Kinfolk serve a vital purpose besides providing future generations of Garou. Garou numbers dwindle, no matter how assiduously they attempt to procreate. Gaia’s chosen warriors must, by necessity, depend on their Kinfolk to serve in many capacities: as quartermasters, supplying the Garou with equipment necessary to continue their war against the Wyrm; as support troops, taking on the Wyrm’s lesser warriors; as perimeter guards of caerns and other sacred lands; as scouts or spies, going among the minions of the
Weaver and the Wyrm in ways the Garou’s nature and temperament make difficult.
As more and more Garou find themselves involved head-on in the struggle to preserve the balance and defeat the growing forces of the Wyrm, Kinfolk become caught up in increasingly important aspects of Garou life — even though they may not know everything about what they’re doing.
Kinfolk of the Thirteen Tribes
Black Furies
The Black Furies’ overarching concern for women and children in the clutches of a patriarchal or male-dominated society brings them close to their Kinfolk, both male and female. Many female Kinfolk associate themselves with Black Fury circles. In Europe, and the Old World, the Sisterhood works to deliver Kinfolk and their children to places of safety. In the modern world, where genetic cleansing has resurfaced, Garou and Kinfolk of the Sisterhood have rescued women and children in Eastern Europe and in the new countries of the former Soviet Union, not to mention places in Africa and the Middle East. Male Kinfolk find a welcome place
in the Sisterhood. In many countries where this group of Black Furies fight for freedom and equal rights, male Kinfolk can go places and secure advantages not allowed to women.
These brave men recognize their jobs as important, but in no way superior to the job that Kinfolk and Garou women do. Many Kinfolk associated with the Sisterhood have learned hedge magic. Known as strega among the locals, they have a reputation as wise women and healers, another factor that brings down negative attention from the regional patriarchies.
Sisterhood Kin also train in combat fighting and martial arts skills, sometimes more than their Garou kin, who rely on natural weapons and strength as often as they do with other modes of fighting.
Where the Sisterhood provides welcome and safety for Kinfolk in Europe and other parts of the world, the Moon-Daughters, born from America’s flirtation with the New Age, serve the same purpose in the Western Hemisphere. Working with the Children of Gaia, the Furies of the Moon-Daughters more often seek peaceful solutions, though their warrior spirit never stays entirely quiet. They
embrace pagans, holistics, New Agers of all kinds, and even Christians who agree with their egalitarian, peaceful practices.
Moon-Daughters often practice ritual magic, keep wolf-Kin as close companions, and consider male Kinfolk (and some male non-Kin) as equal or nearly so.
Unlike many tribes, who place procreation above all other purposes for Kinfolk, Black Fury Kin acknowledge their duty to provide for the next generation of Black Furies, but also realize the importance of providing safety for all women and children. They have few problems with gay or alternate lifestyles, and some Black Fury groups seem to prefer same-sex companionships for everything except
producing children. Black Fury Kinfolk often choose to have male children, particularly those who show signs of becoming Garou, adopted into other tribes; in like manner, Black Fury Kinfolk willingly adopt girl children from tribes who prefer male scions, such as the Get of Fenris and some Shadow Lords.
Bone Gnawers
Unlike most other Garou, the Bone Gnawers do not suffer from a tendency to condescend to or underestimate their Kinfolk. Circumstances and history have conspired to place these Children of Rat on the low end of Garou society — just about on the level of Kinfolk. Some say that one day a Bone Gnawer Galliard woke up in a hut filled with Kinfolk, who were all passing the time telling stories about themselves and their past deeds. As the night wore on, each story grew longer, the intricacies more detailed,
and the events more fantastic. The Bone Gnawer listened to stories of enemies vanquished, innocents rescued, and the downtrodden given champions to defend them. Finally, his turn came to tell a tale. He tried to think of something he had done that stood out from among the others. At last he stood up in their midst and said, “I can do this.” He changed into his fiercest form and looked around. One or two of the Kinfolk looked amazed for a moment. Then they all applauded, and one of them offered him a drink from a freshly unstoppered clay jug. “Looks like you’re one of us,” the giver said. The Bone Gnawer resumed his human form to better partake of the refreshment, realizing that it didn’t matter who was who. They were all Bone Gnawers. All one of “us.” In fact, many Bone Gnawers realize that their Kinfolk often bear their thankless, trouble-filled lives with more courage and with many fewer advantages than
the Bone Gnawers do. From that day, as the Galliard’s story spread, Bone Gnawers looked at their Kinfolk with much more respect. Or so the story goes. Other stories say it was always that way.
