial Quebec, two young thieves befriend a female *manitou* who is seeking a heart for herself - and the emotions which come with it. Excellent storytelling, gorgeous illustrations, loving depictions of daily life in colonial *Nouvelle France*, and some incredibly detailed world-building behind the scenes.