I've taken a longer than anticipated break from this than I was initially expecting. I don't have any new, exciting research breakthroughs or events attended or other real related SCA updates to share in terms of anything that pushes along what I've been doing.
That's not to say I've not been through changes when it comes to the SCA, and my place within it.
First of everything, I've officially, if quietly, stepped away from House Strangewayes. I had wished for it to have been a more amicable break than it turned out to be, but the maturity with which my leaving was handled was outside my control. I wish no ill will on the current members of the House, even now, and I have no intention of spread gross and dirty rumor through this (or any other) channel. Just rest assured, whoever may still be reading, that it's been about 8 months since I'd moved on from the House and I am much happier for it. I hope the House and the members continue to pursue their goals.
As you may have put together, this was around the same time that Trimgate happened, which was one of the last things I had updated on. Trimgate, as it's come to be known as I understand it, had a rather profound impact on me. The timing of it -- being essentially coincidental to my reassessing where I sat within the Society being a "free agent" -- gave me a lot of pause.
It turned what was going to be a few months of break while I got my head about me and figured out what I wanted to really do on my own, into the break you're seeing now. Frankly, the way it had been handled by the leadership within the SCA was a huge turn off at a time I was vulnerable. An open comment period, where I did write the Board, and then 7 months of no official statements regarding the incident, the issue of racism in general, and some of the problematic policies/practices which allowed for such an incident to occur. I was disappointed and, frankly, as a gay man with racial minority children, did not at all feel like I could be safe within the SCA. The threads of apologism that kept percolating up also didn't help.
If I'm going to participate in a hobby which expects me to show up, be counted and be seen in order to be considered a part of it, then I want that hobby to strenuously work to be a safe place for me and people like me. The SCA failed in that task.
I had kept a low, outside profile for the following months. Pennsic came and I was starting to feel a pang of nostalgia and want. I wanted to do it again. I wanted to figure out how to best go about participating in a way that I could presume my own safety. How I could make a mark, while also keeping my family safe. That, maybe, this was something that could be pushed for change, and that I could find a way to forgive the poor actions of the Board of Directors downward.
Then the Trimaris Order of Defense incident happened.
As a result, I dropped myself from all contact within the SCA. I cannot, at this point, associate myself with an organization so inept at the basics of racism and racial bias as to do nothing in the face of what is clearly a rising tide of white nationalism and white supremacy within the rank and file.
I didn't lose the SCA; the SCA lost me. I cannot and will not be associated with white nationalism, white supremacy and this kind of white ignorance. No hobby is worth that.
I may continue to do the research I love on my own, but I've not really decided what I'm going to do in regards to all of that. Right now, I've been focus on other passions in my life which I'd not been able to pursue because of the demands of my life, and the demands of the SCA.
I have a new job, at a new company. I have my two boys, who're my entire world. I have projects at home I've been putting off that I'm finally starting to tackle with the attention they deserve. I want to make my life more ecologically friendly -- from my consumerism to my landscaping and garden. All of these things I've been passionate about, but back burned to hobble along in the SCA as a persona no one really felt comfortable having.
I'm going to keep this blog up, because I think what I've already uncovered may be of some help to someone, but I am not going to make a concerted effort to continue my research, at least for now. Instead, I've been toying with starting a blog for my landscaping, gardening and sustainability efforts. I'm not totally sold on that, yet, because there is already a glut of those kinds of resources and voices, but it's on the radar.
Until next time.
Showing posts with label SCA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label SCA. Show all posts
26 August 2018
01 February 2018
Uncomfortable
Medieval Studies has a white supremacy problem.
Recently, this came knocking on the SCA's door with what's been called "trimgate". Royals outside my kingdom wore a commissioned garment with a trim based on the Snartemo V pattern. I will not link or display the image directly, as it would be a distraction. They have abdicated and their Kingdom is in a healing process right now. I'm not here to interrupt or otherwise impede the healing of another Kingdom, my Kingdom is still healing from its own, very different, trauma.
What I want to unpack is what I'm seeing as an aftermath. This is a departure from my usual writing, so if you've come here for research updates and the like, this is an entry you can certainly skip. I feel compelled to say something, anything, in the effort that my words can help explain what so many people are still feeling, and it requires me to break down the fantasy and build in the very real person who does the research into the hypothetical Erdeneqadajin.
I am a white gay man, and a father to two beautiful black children. My entire life outside the SCA is looks and judgments. I come to the SCA as an escape from the grind of life. Much of my found family plays the game; we encourage each other and support each other.
What I'm seeing is that this is not the rule, but rather the exception for people like me.
If you clicked on the link for the Snartemo V pattern, you can see the original is believed to have a fylfot, or Norse swastika. The interpretation that is causing the outrage took the swatiska, and matched it with other symbols of the Nazi party and the neo-Nazi movement. Whether this is based on an academic interpretation of the weave, or infused with artistic license, I don't think matters. What does matter is that it was there, large, in photographs for the SCA, devoid of context.
