Created by Magda Weck Gonzalez (Star-Spider Woman), of Shawnee / Irish heritage, and J. A. Gonzalez (Rattling Bear), her husband, the Native American Tarot features Native American history, symbolism and folklore including material related by a Blackfoot medicine man. The cards depict different aspects of daily life from a variety of Native American tribes including Apache, Arapaho, Cherokee, Cheyenne, Chippewa, Comanche, Hopi, Huron, Innuit, Iroquois, Kiowa, Navajo, Papago, Pima, Pueblo, Shawnee, Sioux, etc.
Both traditional suits and traditional figures are modified in this deck, as follows:
Native American Suit |
Corresponds to Traditional Suit |
| Blades | Swords |
| Pipes | Wands |
| Vessels | Cups |
| Shields | Pentacles or Coins |
Native American Tribal Figure |
Corresponds to Traditional Figure |
| Matriarch | Queen |
| Chief | King |
| Warrior | Knight |
| Maiden | Page |
So, is this a deck you'd enjoy? Probably. This isn't the only tarot deck that relates Native American symbolism to Tarot symbolism - the Santa Fe Tarot also does this with Navajo mythology and, truth be told, I like the Santa Fe Tarot's artwork better than that found in the Native American Tarot.
On the other hand, the mythology discussed here is wide-ranging, and incorporates symbols and concepts from a number of Native American peoples. I also like the leaflet that comes with the deck (105 pp!), especially the different layouts at the back, such as the Aztec Pyramid Layout and the Shining Star Spread. If you're getting tired of the Celtic Cross, or just want to do something different once in a while, here's the answer.
The deck also comes as a tarot deck and book set, and the book, Star-Spider Speaks: The Teachings of the Native American Tarot is, at 224 pp., also substantial and worth the money.
The Native American Tarot Deck is available for purchase online - for more information, click here.
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