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.

Struggles and Thoughts

I have a confession.

I haven't been doing any work on research recently.  To be completely honest, I'm struggling.

There are multiple reasons why this is the case and, in the light of transparency and honesty, I do want to go through and unpack them. The best way to get through a block is to attack it head on.

I've lost my way.  What I'm looking to do I'm enthusiastic about in theory, but not so much in actual practice.  Having a deep dive understanding on a specific time and place is really cool, but I don't know if that's really for me.

Something I'm learning the hard way is that it's not so much that I'm interested in the Mongols of themselves.  They're a puzzle for even the most skilled anthropologist, doing on the ground work.  The sources about the Mongols themselves is highly flawed -- whether it's using centuries later transcribed oral history, or contemporary accounts from rival cultures and/or conquered people, there's no way there can be any surety in that what is being sifted is accurate.

What I'm really interested in is following the ripples from the Mongol stone.  What are the implications of the Mongol invasions?  How did the hasten changes in the cultures they ruled?  What were the intended and unintended consequences of those conquests and exchanges?  What access did the cultures gain and lose they would not have had otherwise?

Something I'm also learning is that my SCA experience is prefaced around exploration and academics.

I'm not very much into persona, or the LARP-like aspects.  I don't have much investment in the building of a specific and discrete person who may have existed.  I'm certainly appreciative of the pageantry and ceremony.  But, I can't say I'd personally have an interest in doing something like an Enchanted Ground event, or something High Persona.

Some people are super into that and I am, by no means, trying to harsh on their fun.  If that's what you love about the SCA, absolutely continue to do it!  Enjoy it to the ends of time and spread your joy and enthusiasm far and wide!  That joy is part of what makes the Society great.  It's just not particularly for me.

The result of this is that digging deep into a persona build doesn't hold the same appeal to me that it might to others.  Building research around building a persona isn't resonating with me because having that deep of a persona isn't something I'm truly invested in.

I'm content with being the vague ethnic Mongol, Yuan period court member, as it allows me to show off any level of material wealth I want to try out.  It's more a means to an end, as opposed to an end to the means.

I'm not sure what all this means in terms of my research.  I still have a love of linguistics and grammar, so that project isn't going to go away.  But, the rest of it is something I'm really starting to pull into question.

I definitely need to re-evaluate what I'm looking at otherwise.  This shoe doesn't feel like it fits properly and it's a strange place to be in.

Best Ideas at Night

There's a word-on-the-street maxium that says some of your best ideas and thoughts happen when you're least expecting them -- in the shower, right before falling asleep, when driving on the open road and the like.  Any time when your mind can bring those twisty-turny thoughts more to the front and start to do some untying and solving.

I had one of those moments last night while drifting to sleep related to research.

With the new direction, I've been feeling a bit adrift and so have lost a bit of my researching mojo.  I am still utterly fascinated by the Yuan dynasty era Mongols, so I'm not feeling a persona change or anything drastic.  It's more that I haven't been able to dedicate myself to making a game plan on incorporating new information and approaches.

It's made it especially difficult to read the newer research information I've compiled because I've been struggling with where it "fits" in what I'm looking at.  It feel both relevant and irrelevant to what I'm doing, and the ambiguity is sapping my ability to focus when I have the chance.  The little voice in my back of my head says "and this helps you how?" and I'm having a time understanding not only the "why" of the question but actually answering it.

Last night, I think I solved it, but it requires some work to make a frame on which to hang everything.

The new direction is more than just looking at stuff out of the ground.  I've oversimplified it because it's easier to talk about it that way, before refining the idea.

The new direction is a holistic look at the material and other cultural aspects of the idea of my persona.  So, more than "what all did you wear?" it's also "what all did you eat? what would your social standing be? how did you get there? what's your religious background? what languages would you speak?" and other related questions.

So, instead of a deep dive into a narrow subject, it's a deep dive into a narrow time.

What came to me last night was a pretty simple, though somewhat profound, idea. Literally organizing Erdene's life into departments.

Just like a real department store, they'll bleed into each other like how activewear and formalwear are separate, but the connect through casual clothing.

What I've come up with so far is:

Food: What did he eat? With whom did he eat it? How often could he expect to eat?  Would it have changed moving from the frontier to the heart of the Empire?

Faith: What would his religion probably have been?  What other religions would he had been exposed to?  How did they come together?  Who celebrated what faiths?  Would he have had a different faith than his neighbors? parents? siblings? What were the prevailing philosophies of the time?

Social: What social biases did he have? Would he have been considered a racist by modern standards? How would growing up on the Silk Routs have changed his view of outsiders? Would he be in an ethnically mixed environment, or would it have been homogenous?  Who would he consider 'his people'?  How would he identify his in-groups and his out-groups?

Government: How would he understand his government? Would the government be supportive or oppressive to his religious and other markers? What would have been his most probably role in government?  Who're the major players in the government?  What does the bureaucracy look like (since this is China)?  Who is eligible to be a Civil Servant?

Material: What did he own?  How would he have bought or gotten it?  What are his clothes made of? How are they constructed?  What does he live in?  Is it portable? Is he still nomadic or has he settled?

Again, all of these topics and questions overlap each other and inform each other.  Some can be answered by traditional archaeology, others will need historical study.  But, by having the archaeological study background first, I can use that to do gut-checking on the historian's interpretation of social structures and customs.

Temporary Pause in Updates

I know it's only been a couple weeks, but I wanted to take the opportunity to update you all on the goings on here.

I'm pursuing a new research direction for the Clothing Project and, as a result, I'm in the process of collecting resources and information for the new angle.

I'm shifting, at least for right now, from looking at art, to looking at what's been pulled out from the ground in archaeological digs.  The best way to know who wore what, is to pull it from a grave complex.