Bone Gnawers hold their Kinfolk in high regard, or as highly as anyone with little regard for society’s trappings can. They understand that they and their Kin need to work together to achieve whatever Gaia wants from them. Kinfolk associated with the Bone Gnawer’s Rat Fink camp often occupy society’s lower rungs, holding down (or trying to) jobs as janitors, fast-food slingers, garbage collectors, file clerks, and other thankless jobs that support the necessary but unglamorous bottom-of-the-ladder to success. Along with their Garou kin, they traffic in information, and are generally in a good position to acquire odd facts. Both human and wolf Bone Gnawer Kin know of the Barking Chain, which uses coded yelps, howls, and barks to relay information from place to place, whether within a
city, between cities, or from city to rural Gnawers. Although human Kin can’t replicate the complex sounds used in this form of communication unless they possess the Chain Talk Gift, they know that any information passed along to lupus Kin will travel along the Chain to its desired end. Kinfolk who run with the Bone Gnawer’s “Hood” share their Garou relations’ desire to create a more equitable society by redistributing as much of the wealth as possible.
These Kinfolk range from petty thieves who have stumbled upon a “noble cause” upon which to hang their shady deeds, to pro-bono lawyers (not all of whom practice legally), and ex-social workers who realize that they can help more people outside than inside the system.
In many cities, Bone Gnawer Kinfolk find their way into jobs with local animal control. This allows them to locate Garou taken by surprise by their First Change; reports of “wild dogs” enable them to find and rescue these Garou, regardless of their tribe, and get them to safety before they end up in the back of an animal control van. Kinfolk also spearhead the drive for no-kill solutions to stray animals and lead the fight against dog- and cock-fighting rings. Road Warders’ Kin share the wanderlust of the Garou who make up this camp. Usually they have one prize possession, a van used for hauling their latest group of “family,” including Garou, down backroads and superhighways, or sometimes a motorcycle, for those who would rather travel closer to the ground. Some continue the hobo tradition; others wander only when the urge takes them, or when the jobs run out, or when they get caught.
The Kinfolk associated with the Bone Gnawers’ Hillfolk camp fulfill every stereotype conjured up by the word “hillbilly” — but only sometimes. For every ignorant, backward, illiterate, inbred mountain man and his barefoot family, there is an herbalist with a PhD in folklore and herbal healing, a diligent hill farmer whose home-schooled children are just as likely to attend university as they are to stay at home and add another room or two to the family homestead. Many of these Kinfolk turn their backs on technology; others boast of their satellite dishes and monitor their police radios religiously to keep up with the latest news. And, of course, they (Kinfolk and Garou) brew up the most righteous moonshine in the hollows of Appalachia, the Ozarks, and other mountainous regions. They are also more likely than most Kinfolk to involve themselves in family feuds that last for generations.
Children of Gaia
Of all the Garou, the Children of Gaia probably hold their Kinfolk in the highest esteem. Recognizing the importance of the role that Kinfolk play in the perpetuation of the species, the Garou accord Kinfolk equal status where possible, and near-equal in matters where Garou must take the lead. The residual stigma of one of their Kinfolk, Samuel Haight, whose notorious hatred of his inferior status led him to the discovery of “skinchanging” and to the subsequent formation of the outlawed Skin Dancers, has branded the
necessity of doing right by their Kin deep into the tribal consciousness. No one wants a repeat performance, with perhaps even more insidious consequences next time around. Like their Garou kin, Children of Gaia Kinfolk focus heavily on community involvement, particularly concentrating on environmental issues, social inequities, and relief efforts. Among the first responders after hurricane,
tsunami, and earthquake disasters, Children of Gaia and their Kinfolk worked side by side in volunteer rescue efforts, as well as post-disaster relief for both humans and animals. From national and international organizations such as the Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders, animal protection groups, wildlife preservation societies, and environmental conservation action programs, to local volunteer firefighters’ groups, benevolent societies, and grassroots self-help and protection groups, Children of Gaia Kin work toward the greatest good for the greatest number. Lupine Kin often act as caern guards and bawn sentinels, sharing in the life of the tribe as fully as possible.
