The Thunee Deck

[DavidV]

Following the emancipation of slaves in 1833, the owners of sugar cane plantations
searched for cheap docile and a low-waged work force. Britain was forced to look elsewhere and turned attention to India.
 
The solution was in the form of a forced labour system which in many ways resembled
enslavement. Indians, under an “indentured” or contract scheme began to replace Africans
on plantations across the British Empire, including Natal, South Africa (now known as Kwazula-Natal).
 
The first Indians to arrive in South Africa were reported to have arrived aboard the
Truro from Madras (now known as Chennai) in 1860.

At the end of the 19th Century, Mahatma Ghandi argued with the colonial government
in Natal for Indian rights. Through Ghandi’s efforts and the intervention by the Indian Government,
the indenture scheme finally came to an end in 1917
The Thunee deck pays homage to the Indentured Indian labourers in South Africa and
commemorates the origins of the game of Thunee.

The design, the colours and the script have been painstakingly researched. The
Thunee Deck embodies elements of the indentured labourer, elements of the
Tamil script and details that capture the essence and historical
significance of the game. The Thunee Deck is a full 52 card deck plus
jokers. This will appeal to magicians, cardist and collectors. But special attention has been devoted to the court cards and the ball cards that make the deck uniquely Thunee.
 

We intend to launch the deck on Kickstarter in June

We look forward to your support in this unique and historical project.
 

[Don Boyer]

Following the emancipation of slaves in 1833, the owners of sugar cane plantations
searched for cheap docile and a low-waged work force. Britain was forced to look elsewhere and turned attention to India.
 
The solution was in the form of a forced labour system which in many ways resembled
enslavement. Indians, under an “indentured” or contract scheme began to replace Africans
on plantations across the British Empire, including Natal, South Africa (now known as Kwazula-Natal).
 
The first Indians to arrive in South Africa were reported to have arrived aboard the
Truro from Madras (now known as Chennai) in 1860.

At the end of the 19th Century, Mahatma Ghandi argued with the colonial government
in Natal for Indian rights. Through Ghandi’s efforts and the intervention by the Indian Government,
the indenture scheme finally came to an end in 1917
The Thunee deck pays homage to the Indentured Indian labourers in South Africa and
commemorates the origins of the game of Thunee.

The design, the colours and the script have been painstakingly researched. The
Thunee Deck embodies elements of the indentured labourer, elements of the
Tamil script and details that capture the essence and historical
significance of the game. The Thunee Deck is a full 52 card deck plus
jokers. This will appeal to magicians, cardist and collectors. But special attention has been devoted to the court cards and the ball cards that make the deck uniquely Thunee.
 

We intend to launch the deck on Kickstarter in June

We look forward to your support in this unique and historical project.

The artwork looks pretty good so far.

Have you considered entering our deck design contest?  The links are in my signature, below this message.  The winner gets their deck published by the Expert Playing Card Company and receives 3 gross of their deck (36 dozen, or 432 decks).  You should check it out - if you don't win, Kickstarter will still be waiting there for you...