As is my typical, I am starting with China's Yuan dynasty.  It's more in my persona's realm, and I've always been more naturally drawn to China.  Persian is hugely interesting and I'm not looking to drop it, don't get me wrong, but my love of all things Sinology is deep and abiding.

This does mean I will need to take a pause while I read and digest what others have found, and their conclusions.  I like to make sure I have a good baseline before I walk off on my own, drawing conclusions and making hypotheses.

I am also in the very beginning stages of forming a class on basic construction of Mongol deel.  The earliest debut would be at Great Northeastern War this summer.  I'd use examples from my own failed garb closet to build on the case, and use a type of visual example not seen frequently: the own teacher's process in learning.

More on that, most likely, before anything else.

Thank you for your patience!

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.

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.

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.

History Is Messy: lessons in research, the hard way

So, I did a little cursory grammatical searching based off of the leads I left myself in my last post on the Titles Project, because this blog is just as much for my own reference as it is for anyone who's reading it to dive into my insanely, esoterically quirky interests.

As a review, I mentioned exploiting the Wikipedia page for Middle Mongol's references.  I went back to that today and one of the links piqued my interest.

Lingua Mongolica is listed as a source on that page.

I was doing a read through on the intro page for them.  There was something that stuck out to me in particular:

The term 'classical Mongolian' technically refers only to the language of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, when the written Mongolian language was standardised in order to facilitate the translation of Buddhist literature. 

That stuck out to me because non-standard ways of writing, while not unique to Mongolian, means there's no one way, both in spelling and alphabet, to write pre-classical Mongolian.

Now, what that amounts to is a conceit that pre-classical Mongolian, in my case Middle Mongol, is entirely non-standard and, therefor, unreliable.  I had backtracked my way into figuring that out previously, but seeing a source explicitly state as much is both comforting and frustrating.

There's more that also piqued my interest here in the resource (emphasis mine):

The focus of Lingua Mongolia is not strictly the classical language but rather the literary language of the Mongols over the last eight hundred years; from the pre-classical Mongolian of the Secret History right up to modern literary Mongolian, as it still exists in Inner Mongolia. It is worth noting however that the term classical Mongolian is sometimes used to distinguish Uighur-script Mongolian from the Cyrillic Mongolian used by the Mongols north of the Gobi.

 With that in mind, I could, possibly, use Uighar vertical, sometimes also called Sogdian vertical, script and bring it to "close enough".  Introduction the first source is based specifically in Sogdian vertical, kicking it back into contention.

We'll see how much matches between the notes on Introduction I took and "Lingua Mongolica's" modelling of the language to see what I can suss out.  Introduction is a linguistic basis; I've yet to dig in far enough to see what "Lingua" has.

Something Mongol and NOT grammar or titles?! WHAT CRAZY IS THIS

I've put a lot of time into the Grammar and Titles project recently, which has been reflected here, but I also have been looking at my next garb project for generally usable garb -- so not a special challenge or theme.

I'm multi-talented, or maybe ADD, like that.  I like to think multi-talented, but sometimes I get bored and my interests wander off to something which isn't my main focus for a while.

I want to make something inspired by this:

source

Now, you might be thinking "this doesn't look that much different than what you usually do" and you'd be both right and a bit off base.

First, the general construction of Mongol deels hasn't really changed much over the passing centuries.  I believe I've talked to the basic construction before, but in case I haven't, the general pattern I have memorized is here.  I do some modifications, like I will take out the panel extensions because of the fit I usually do, which is loose in the lower half, but you can see the basics of it in any of the pictures of me I've posted up here for head-to-toe analysis and the like.

Now, unsurprising to most people who study it, but history is messy.  People then, like now, don't fall into these discrete and easy groupings, and with that, comes variations across.

In China, the strong influence of the Chinese ethnic groups means that I generally haven't seen the deels like the above.  They tend to be less fitted, longer and more simple in design and construction, relying on the strength and prominence of the fabric to do the talking.

The example above, is from the Persian sphere of influence.  What that means is that the Mongols changed their deel a bit, the longer they were there, until it becomes the cross-over coat that the early Mughals wore, at least until Period ends in the early 17th century.

It looks like this:

source

Jumping back, though, I've got some working out to do on the pleating.  Pleating is not something I readily understand in terms of how to construct them.  I know there are different kinds of pleats which sit different ways.

First, a close up of the pleating:

Same source as extant at beginning

I really enjoy this detail shot because I have seen numerous examples from the Persian sphere of Mongol cross-over coats having this silhouette and general construction pattern.

I was talking with Elvira yesterday about garb fantasies and my sticking points.  And there are two with this particular deel construction.

The pleats and the belt.  The belt I'll get to in a minute, but the pleats I want to dive into more.

They way they sit they look like cartridge pleats.  I've laid out cartridge pleats for other members of the household's garb.  I know how to do it, but I have literally no evidence (there's no inside detail shot I can find) that this is, in fact, a type of cartridge pleat.

It's insanely neat and ordered, but without the evidence for cartridge pleating, I have to believe it's probably insanely small, and well organized, gathers.  They appear to be sewn in 3 spots: one to the upper part of the coat, one in the center and then one a bit further down to reinforce the drape.  Kind of like a proto-smocking, I suppose.

However, I really am not sure.  I'll have to experiment, and likely fail, a few times before I work it out.

Now the belt.

That belt is a braided in small, smell braids, then sewn together.  As a belt, it is not part of the actual coat itself, but holds it together between the waist and the hips.  That's a lot of braiding. I don't braid well.  That's a problem.

So, I've got some working out to do, which will require some experimentation.  I would not expect as much about this ongoing experiment that I would about the other project, as it's more clear-cut in when I can start and stop, and what that will look like in terms of progress.