What matters more is that when there was an outrage, a justifiable outrage, those people were made to be the problem. They were told they were opposed to historicism, that the history of the garment outweighed the real history that came after it. The glossing over of the co-opting of Norse history by white supremacy and what could have been a real discussion of how the SCA, which is increasingly seeing a surge of Viking-age personae, separates people who are lovers of the real history of the Vikings from those who use the fantasy of Aryan crusaders ridding the world of non-Aryan people.
This echos the complaints about the harassment policy put in place to help combat bullying and sexual harassment that needed addressing right before the #MeToo movement exploded into consciousness. Where "the SJWs are ruining the game" with their "PC nonsense".
Even more, it's the same vein of complaint levied against Inspirational Equality, which was launched directly for people like me, who kept seeing men fight for their wives and wondered what the real harm was if a man wanted to fight for his husband (or wife for wife, of course). Once again, it was the SJWs making problems for the rest of the society, clutching their pearls about things that "weren't important".
At what point, then, do we admit that there is a huge problem with Reactionary Conservatism embedded within the culture of the SCA? When do we soul search and determine who wins -- the people who take into consideration the modern meanings and visuals of what we're doing in conjunction with the history we're looking to be inspired by?
More personally, who gets to feel comfortable in the SCA? The people who think it's ok to put swastika on garb, harass women and keep it straight? or is it the people who think that ignoring the importance of the swastika is Holocaust denial, think that all people should have protection and see no harm in letting other people fully participate?
I don't know if there's really enough people looking for an answer to that. That's a huge problem that needs addressing.
Recently, this came knocking on the SCA's door with what's been called "trimgate". Royals outside my kingdom wore a commissioned garment with a trim based on the Snartemo V pattern. I will not link or display the image directly, as it would be a distraction. They have abdicated and their Kingdom is in a healing process right now. I'm not here to interrupt or otherwise impede the healing of another Kingdom, my Kingdom is still healing from its own, very different, trauma.
What I want to unpack is what I'm seeing as an aftermath. This is a departure from my usual writing, so if you've come here for research updates and the like, this is an entry you can certainly skip. I feel compelled to say something, anything, in the effort that my words can help explain what so many people are still feeling, and it requires me to break down the fantasy and build in the very real person who does the research into the hypothetical Erdeneqadajin.
I am a white gay man, and a father to two beautiful black children. My entire life outside the SCA is looks and judgments. I come to the SCA as an escape from the grind of life. Much of my found family plays the game; we encourage each other and support each other.
What I'm seeing is that this is not the rule, but rather the exception for people like me.
If you clicked on the link for the Snartemo V pattern, you can see the original is believed to have a fylfot, or Norse swastika. The interpretation that is causing the outrage took the swatiska, and matched it with other symbols of the Nazi party and the neo-Nazi movement. Whether this is based on an academic interpretation of the weave, or infused with artistic license, I don't think matters. What does matter is that it was there, large, in photographs for the SCA, devoid of context.
What matters more is that when there was an outrage, a justifiable outrage, those people were made to be the problem. They were told they were opposed to historicism, that the history of the garment outweighed the real history that came after it. The glossing over of the co-opting of Norse history by white supremacy and what could have been a real discussion of how the SCA, which is increasingly seeing a surge of Viking-age personae, separates people who are lovers of the real history of the Vikings from those who use the fantasy of Aryan crusaders ridding the world of non-Aryan people.
This echos the complaints about the harassment policy put in place to help combat bullying and sexual harassment that needed addressing right before the #MeToo movement exploded into consciousness. Where "the SJWs are ruining the game" with their "PC nonsense".
Even more, it's the same vein of complaint levied against Inspirational Equality, which was launched directly for people like me, who kept seeing men fight for their wives and wondered what the real harm was if a man wanted to fight for his husband (or wife for wife, of course). Once again, it was the SJWs making problems for the rest of the society, clutching their pearls about things that "weren't important".
At what point, then, do we admit that there is a huge problem with Reactionary Conservatism embedded within the culture of the SCA? When do we soul search and determine who wins -- the people who take into consideration the modern meanings and visuals of what we're doing in conjunction with the history we're looking to be inspired by?
More personally, who gets to feel comfortable in the SCA? The people who think it's ok to put swastika on garb, harass women and keep it straight? or is it the people who think that ignoring the importance of the swastika is Holocaust denial, think that all people should have protection and see no harm in letting other people fully participate?
I don't know if there's really enough people looking for an answer to that. That's a huge problem that needs addressing.
01 July 2017
Supply Chains
The last posting here was a bit of a crisis point for me. I was looking down at what I was doing and I really, deeply was not feeling it. I was wavering and wiggling all around trying to figure out why, within the context of what I was doing. I was toying with dropping the whole thing, but not entirely seriously at that point.
Then, I made a trip to Barnes & Noble, because where else does a lost nerd go but to a place filled with information. I went there to pick up a bullet journal, but of course, left with a new book on the Silk Road. It's titled The Silk Road: A New History -- link takes you to B&N (I do not have sponsors; I get no personal gain from recommendations).
Normally, this would be an entirely unremarkable event. When I go to book stores, I typically scour their Asian history section/subsection to see what they have within my research wheelhouse. I have a decent digital archive, but I like actual books on real paper. I'm a highlighter and margin note taker. I can print out what I have digitally, but it's easier if it comes printed.