Whenever possible, Garou Children attempt to include their Kinfolk in moots (at least in the parts where they may participate) and rites. Although they do not have “voting” rights when it comes to making decisions for septs, the wishes and ideas of Kinfolk receive consideration. Sometimes equality between Garou and Kinfolk can prove more than a Kinfolk can bear. Now and then, Garou expect too much of their Kin, particularly in combat situations. At times the physical shortcomings of Kinfolk have disastrous results and serve as grim reminders that equality of intent does not always result in equality in fact.
Fianna
For the Fianna, family encompasses so much more than blood relations. The Garou of Celtic human stock incorporate ideas of clan pride, fighting fellowships, and the joy of living and dying into their daily life. Kenning Kinfolk grow up knowing their connection not only to their Garou family but to a cultural tradition as well. Some Kin become caught up in the political and social struggles associated with their Celtic backgrounds.
The Irish and Scottish Fianna Kin sometimes find themselves embroiled in political activities that periodically erupt in violence. In the U.S., Fianna Kinfolk often participate in the close-knit activities of Irish or Scots-Irish Americans, attending meetings in Hibernian societies or participating in Highland celebrations. They sometimes adopt ethnic attitudes based on outdated and backward prejudices that date from a time when being Irish was unpopular, or when Americans of Irish and Scottish descent seldom got along.
Many Kinfolk need reminding from time to time that racial and ethnic tensions, religions and political differences do not belong in their world (or in any world), and that being Fianna takes precedence to everything else. While Fianna Kinfolk share with their Garou kin on an almost equal basis, the differences between Gaia’s warriors and their human support network loom large when it comes to battling the Wyrm and its minions. Kinfolk share in much of the life of the caern, with trusted families living within the bawn and carrying out duties connected with securing the caern’s surroundings. Feasts and celebrations include Kinfolk, and most Fianna septs uphold a tradition of the feast before battle. These occasions also provide an opportunity for Kin and Garou to choose partners, whether for a night or for a longer-term relationship.
Relations between Fianna Kin and Garou are far from promiscuous. Rather, they aim for an attitude that embraces the need for love in the face of impending death and the overwhelming belief that joy, however transcendent, overcomes the greatest of sorrows. Ingrained into the life of both Fianna Garou and their families is the attitude that life is precious and fleeting, joy should never wait for the “right time,” and family ties endure forever. Competitions play a part in many get-togethers among Fianna Kinfolk and Garou. Sometimes Kin and Garou compete on an even basis with dancing and drinking contests. (It’s not sporting to cheat by using the Resist Toxin Gift.)
Physical competitions generally separate Kinfolk from Garou, acknowledging the obvious differences in capabilities. Many Fianna Kinfolk follow occupations that reflect their cultural upbringing, as well as their penchant for work that tests their physical limits, such as police officers, firefighters, emergency responders, coaches or fitness instructors. Others become doctors, teachers, or artisans of various types. Not a few enter the hospitality field, excelling as brewers and caterers.
Some Kinfolk, particularly those whose families have learned to reconcile their Garou blood with traditional religious practices, enter the religious life as priests or nuns, if Catholic, and as ministers, if Protestant. Fianna Garou often have problems with Kinfolk desiring to enter vocations that require celibacy, since this removes them from the desperately needed breeding pool. While Fianna do not expressly forbid Kinfolk from making such decisions, they do insist that their Kinfolk have very good reasons for wanting to do
so. In cases like this, the alleged equality of relations between Garou and Kinfolk undergo their most severe tests.
