Is there such a thing? Here in Germany we tend to have some strong “noble savage” stereotypes in our head due to Karl May and his stories permeating the culture. However this has of course also instilled me with some interest in the matter. I have read some books but wondered if there was an RPG in that area that’s not problematic in one way or another.
LF Native American Mythology RPG written by Native Americans
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I don’t believe there’s a “mythology” RPG (which again is a loaded term because for many of the people there it’s their faith and religion and not a mythology) but off hand there is Ehdrighor by Allen Turner (who is Lakota).
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/117380/Ehdrigohr-The-Roleplaying-Game
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Thank you for the tip.
What would be a better term for this then Mythology? I refer to all religious symbology and the like as a Mythology as I don’t know a better word that combines religion with culture.
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Perhaps “belief system”?
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Anthony P, a Coast Salish and Tlingit author, and Alina Pete, a Cree author and artist, created Ohunkakan: The Living Myths for the Monte Cook RPG “The Strange.”
Anthony also wrote the on-hiatus OSR blog Straits of Anián. He made the forthcoming Coast of Grizzly Dreams as part of the Slumbering Ursine Dunes KS. He’s stepped away from gaming stuff for a bit, but Coast of Grizzly Dreams (which specifically draws on Pacific Northwest mythology, legends, and folklore for inspiration) will still be released.
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Belief system would probably be the best term.
To give an example, calling tribal beliefs “myths” is the equivalent of me calling the scientific method a myth.
Which, you know, I do but not usually to people who hold Western science as a core part of their reality because it tends to upset them.
Jonathan already suggested the best example that comes to mind. It’s important to know that Ehdrigohr is from the point of view of one specific tribe and not all Native Americans, but that’s a big part of its strength: it unapologetically leans into the author’s Lakota culture.
Potlatch is a tabletop card game which emulates the potlatch custom of the Salish tribe and is available for free print-and-play. While it won’t give you the same rpg dynamics, it does introduce you to a Salish view on economics.
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For those interested, this is a very basic overview of the deeply problematic roots and history of German mainstream view on Native American cultures (has a 3min prelude, 20min length, CN: cultural appropriation, Nazism, white-washing, racism, erasure, genocide):
Germany’s Native American Fantasy
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Eh… maybe it’s the scholar in me, but I don’t think you need to bin the word mythology. In common usage, myth can mean “untrue story,” but that is not the only definition; in religious studies, myth/mythology are widely accepted and non-judgmental terms (though their precise definitions are debated). I think, in this case, mythology is an accurate phrase and probably okay to use, as long as it is used respectfully and non-dogmatically.
Especially since Ehdrigohr and Ohunkakan both use the terms “mythology” and “myths” to describe their settings. It’s even in Ohunkakan’s name!
(In my anecdotal experience, objection to the words comes mostly [but not entirely] from Western monotheists who don’t like their “truth” being compared to the “myths” [here used in the dismissive way] of foreigners and ancient pagans. The pagans and polytheists whom I know personally use the terms. But, again, just anecdotal - it’s something that informs my viewpoint, but I don’t claim to speak for everyone and don’t claim that only those following Abrahamic religions will have an issue.)
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Thanks all, I appreciate the tips and insight.
I figure you’d say if you knew, but is there any timeline for a Grizzly Coast release? I’ve been slowly doing research for a Straits of Anian campaign, and it would be great to have for that.
A useful set of definitions for terms noted above:
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Oh! Well, if we’re going to include Potlatch then I would also suggest Beth Lapensée (Anishinaabe) who has a pile of video games as well as a few board games.
In particular, Gift Of Food.
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Not right now, sorry. I’ll let you know as soon as I can, though 
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I haven’t read it but I would assume that Shoshana Kessock’s Fate Worlds Western setting contains some mythological aspects of Native American history.
The co-authors of my game Ghost Drums are Mayan Tz’utujiles, and the game is the recreation of an old Mayan ghost story.
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To add to this point, most First Nations folks that I know object to it because it flows from a long history of white peoples demonizing, infanilizing, and othering traditional beliefs. Not because the term itself couldn’t hold value, but the club it has been used as over time is still very visible in the word, especially when it comes from a settler academic perspective.
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