This time, though, it's caused a big shift. But first, a little background.
In my real life, I work in supply chain. I'm one of the many people who ensure that the products you want from a specific retailer is available for purchase in your area. Shipping, lead time, demand and vendor of origin are all concepts and challenges I contend with on a daily basis for our modern infrastructure. I love the intricacies of how products get from here to there -- manufacturer to end customer. It's one of my main draws to the Silk Routes -- studying how all these goods and peoples changed each other over time.
This book, though "study" could be as easily applicable a word, looks at it from the angle of my current job. The author looks at what moved along the Silk Roads in central and eastern Asia -- through sifting the old refuse pits for goods, wares and manifests.
It all unlocked at that point, for me. A specific focus on a specific hypothetical person is the wrong kind of narrow for me -- unfolding the character isn't what speaks to me. What I love are the things that make his environment: what language or languages did he speak - what did they sound like and how did they operate grammatically; what stuff would he consider normal and where did it come from; who would he had bought it from; what would be exotic and interesting but not entire abnormal?
I've decided a change in focus would do me good, at least for now. I'm going to dive into the operations of the Silk Routes and related trading routes. How did they work? How did folks typically travel before selling a good? What impact does political stability have on those distances?
I've already uncovered some clues -- the author of the book which kicked this off contends most traders traveled pretty exclusively between 2 to 3 cities (i.e. buy X, sell Y in New York; buy Y and sell X in Philadelphia). I want to see what other people who study this have seen to see if this is a prevalent or niche idea.
I'm gripped and fascinated in a way I haven't been for a while. This is a good sign to me, so I'm going to follow the road to see where it takes me.
This time, though, it's caused a big shift. But first, a little background.
In my real life, I work in supply chain. I'm one of the many people who ensure that the products you want from a specific retailer is available for purchase in your area. Shipping, lead time, demand and vendor of origin are all concepts and challenges I contend with on a daily basis for our modern infrastructure. I love the intricacies of how products get from here to there -- manufacturer to end customer. It's one of my main draws to the Silk Routes -- studying how all these goods and peoples changed each other over time.
This book, though "study" could be as easily applicable a word, looks at it from the angle of my current job. The author looks at what moved along the Silk Roads in central and eastern Asia -- through sifting the old refuse pits for goods, wares and manifests.
It all unlocked at that point, for me. A specific focus on a specific hypothetical person is the wrong kind of narrow for me -- unfolding the character isn't what speaks to me. What I love are the things that make his environment: what language or languages did he speak - what did they sound like and how did they operate grammatically; what stuff would he consider normal and where did it come from; who would he had bought it from; what would be exotic and interesting but not entire abnormal?
I've decided a change in focus would do me good, at least for now. I'm going to dive into the operations of the Silk Routes and related trading routes. How did they work? How did folks typically travel before selling a good? What impact does political stability have on those distances?
I've already uncovered some clues -- the author of the book which kicked this off contends most traders traveled pretty exclusively between 2 to 3 cities (i.e. buy X, sell Y in New York; buy Y and sell X in Philadelphia). I want to see what other people who study this have seen to see if this is a prevalent or niche idea.
I'm gripped and fascinated in a way I haven't been for a while. This is a good sign to me, so I'm going to follow the road to see where it takes me.
29 January 2017
Excitement
I took a big step this weekend.
This weekend was the Market Day at Birka event here in the East. It's the largest event that the Barony of Stonemache (New Hampshire) does and I make it a point to get there every year. It always a source of inspiration for me when I see what other people do. The A&S display inspires me to get my hands into things more, there are always a few peerages earned (because it is work and dedication to get there), the fashion show where we all get to peacock just a little bit; it's just a great event that I really enjoy. It breathes some life into me after the long slog of the holidays and just getting through the tough, New England winter.
To take a step back, I've been doing my various research projects for a while now, as life has allowed. I'm getting to a point where I need to have some help in how to overcome some of the challenges I'm reaching. That tells me I need the assistance of someone who's been there before, or at least can help me move through, around or over those walls.
I'd talked about how I was feeling the need to have some additional help with some members of my house. One of my housemates, Elvira, had been taken on as a student of one of our friends who is a Laurel, Baroness V.
Over the course of many months, Elvira and I talked about how the student-teacher relationship functioned, what it means, how it changes the way she approaches the game, as well as general pros and cons of the process. It gave me a great deal of insight and a reassurance that I did need to find someone who could me overcome my research troubles, while also respecting that my life is hugely chaotic and dynamic at times.
Over the course of many months, Elvira and I talked about how the student-teacher relationship functioned, what it means, how it changes the way she approaches the game, as well as general pros and cons of the process. It gave me a great deal of insight and a reassurance that I did need to find someone who could me overcome my research troubles, while also respecting that my life is hugely chaotic and dynamic at times.
Baroness V and I have been getting to know each other more and more over the past year, when she kind of burst onto my scene (even though she is well established in her own right). We have a similar outlook on life and understanding of the importance of valuing real life over the SCA. In addition to that, before her current persona, she earned her Laurel for doing ground breaking and difficult deep dives in the creation of a Indian persona.