Get of Fenris
While the Get of Fenris have a well-deserved reputation as fierce warriors, implacable foes, and often harsh advocates for Garou superiority, they represent something very different to their Kinfolk. The passion, loyalty, and devotion the Get have for their Kinfolk, and their protectiveness toward them, rivals their commitment to Gaia’s safety. Their Kinfolk know this, and have learned to accommodate the sometimes overweening authoritarianism of their Garou parents, sons, daughters, lovers, and other relations.
In general, Kinfolk do not question the decisions made by their Garou kin, even if it regards decisions that have to do with their own life choices. More often than not, however, a woman married to one of the Get will discuss with her mate whether or not she wants to get a job outside the home, pursue an advanced degree, or run for public office. In a similar fashion, a male Kinfolk married to a Get listens carefully to her opinions on what actions he should take to best fulfill his role as protector of their human family.
Although a distinction between the sexes once played a firm role within the tribe and between the Get and their Kinfolk, the lines between gender-appropriate activities has blurred as women have become more outspoken, and mainstream society comes closer and closer to blanket equality. Many Kinfolk still raise their children in the old ways, with strict roles for girls and boys. Other Kinfolk families pay more attention to where an individual’s strengths lie and try to nurture the actual talents of their children.
Get Kinfolk in the outside world tend toward careers that have tangible measures of success. Many men, and some women, aim for professions that give them authority and allow them to exercise their preference for taking control of a situation; many enjoy the discipline and challenge of attaining a medical or law degree and enter those fields with an eye toward eventually helping their tribe. Others look to military training to give them the ability to fight alongside their Garou kin if needed. Frequently, female Kinfolk seek
out the military as a way of impressing on their male Kinfolk as well as their Garou relations their fitness to do battle for Gaia. Female Kin also take on vocations that allow them to serve as role models for the next generation of girls, whether Kinfolk or not, by teaching self-defense, sports, and other activities meant to bolster confidence and bring out leadership qualities.
Some Kinfolk band together to hunt down creatures such as vampires and destructive ghosts, while simultaneously protecting the werewolves under their roofs. While the stereotypes of Fenris Garou ruling their Kinfolk with an iron hand may continue to exist, the truth of the matter is that the stereotype is becoming the exception.
Glass Walkers
Glass Walker Kinfolk occupy an unenviable spot compared to most other Kinfolk. On the one-hand, Glass Walkers value their Kinfolk highly and, consequently, expect a lot from them. On the other hand, the Walkers themselves fulfill most of the functions usually filled by Kinfolk of other tribes. As financiers and businesspersons, they raise ample funding for the tribe. They’re also able to perform urban-based activities such as purchasing equipment and food for caerns or septs, and forming contacts with local
authorities as well as the criminal underworld. Since the Garou take over these aspects of tribal survival, the major portion of Kinfolk jobs are serving as breeding stock and taking on jobs that require them to travel far from the sept.
Throughout their history, female Glass Walker Kinfolk have had a harder time finding a place in tribal society than their male counterparts. Some, in fact, joined human institutions such as the Church, where, as nuns, they could exercise indirect influence to keep their Garou kin out of trouble. This, however, removed them from the breeding pool, so female Kinfolk often had to overcome a lot of opposition if they wanted to take this path. Male Kinfolk were only slightly better off. The Garou often found uses for their male Kinfolk by sending them as spies into the territories of other tribes or Wyrm-suspected agencies. This resulted in taking these Kinfolk away from their families for long periods of time, often fostering lessthan- perfect relations between Garou and their Kin.
Despite the disadvantages many Glass Walker Kinfolk experience, they do enjoy the protection of the tribe. Many septs require their Kin to live within the caern, usually in separate quarters, in order to protect them. This applies most often to pregnant females and children. Access to sophisticated arms and various weaponry, combat armor, and other protections enable Glass Walkers to outfit their Kinfolk well enough to join them in combat. The Garou do not expect their Kin to battle the Wyrm’s supernatural allies, but they do find Kinfolk extremely helpful in combatting the Wyrm’s human servants and some weaker fomori. With certain Gifts and at least one special rite, Glass Walker Kin can temporarily work together with Garou as a pack, availing themselves of the benefits of the pack totem as if they were Garou.
