[Nordskogen] Re: Caponi and other demos--looking forward

[Lieder, Lisa]

The Good Christien asked,
-  How do you people see this? Would we be playing to our strengths if
we
-  * tell the Caponis we're presenting the SCA, a modern organization
that 
-  researches pre 17th-Century life, showing the best of what we do and 
-  teaching our activities to anyone who'd like to come; or
-  * do our best to present a realistic depiction of a medieval faire, 
-  showcasing the arts and crafts in appropriate settings?

-  Is there a middle ground?

I believe that there is. What makes the SCA great is that we can all
research the era we love the most and can re-create a medieval faire
where everyone sees anyone, whether dressed in Elizabethan clothes or
blue jeans, as "foreigners attending OUR Village's Faire. Whoever they
are, I have a responsibility to make them feel welcome."

I think that the Scriptorium example is a great one. One person may pick
a couple of hands and have one person in the scriptorium dressed
appropriately to the time and place of that hand. This way, whoever
comes, everyone else can point at them and say "Lord so and so is
teaching us a hand that is used in their area". Someone else may say "I
want it to be more correct". Great! They can have a corner that is a
legitimate 15th Century scriptorium. 

Part of educating people about the Middle Ages in Europe is educating
people about what a broad group that includes--people of at least 5
religions, North and South Asian, Middle Eastern, African,
Caucasian--People from a huge number of different times, places, and
cultures. That richness and breadth is not taught in school. It also
cannot be taught if we take a "living history" approach. We would have
to limit ourselves to one period, one culture and not more than 2-3
religions(and we'd only get more than 1 if we pick a very narrow set of
cultures). 

I think that the desires of the people attending are to learn about the
Middle Ages--not the SCA. They want to know the facts but they also want
to be participants and to leave with "cool medieval stuff". I base this
on the motivations of my kids when we go to any station-based activity.

We are presenting what makes the SCA worth it for us--the magic of the
middle ages. Research into a period does not undermine that--it
increases it. Unlike other Living History groups, we make the period we
study more accessible to outsiders.  Ask yourself with this and any
other demo--what makes my art (martial or peaceful) accessible and
magical?