So, in addition to being a great personality fit, she's also a great research fit, have blazed a similar trail with a different culture.
At the event, I got to really be able to talk to her at the event regarding my research. I'd been trying to get the opportunity to do it, but life got in the way. We talked through the major points, where I'm at, an elevator version of this blog, too, and she was really digging it.
So, I asked if she could taken me on as a student. It was a bit bold on my part, as I don't know the decorum, but I did it.
So, I asked if she could taken me on as a student. It was a bit bold on my part, as I don't know the decorum, but I did it.
She said yes.
I now have a peer to work with in a student-teacher relationship and I couldn't be happier with the step. I'm excited to see where this takes things, as I've already got a research source direction change out of the conversation to help things along better.
I don't think I've been this excited about my research in a while.
28 August 2016
Photography and Garb Snobbery
I had started another post on variants in Mongol garb in period (which make it sound like some sort of terrible thesis paper), and I got sidetracked into something which should really be its own post. So, here I am! It's like a bonus update born out of my own rambling! Everyone hopefully wins!
This arose because I have seen gentles of all statures dabble in and out of Mongol. I think it's great, but I am often concerned about what their source materials are. From what I typically see from folks who don't entrench in Mongol, it's usually a turn into the "folk costume" trap.
This happens to a lot of people and how we got something like the "Irish Dress" which is questionably medieval and questionably ever worn as real clothing, outside of costume.
Taking the folk costume (like, from a Ren Faire or a cultural festival) and assuming it's "what they wore back then". Sometimes it's pretty close to the truth, which is real in the case of the Mongols. Often, though, it's gone through some changes and is really more of a costume than a heritage clothing piece, or throwback.
So, how does this all tie in together?
I'm a terrible, internal garb snark. I'm also pretty entrenched in what I'm doing at this point. I have a decent eye, now, to see where in the deel evolution something lies. And, more importantly, if someone is copying from a tribe they probably shouldn't.
This isn't to say I've not fallen into the trap, but to keep myself more accountable for myself, I created a Pinterest board dedicated to things which could look like or pass as period Mongol, but aren't.
The bottom line, though, is that if you can find it in a photograph -- whether colorized, color or black and white -- that's not of a piece of art or a surviving artifact, it's out of period.
This isn't to say that I'm not hugely excited to see someone swim in the warm waters of Mongol. There aren't many of us, to my understanding, that do it as a main persona. To see others do it makes me excited because visibility is huge, especially in a social organization like the SCA. I just have a gatekeeper/protective mentality when what I do doesn't look like what they do because my focus, intensity and sourcing is different.
This arose because I have seen gentles of all statures dabble in and out of Mongol. I think it's great, but I am often concerned about what their source materials are. From what I typically see from folks who don't entrench in Mongol, it's usually a turn into the "folk costume" trap.
This happens to a lot of people and how we got something like the "Irish Dress" which is questionably medieval and questionably ever worn as real clothing, outside of costume.
Taking the folk costume (like, from a Ren Faire or a cultural festival) and assuming it's "what they wore back then". Sometimes it's pretty close to the truth, which is real in the case of the Mongols. Often, though, it's gone through some changes and is really more of a costume than a heritage clothing piece, or throwback.
So, how does this all tie in together?
I'm a terrible, internal garb snark. I'm also pretty entrenched in what I'm doing at this point. I have a decent eye, now, to see where in the deel evolution something lies. And, more importantly, if someone is copying from a tribe they probably shouldn't.
This isn't to say I've not fallen into the trap, but to keep myself more accountable for myself, I created a Pinterest board dedicated to things which could look like or pass as period Mongol, but aren't.
The bottom line, though, is that if you can find it in a photograph -- whether colorized, color or black and white -- that's not of a piece of art or a surviving artifact, it's out of period.
This isn't to say that I'm not hugely excited to see someone swim in the warm waters of Mongol. There aren't many of us, to my understanding, that do it as a main persona. To see others do it makes me excited because visibility is huge, especially in a social organization like the SCA. I just have a gatekeeper/protective mentality when what I do doesn't look like what they do because my focus, intensity and sourcing is different.
A Little Off Topic -- King's and Queen's Equestrian Champions
I want to take a few inches to update on things that aren't about my research, but are relevant to this as an SCA blog.
I've mentioned before, most notably in my Birka posts, that I am a member of a robust household in Society -- House Strangewayes. We started out as a group of friends who played together, dipping our fingers into the different parts of what the SCA has to offer and, over time, we've started to take flight a bit, as well as grow.
I was part of the first real expansion of the House, and there's been a steady expansion since I came on board, almost 10 years ago.
Yesterday at KQ Equestrian Tournament and Champions, was a big day for the House.
First, one of our newest members, Gritta (who I don't believe has a blog, yet, for her work) received her Award of Arms. She's still very new into playing -- having attended her first event closing in on a year ago. In that time, she's really come right into making some quite exceptional German garb. Her sewing skills floor me, as I'm not the greatest craftsman at sewing.
It was a good day yesterday for all of us -- Shire, and House.
I've mentioned before, most notably in my Birka posts, that I am a member of a robust household in Society -- House Strangewayes. We started out as a group of friends who played together, dipping our fingers into the different parts of what the SCA has to offer and, over time, we've started to take flight a bit, as well as grow.