Red Talons
Red Talon Kinfolk are wolves, and only wolves. Nevertheless, the distinction between Kinfolk and Garou that exists with other tribes and their homid Kin still comes into play. Garou do consider themselves superior in many ways to their wolf-Kin. They have Gaia’s mandate to fight for her; their Kin only know survival. Their “human mind,” which enables them to take on Homid form and walk among humans, gives them the ability to think ahead, to plan, and to take precautions. This means they know how to protect their birth-pack, with whom they generally form close ties and from whom they will probably choose a mate.
Wolf-Kin automatically recognize pack leaders, though they do not attach the word “alpha” (or any word) to them. These Kinfolk follow their Garou relative’s instructions, communicated through vocal sounds and body language. They know when to hunt and when to stay behind while their Garou kin leaves for other business. Red Talon Kinfolk do not display the same resentment
at their relegation to an inferior place. Their instincts tell them to accept their place in wolf society. Since Garou live longer than either humans or wolves, one Red Talon may, in fact, preside over multiple generations of wolves within the pack. Wolves attain maturity within two years; this means that wolf cubs soon learn the proper behavior around their Red Talon leader, innately learning the submission of pack member to leader. The downside of this longevity and pack stability falls upon the shoulders of the Red Talon, who must see generations of beloved mates and comrades, even children, grow old and die.
Wolves still remain endangered, for the most part. Especially in places where the law no longer protects them, humans take advantage of their unprotected status to hunt them. More and more, Red Talons find themselves in the position of acting as keeper to packs of wolves, either their birth-pack, or else one they encounter after their First Change.
Occasionally, one wolf Kinfolk may stand out above the rest of the pack. Perhaps she has passed the usual time for a Firsting (two years for a lupus Garou) and has not changed, indicating that something has gone amiss. Nevertheless, this wolf exhibits some types of reasoning that seem more Garou than wolf. These wolf-Kin may, in fact, possess one or two points of Gnosis, a sign that Gaia
has touched this wolf without fully calling her into service as a Garou. These rarities among wolf-Kin may learn certain limited Gifts, provided their Red Talon Garou kin elect to help them learn and intercede with the spirits to teach these Gifts in such a way that a wolf can perform them.
Wolf-kin who possess Gifts generally do not use them on their own, but at the instigation of their Garou relatives.
Shadow Lords
Though many of their oldest Kinfolk families come from Eastern Europe and Central Asia, the Shadow Lords choose their Kin from the available humans around them. In modern times, Shadow Lord Kinfolk cover the gamut of races, ethnic backgrounds, and wolf breeds. These ambitious Garou look more to qualities other than national heritage for selecting their Kin. They prefer individuals who are, first and foremost, intelligent, cunning, and ambitious. They select lupus Kin in the same way, from wolves who demonstrate more intelligence and survival traits than others. Wherever possible, Shadow Lords prefer Kinfolk whose talents have
made them powerful, either financially or politically. For the most part, Shadow Lords show little favoritism between the sexes. Although more men than women, even today, have power in their own right, many women have come into power, while still others demonstrate the potential sought by the Shadow Lords. Like most Garou, the Shadow Lords take great care to protect their Kinfolk,
so long as their Kin prove worthy of protection. A stupid incautious Kinfolk can expect little help from the Lords should he find himself endangered.
Despite their ambitions, Shadow Lords do not always enjoy the type of resources they require to fulfill their responsibilities toward Gaia. For this, they rely on their Kinfolk, using their power and influence as they see fit. Shadow Lords try to work within human organizations to minimize the damage humans can do to Gaia’s creations, as well as to counter the effect of predatory beings, such as
vampires, on human actions. Kinfolk become very useful in this regard, since they frequently enjoy positions of power (or potential power) in police forces, local and state governments, banking, and other business fields. Moreover, Shadow Lords and their Kinfolk recognize the great power wielded by the criminal underworld, whether Mafia, the Russian Mob, Mexican drug cartels, or other types of illegal groups. Wherever there is power, there are Shadow Lords — and their Kinfolk.
Where Garou from other tribes may keep their Kinfolk at a distance, Shadow Lords tend to work closely with their Kin, incorporating them into strike teams similar to those used by the Glass Walkers, or working side-by-side in the same institutions. Thus both Kinfolk and Garou have served on the same police force, sometimes within the same unit, whether general investigators, special victims units, vice, or other squads.
Silent Striders
Silent Striders draw their Kinfolk from among the world’s nomadic populations. Some of the oldest Kinfolk families date as far back as the time when the Semitic tribes wandered in the desert. Other Kinfolk claim Romany, Mongol, tinkers, African and Central Asian nomads, and other historic wanderers. When the tribe arrived in the New World, their wanderings brought them into contact with the native tribes. In some cases, they were able to convince the Uktena to allow contact with the local population, so that a few Native American families are Strider Kinfolk.
Unlike the Garou, Silent Strider Kinfolk do not suffer under the mandate to keep wandering. Because of this, Kinfolk often provide their Garou kin with stable places to stop during their travels. With their Kinfolk, Striders can receive a bed for the night, a hot meal, supplies and, sometimes, companionship and romance. Because of their perpetual wanderings, Striders often have the opportunity to visit with their lupus Kinfolk, making sure that the lupine blood stays strong within the tribe. They also have the ability to make sure their wolf packs receive the protection they need to survive in a world too rife with hunters.
Many Strider Kinfolk inherit the wandering “gene,” and take to the road in caravans such as traveling circuses, motorcycle clubs (or “gangs”), and similar groups. While these Kinfolk cannot supply Silent Strider Garou with a lot of resources or financial assistance, they do, however, provide a mobile support network. Some Silent Strider Kinfolk inherit a trace of the tribe’s supernatural connection, and, along with the Fianna Kinfolk, have a propensity for receiving what is often called “the sight.” Some Kinfolk find work as professional psychics or paranormal investigators. Others try to ignore any hint of a supernatural gift, figuring that being
Kin to a werewolf is supernatural enough.
Because Silent Striders keep very few records other than oral histories, they tend to lose their Kinfolk ties more than most other tribes. Many of the callow Kinfolk come from Silent Strider lineage. Although the Silent Striders value and respect their Kinfolk, they do not usually form close ties to them due to their own compulsion to wander. Sometimes, a Garou and Kinfolk make a lifelong match. In that case, the Kinfolk usually elects to accompany their Garou partner. Most Kinfolk pursue occupations that allow for the
possibility of frequent moves. Strider Kinfolk serve as park rangers, wildlife photographers, explorers, and modern day adventurers, as well as members of such groups as Doctors Without Borders and many international rescue agencies. Others preserve the travelers’ lifestyle, while a few remain in one spot to provide way stations for their wandering Garou kin.
Striders do not treat female Kinfolk any differently from male family members unless they decide to choose a mate. Usually, male Striders remain with pregnant Kinfolk until the safe birth of a child. Likewise, female Garou tend to remain with their Kinfolk partners until they have given birth.
Silver Fangs
In the past, Silver Fangs chose their Kinfolk only from those humans with royal blood and from wolves with impeccable breeding. Since royalty has become rarer and so much harder to find, Silver Fangs have broadened their Kinfolk base to include humans from notable bloodlines, including families that have places of respect in their various communities — the new nobility! Once a family takes its place in the ranks of Silver Fang Kin, their Garou kin keep a careful watch over them.
So concerned are the Silver Fangs with preserving certain bloodlines and ensuring that none of their approved lines grow weak through improper or casual mating, that they often take arranged marriages to the extreme. Silver Fangs do not mate for love, or even politics. They mate to keep their bloodlines pure. They believe themselves to be the leaders of Gaia’s warriors, and that they have a duty to breed the finest Garou possible to carry out their destiny. This means that they have to hold their Kinfolk to their own narrow standards.