I was part of the first real expansion of the House, and there's been a steady expansion since I came on board, almost 10 years ago.
Yesterday at KQ Equestrian Tournament and Champions, was a big day for the House.
First, one of our newest members, Gritta (who I don't believe has a blog, yet, for her work) received her Award of Arms. She's still very new into playing -- having attended her first event closing in on a year ago. In that time, she's really come right into making some quite exceptional German garb. Her sewing skills floor me, as I'm not the greatest craftsman at sewing.
Gritta is on the bottom right-hand side in the feathered cap. At Birka 2016 (this photo), she won a special award for having the most historically accurate dress, by the eye of the judges, in the Fashion Show. It was well deserved and it was her first German garb ever! From there, she's been upping her skills and looking around at more examples of German.
I'm excited to see what else she does as the continues to wade into the SCA, and especially the Arts and Sciences. She's also become a fast friend of mine, specifically, so I was overjoyed to see her recognized by the Crown for the great work and even better conduct example she's been setting. She is a true asset to the Society and I'm thrilled that I get to call her a friend. I'm so proud of her recognition that I could gush for ages!
Fortune also received an induction into The Order of the Burdened Tyger. I've linked to the awards page for the East Kingdom, but it's a service award that is granted for exceptional service, typical for an event that required a huge amount of logistical rejiggering to work. Fortune, Lord Aleksei and other gentles I don't know in any way, received the induction for their work during Coronation.
Fortune outlines all that went into the event here, and it's a really great run down of how she in particular, and her leadership team overall, earned the Burdened Tyger. It's a "wow, awesome, big deal" kind of award. Fortune and I have been friends for over a decade now, before either of us were SCAdians. She's jumped into SCA and really has blossomed, both personally and skills-wise, since joining up. To see her receive an Award of Honor made my heart smile.
Between the two awards, it was a great day for good friends, for the Household, and I had a tinge of pride myself at knowing these people and helping to support them as they grow themselves, which is really what SCA is all about -- helping each other pursue our interests and growing together as humans.
Vivant to you both, and to all the recipients of awards, including the Shire as the first recipient of the Company of Fellowship for our willingness to come together as a community. Her Majesty, in her description, said beautifully that it shows the Shire is a group who thinks of the "we" instead of the "I" (and may be a tinge on the nutty side). I think it's a great testament that the Shire got awarded this new honor on the same day others received Burdened Tyger, which wouldn't have been possible without that same "we not me" attitude.
It was a good day yesterday for all of us -- Shire, and House.
05 June 2016
Birka 2016
It all started with a garb challenge.
This year's Birka Queen's challenge was Pixar inspired. I immediately glommed onto it as one of the ways I like to challenge myself when I'm idling thinking about garb is to convert characters into culturally appropriate inspiration. I may be a nerd, but I'm a multifaceted and creative one.
As a Household, we decided to go with Toy Story as our main inspiration. A bunch of us participated in the challenge -- we had Jesse and Buzz, Etch-a-Sketch, Bo Peep, the Claw Machine Aliens and Partysaurus Rex.
I did this guy:
I thought the colors were nice and in the range of what I like to wear generally, I had an idea as to what I could do for the slinky part and, additionally, I had an idea of what I wanted to do for headgear (spoiler: that was a miserable failure and I think I interpreted the entire hat incorrectly).
But, first, let's see what I did come up with, and was wearable, shall we?
There I am! All strutting my stuff down the runway at the fashion show.
Here is a less elegant photo of me so you can see the pattern better.
I'll start with that pattern as it seems, on first glance, to be the most obtrusively modern part of the whole thing. It actually isn't.
I chose Slinky Dog because I had thought of an example of a Mongol on horseback from the Shahnama (book of Kings) credited to Abu'l Qasim Firdausi at the Met:
The print I found didn't exactly match, but it was close enough to pull the inspiration. You also may have noticed I did some alterations from what's discretely pictured in the source material.
My persona was not yet part of the nobility, haven't had received my AoA at that point in time. From what I've been able to tell, the long-under-short seems to indicate someone of relative wealth and importance, the first step on the ladder up. To accommodate for that, I ditched the specific under deel and went with the the weave pattern of the over deel. Acting above your station was punishable by death to the Mongols at the time and, I take to heart making sure you think with your persona in creating your looks.
Another detail I want to point out is that the sleeves are lined with an embellishment. I've seen this often enough that I typically do it for all my deel. It adds a splash of additional interest and I, frankly, enjoy it.
Pulling back to how I applied these to the challenge and the way everything relates together, I'm going to refresh your eyes.
The chain link pattern on the main overcoat is the slinky part of the dog. Additionally, the brown is to reference the body, both front and hind, of the toy. My favorite detail I included at the last minute was to add the little bit of brown at the end of the belt. If you look at Slink, you can see that he has a spring for a tail that is capped in the brown plastic. I wanted to keep that to further drive home the inspiration as, on its face, the deel is a bit abstract.
The hat, on the other hand, was an unmitigated disaster from start to finish and I'm taking it as a huge learning opportunity, but for construction and methodology fails.
Obviously Slink is based on a daschund, with his big floppy ears and low profile. It made me think of this hat:
This year's Birka Queen's challenge was Pixar inspired. I immediately glommed onto it as one of the ways I like to challenge myself when I'm idling thinking about garb is to convert characters into culturally appropriate inspiration. I may be a nerd, but I'm a multifaceted and creative one.
As a Household, we decided to go with Toy Story as our main inspiration. A bunch of us participated in the challenge -- we had Jesse and Buzz, Etch-a-Sketch, Bo Peep, the Claw Machine Aliens and Partysaurus Rex.
I did this guy:
I thought the colors were nice and in the range of what I like to wear generally, I had an idea as to what I could do for the slinky part and, additionally, I had an idea of what I wanted to do for headgear (spoiler: that was a miserable failure and I think I interpreted the entire hat incorrectly).
But, first, let's see what I did come up with, and was wearable, shall we?
I'll start with that pattern as it seems, on first glance, to be the most obtrusively modern part of the whole thing. It actually isn't.
I chose Slinky Dog because I had thought of an example of a Mongol on horseback from the Shahnama (book of Kings) credited to Abu'l Qasim Firdausi at the Met:
My persona was not yet part of the nobility, haven't had received my AoA at that point in time. From what I've been able to tell, the long-under-short seems to indicate someone of relative wealth and importance, the first step on the ladder up. To accommodate for that, I ditched the specific under deel and went with the the weave pattern of the over deel. Acting above your station was punishable by death to the Mongols at the time and, I take to heart making sure you think with your persona in creating your looks.
Another detail I want to point out is that the sleeves are lined with an embellishment. I've seen this often enough that I typically do it for all my deel. It adds a splash of additional interest and I, frankly, enjoy it.
Pulling back to how I applied these to the challenge and the way everything relates together, I'm going to refresh your eyes.The chain link pattern on the main overcoat is the slinky part of the dog. Additionally, the brown is to reference the body, both front and hind, of the toy. My favorite detail I included at the last minute was to add the little bit of brown at the end of the belt. If you look at Slink, you can see that he has a spring for a tail that is capped in the brown plastic. I wanted to keep that to further drive home the inspiration as, on its face, the deel is a bit abstract.
The hat, on the other hand, was an unmitigated disaster from start to finish and I'm taking it as a huge learning opportunity, but for construction and methodology fails.
Obviously Slink is based on a daschund, with his big floppy ears and low profile. It made me think of this hat:
There are several things about this image that are misleading, not least of which is that it looks like a droopy set of dog's ears.
The true problems I had were with fit (too small!) and understanding exactly how the hat was worn (the image is angled). It was a big ol' fail and I've since figure out how to correct it, finding other examples. That would need to be a different post as it's not exactly related.
For good measure to end, here's a photo of most of us in the household.
Award of Arms, New Projects
(Photo credit Lady Fortune Sct Keyne)Yesterday at King's and Queen's Archery and Thrown Weapons here in the East, I was called into Court to receive my Award of Arms for the research I'm doing and outlining here. I'm hugely honored and flattered to have been recognized for it.
I will be breaking down the garb in a future post as the deel is new and the sleeve length, as you may be able to see, but I absolutely first wanted to thanks His and Her Majesty, Kenric and Avelina.
Their Majesties, while I was before the Court, asked me for the equivalent of Lord for a Mongol persona. I, in all my infinite casualness, responded "honestly, I have no idea. I haven't gotten to language yet" with a laugh. It was appreciated by the Crown, but did come with a quest.
I have been tasked with finding what that equivalency would be, but me being me, I want to do it bigger because why not right? I want to do the full round of titles so no matter the level of award, or area of focus, there is an option. It's ambitious, but I do have some ideas that I will outline in a future post.
I've actually got a few posts lined up, mentally, that I will be committed to "paper" in coming weeks, focused mostly in garb, but this is the first "big thing" to happen for me. As a result, I felt it deserved its own, timely, post.
All this to say, stay tuned because more is coming for real this time!
06 February 2015
Birka Garb 2015
Within the last few weeks, here in the East Kingdom we had a large event called A Market Day at Birka. It's a merchant-centered event, as the name suggests, at a hotel in Manchester, NH.
Among many events, including an intensely popular armored, heavy combat tournament, is the annual fashion show where those who wish to can show off their duds to the oohs and ahs of the populace.
My household, House Strangewayes, has been running the fashion show for the past several years and it's a big success. As a member of the household, I volunteered to help keep everything running smoothly from registration through the event itself. This means I'm in the background of a good amount of photos around Facebook.
What that allows me, though, is the ability to show you the latest garb I've made and break down my inspirations and documentations for the decisions I made to construct it.
There I am holding the clip board after collecting entries to the fashion show. I have no idea why it is I'm making that face, to be honest.
So, let's break things down, shall we? I think it's best to start at the bottom and work to the top, since the hat is what you're probably looking at first. It seems most people do (And it's super fun, and I love it).
The shoes is the least documentable part of my entire kit. I needed a pair of shoes which would work in looking period-esque and Mongolian. A few years back there was a vendor at Birka who's not been back since, named NYC Mongol. They carry hand made goods imported from Mongolia.