Outside of breeding, the Silver Fangs act to protect their Kinfolk, as do most Garou tribes. They tend to interfere more in the daily lives of their Kin than some other tribes, expressing their disapproval if Kinfolk settle for jobs that do not recognize their stellar leadership qualities. They pull strings whenever they can to make certain that their Kinfolk get and keep prestigious jobs, and even prefer it when a Kinfolk is independently wealthy and does not need to work. Anything their human families do that brings acclaim
to them likewise improves the standing of the Silver Fangs — at least in their own eyes. The spark of madness that marks the Silver Fangs also touches their Kinfolk to some degree, expressing itself in any of the popular neuroses or else in peculiar quirks that
make them seem just “odd.”
Stargazers
The Stargazers present a challenge to the rest of the Garou. By striving to overcome their Rage instead of channeling it for Gaia’s use, they seem to deny the essence of what makes them Garou. Their Kinfolk face a similar dichotomy. As Kinfolk, they feel the pull of Gaia’s need for warriors. At the same time, the Garou who are closest to them hold them at a distance, refusing the bonds of attachment that provide a secure identity for Kinfolk families.
Most Stargazer Kinfolk come from populations associated with the mysticism of the East. Early Stargazers selected Kinfolk from Nepal and the Himalayan region as well as both the Near East (India) and the Far East. In modern times, Stargazers select Kinfolk from all over the world, so long as they possess the qualities they deem preferable for their tribal aims. They seek out mystics, pacifists, and other people who turn away from war as a solution to the world’s problems. Many Stargazer Kinfolk now come from some Native American tribes, usually with the permission of local Uktena.
Of all the Garou, the Stargazers cherish their Kinfolk most and love them the least. The ingrained habits of non-attachment lead Stargazer Garou to keep their Kinfolk at a distance, becoming part of their lives only when they choose to breed or need their assistance. In many cases, Stargazers hide their Kinfolk away in out of the way communities, making sure they are safe and protected. While some Kinfolk may resent the lack of closeness to their Garou kin, others recognize the respect with which the Stargazers regard them and appreciate the ability to live their lives as they see fit.
Some few Stargazers opt to settle down and live peacefully with their Kinfolk. These are most likely to form enclaves and secure compounds closed away from the outside world. Many Kinfolk choose occupations as philosophers, counselors, and other careers that profit from detachment. Some become doctors, nurses, and members of emergency response groups when they interact with the outside world. They find their sense of detachment helpful for keeping calm in stressful circumstances. Others become teachers,
spreading their attitude of peaceful detachment along with their lessons.
Uktena
Of all the Garou tribes, the Uktena have the highest regard for their Kinfolk. Rather than simply cherishing and protecting them like most tribes, the Uktena view their Kinfolk as an integral part of their lives. Kinfolk participate in many Uktena rites, attend moots, voice their opinions; share songs, dances, and lore freely (or as freely as any secret- keeper shares anything); and acknowledge a wide variety of peoples as their Kin.
Once, the Uktena only selected members of the First People who were among the first inhabitants of the Pure Lands; when the original First People died out or disappeared, they chose Kinfolk from among the tribes of the southeastern mountains, the south, and southwest, leaving the northern tribes for their Little Brothers, the Wendigo.
After the Wyrmcomers destroyed many of their Kinfolk, the Uktena opened their hearts to other displaced tribes — the people of Africa brought to North and South America as slaves, as well as later immigrants who suffered from the European Wyrmbringers. Eventually, Uktena could count native Hawai’ians, Australian aborigines, Maori tribes, Siberian tribal folk, Polynesians, and Caribbean native peoples. Everyone, in fact, became welcome as potential Kinfolk except for the European settlers who arrived in the
aftermath of Columbus’ voyages.
From this general population, Uktena look particularly for individuals with a strong spark of spirituality. Many of their Kinfolk have some knowledge of the spirit world, either as shamans, medicine men and women, spirit healers, and the like. Others have simply found their way into or connected with the spirt world on one or more occasions. Uktena tend to nurture the spirituality of Kinfolk and usually try to teach them Gifts wherever possible.