The slippers are hand made and they are incredibly comfortable and warm. I enjoy them, but until I get to make some gutal, they will do for now. It's a stop gap, but beats the inauthenticity of wearing my steel toed boots or sneakers.
The pants are where I've been struggling the most with construction. There are a few different patterns I've found on Pinterest.
A couple things to note from the image. First, the man in the center is hunched over, which gives some false length, so the man in white is a better show there. The man is white does appear to be moving, however, thus the wrinkles.
The collar appears to be sewn into the body of the deel to create a standing collar that travels the length of the enter seam of the neck area. This appears to be common across social class and location. I've seen it in Persian miniature, Chinese landscapes and Chinese portraiture.
I constructed it by experimenting a little over a couple different overcoats I have made. I found that making a double-wide strip, sewing that to the body of the deel, then folding over the "right" side to reinforce the seam and make a tube.
Now the hat. I love that hat. I can't take full credit for making it as I'm in no way a milliner. Iulia Agricola had constructed it for me for Birka 2014 when out household theme was "unusual but documentable".
It is based on this:
It is a hunting scene. I've not been able to directly attribute it to any on collection, sadly, but I can tell it's most likely Yuan and depicts a royal hunting party, probably for Kublai Khan, but that last part is pure conjecture.
You can see that there are two men wearing hats made of snow leopard, center left and center right. At some point, I do want to make the hat for center right with the "pouf" on top. That was not in the cards for me last year, but I do have enough of the faux fur to make another hat on my own.
I did base my hat off of center left. I substituted the black for brown as I can't tell if it was brown in the original and aged into black, or if the fur was black when created. Brown also was cheaper when I went to the fabric store and so it won as brown fur is common on all continents and it's plausible.
And, there you have it! The head-to-toe breakdown of my garb from Birka 2015.
There I am holding the clip board after collecting entries to the fashion show. I have no idea why it is I'm making that face, to be honest.
So, let's break things down, shall we? I think it's best to start at the bottom and work to the top, since the hat is what you're probably looking at first. It seems most people do (And it's super fun, and I love it).
The shoes is the least documentable part of my entire kit. I needed a pair of shoes which would work in looking period-esque and Mongolian. A few years back there was a vendor at Birka who's not been back since, named NYC Mongol. They carry hand made goods imported from Mongolia.
The slippers are hand made and they are incredibly comfortable and warm. I enjoy them, but until I get to make some gutal, they will do for now. It's a stop gap, but beats the inauthenticity of wearing my steel toed boots or sneakers.
The pants are where I've been struggling the most with construction. There are a few different patterns I've found on Pinterest.
These are the two best examples (direct link in alt text for attribution). The top is directly traceable to Mongols and the bottom pre-date the Golden Age by a couple centuries, dating to the 7th-8th century in Sogdiana.
The black pants are modeled after the lower pair of trousers and the construction is simpler and the detailing is hidden. They are similar to the Thorsberg Trouser and modern pyjama pants, so there is bountiful resource when I was making my very first pair, which busted in the crotch due to poor allowances for my not being waifish. The Sogdian trousers above has crotch gussets, which I did also put in.
I do, eventually, want to make what appear to be the overall style pants, but I haven't gotten up the courage yet. I'm a handsewer and I don't know if my skills are up to the task yet. I'm especially concerned about the ballooning I'm seeing out from the waist.
The jacket, I have to say, I am the most proud of in certain regards, but is not completely where I would like it to be.
It's based off of what I have found out of China for Mongols during the Yuan dynasty. The length is derived from it as is the cut to the opening at the top. Here is a good example from the Met:
The collar appears to be sewn into the body of the deel to create a standing collar that travels the length of the enter seam of the neck area. This appears to be common across social class and location. I've seen it in Persian miniature, Chinese landscapes and Chinese portraiture.
I constructed it by experimenting a little over a couple different overcoats I have made. I found that making a double-wide strip, sewing that to the body of the deel, then folding over the "right" side to reinforce the seam and make a tube.
Now the hat. I love that hat. I can't take full credit for making it as I'm in no way a milliner. Iulia Agricola had constructed it for me for Birka 2014 when out household theme was "unusual but documentable".
It is based on this:
You can see that there are two men wearing hats made of snow leopard, center left and center right. At some point, I do want to make the hat for center right with the "pouf" on top. That was not in the cards for me last year, but I do have enough of the faux fur to make another hat on my own.
I did base my hat off of center left. I substituted the black for brown as I can't tell if it was brown in the original and aged into black, or if the fur was black when created. Brown also was cheaper when I went to the fabric store and so it won as brown fur is common on all continents and it's plausible.
And, there you have it! The head-to-toe breakdown of my garb from Birka 2015.
23 February 2014
Genesis
This blog is dedicated to my research exploits related to the Society for Creative Anachronism. In Society, I go by Erdene Qadajin, a resident of the East Kingdom residing in the Shire of Quintavia but primarily playing in the Barony of Stonemarche. I currently have the persona of a 14th to 16th century Mongol from deep in the Asian steppe, but no particular location as of yet.