Often Uktena Kinfolk dwell within the caern or at least within the bawn of the sept and share in its caretaking as much as they can. They do not fully participate in all Uktena dealings, but they rarely feel the sense of exclusion that Kinfolk of other tribes experience.
Formerly, the Uktena kept themselves at a distance from their Kinfolk, but the events of history convinced them that their fates and those of their Kinfolk intertwined so closely that they needed to keep their Kinfolk close to them. In many ways, Uktena Kinfolk enjoy belonging to a large extended family. Because many native people tend not to marry within their clans but rely on outbreeding with other clans of the tribe to keep their bloodlines vital, many Uktena Kinfolk rely on tribal matchmakers to select partners for mating or for longer relationships. Even the Garou generally follow the advice of the matchmakers, who consult the spirits and their oral records to make sure the marriages or liaisons do not violate any tribal taboos. Within those strictures, Uktena Garou and Kinfolk often find love as well as respect and affection in their relations with each other.
Wendigo
Despite their reputation for harshness and ferocity, the Wendigo are second only to the Uktena in their deep involvement with the lives of their Kinfolk. Like the Wendigo Garou, the Kinfolk, many of whom come from the native tribes of the extreme northern regions of the American continent, face a day-to-day struggle for survival. The Inuit, Aleuts, Yakuts, and other arctic tribes live in a harsh and unforgiving environment. The tribes of the northern and northeastern U. S., such as the tribes that made up the People of the Six Nations in the American northeast (Mohawks, Oneidas, Onondagas, Cayugas, Senecas, and Tuscaroras) dealt with the historical encroachment of the Wyrmbringers onto their lands and their own removal to reservations. In modern times, they still deal with grinding poverty and substandard living conditions. As much as they can, the Wendigo try to keep their Kinfolk true to their native customs and traditions. They also include their Kin in many of their rites and teach them Gifts to give them an
edge particularly useful in the cold arctic and tundra regions of Canada, Alaska, and Siberia.
Since the Wendigo Garou exist in a state of perpetual warfare against both the predations of the Wyrm and the presence of the European Garou, they often spend time away from their Kinfolk as they carry on their constant attacks on their enemies. Protection of their Kin looms high in their system of priorities. They know that without their Kin, they cannot exist.
Of more concern than even their human Kin, however, is the state of wolves in the American north and in Canada. The near-extinction of the wolf has led many Wendigo to find and preserve their own wolf packs in isolated lands seldom trod by humans. They, more than any tribe, realize that the loss of the wolf would spell the death of the Garou as the human strain would eventually thin out the Garou blood.
They believe that they are also the key to the salvation of the Red Talons as a tribe, should those Garou ever decide to mate with humans. To this end, some Wendigo and their Kinfolk practice living as minimally as possible to provide a less threatening environment for social interactions with Red Talons in Homid form.
Many Kinfolk realize that in spite of their Garou kin’s desire to separate themselves from mainstream culture and its Weaver-saturated standards, spending time among the Weaver-infested society that surrounds them provides them with information on events that might affect the native tribes as well as the Garou. These Kinfolk make themselves part of the mainstream, but usually choose occupations that allow them to help their people. Work in wildlife conservation, in the medical professions, as lawyers, and organizers for Indian Rights keeps Kinfolk up on the times and able to warn their Garou relations if trouble lies ahead.
Whenever they can, Wendigo take Kinfolk with them and teach them how to hunt and how to survive in the northern wilderness. They try to encourage their Kin to keep in touch with Gaia’s world as much as possible, since they recognize the propensity of many tribal natives toward falling into despair, turning to alcohol or drugs, or becoming part of the growing criminal element that grows in areas where legitimate work and fair treatment are the exception rather than the rule.
Although Wendigo almost exclusively select their Kinfolk from among the native tribes of Canada, the northern American states, Siberia, and other sub-arctic and arctic tribes, exceptions always exist.