My latest project came about from a couple different areas. First, I am admittedly a junky for being authentic. I like to know what I'm creating and putting on my body is as accurate as can be or can be afforded. I like to know that that I'm doing and how I'm doing it is a best can be represented in the culture I'm displaying. It's especially compounded by being one of a small number of the populace with a primary of persona from the Mongol tribes.
Second, I haven't been able to find very many specific resources in the SCA. Many are introductory and, while that is useful for someone who's "dipping their toes" into making Mongol garb, it becomes less useful as I've tried to develop my persona. There is extensive research and exampling on European cultures, especially Western Europe and there's a fair amount of research in Islamic cultures (Persian, Mamluk, Abbasyd, Ottoman) with its recent surge in popularity. However, the resources on an important European contact culture like the Mongols are difficult, if not impossible to find without academic library and database access.
So, I turned to Pinterest for initial inspiration. Pinterest has a wide array of visual information on Mongols in period (pre-1600) -- from extant examples to Chinese and Persian manuscripts.
As I have assembled my army of resources I noticed something peculiar:
in depictions of Mongols, they are typically shown in plain clothing. A single color deel, sometimes even lacking the second (short sleeved) deel layer.
in extant Mongol clothing from grave finds, the clothing is rich in color and pattern, often blindingly so even after centuries of degradation of fabric.
My goal in my research is two-fold and broken into large "stages".
Goal one is to figure out why the miniatures depict the Mongols in the way that they do. My primary focuses are on Persian and Chinese manuscripts -- in particular paintings -- contemporary to the Mongol invasions and occupations of those cultures.
My current theories, which are based on general guidelines, are three-fold.
First, did the artist have enough space to make the patterns associated with extant finds, in the case of miniatures
Second, did the Mongols have Court versus "Day Wear" clothing depending on the task at hand, or is this a symbolism of an emergent Mongol class system
Third, is this propaganda on the part of these cultures to prove their superiority through the arts they created.
My plan is to first start with Persian miniatures, as my personal connections within the SCA are stronger for finding examples. I need to learn how the Persians depicted social classes and foreigners within their miniatures, and how those models are transplanted onto the pictured Mongols.
If necessary and possible, I will then take that information and cross-compare the miniatures with size dimension to determine if space may also be a factor in details.
Second, I will repeat the process through learning about the Chinese style and applying the same precepts and principles and that culture.
Third, I will take those two cultures and what I've learned and apply it to the extants and what can be learned about the social circumstances of those who wore the garments.
Finally, is an analysis for what this means in terms of SCA persona building and Mongol re-enactors for the focus time period in general.
My latest project came about from a couple different areas. First, I am admittedly a junky for being authentic. I like to know what I'm creating and putting on my body is as accurate as can be or can be afforded. I like to know that that I'm doing and how I'm doing it is a best can be represented in the culture I'm displaying. It's especially compounded by being one of a small number of the populace with a primary of persona from the Mongol tribes.
Second, I haven't been able to find very many specific resources in the SCA. Many are introductory and, while that is useful for someone who's "dipping their toes" into making Mongol garb, it becomes less useful as I've tried to develop my persona. There is extensive research and exampling on European cultures, especially Western Europe and there's a fair amount of research in Islamic cultures (Persian, Mamluk, Abbasyd, Ottoman) with its recent surge in popularity. However, the resources on an important European contact culture like the Mongols are difficult, if not impossible to find without academic library and database access.
So, I turned to Pinterest for initial inspiration. Pinterest has a wide array of visual information on Mongols in period (pre-1600) -- from extant examples to Chinese and Persian manuscripts.
As I have assembled my army of resources I noticed something peculiar:
in depictions of Mongols, they are typically shown in plain clothing. A single color deel, sometimes even lacking the second (short sleeved) deel layer.
in extant Mongol clothing from grave finds, the clothing is rich in color and pattern, often blindingly so even after centuries of degradation of fabric.
My goal in my research is two-fold and broken into large "stages".
Goal one is to figure out why the miniatures depict the Mongols in the way that they do. My primary focuses are on Persian and Chinese manuscripts -- in particular paintings -- contemporary to the Mongol invasions and occupations of those cultures.
My current theories, which are based on general guidelines, are three-fold.
First, did the artist have enough space to make the patterns associated with extant finds, in the case of miniatures
Second, did the Mongols have Court versus "Day Wear" clothing depending on the task at hand, or is this a symbolism of an emergent Mongol class system
Third, is this propaganda on the part of these cultures to prove their superiority through the arts they created.
My plan is to first start with Persian miniatures, as my personal connections within the SCA are stronger for finding examples. I need to learn how the Persians depicted social classes and foreigners within their miniatures, and how those models are transplanted onto the pictured Mongols.
If necessary and possible, I will then take that information and cross-compare the miniatures with size dimension to determine if space may also be a factor in details.
Second, I will repeat the process through learning about the Chinese style and applying the same precepts and principles and that culture.
Third, I will take those two cultures and what I've learned and apply it to the extants and what can be learned about the social circumstances of those who wore the garments.
Finally, is an analysis for what this means in terms of SCA persona building and Mongol re-enactors for the focus time period in general.
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