It seems that the attempts of Christianization of the Donnacona and his people was met with limited success, so the captain told Taignoagny and Dom Agaya to tell them they would be back on the next voyage priests and holy oil for a proper baptism. It is very obvious at this point that Cartier has very little respect for these people or their way of life from their marriage practices down to the way they dress and the food they farm. He did mention that the people including the children were very resistant to the cold, this alone seem to impress him. He makes a lot of reference to the need of these people for change, and his desire to “tame” them. The text gets a bit confusing after this, there is reference to distrust of the leader as well as Taignoagny and Dom Agaya. There is a mention of the leader of another talent warning the captain the Donnacona one to take the three children they gave them. In fact the largest of the girls fled the shipped, so it is said the captain had the other children taken care of. It is unclear with the author means by “taken care of”. There is some conflict between the captain and the people, and eventually the Donnacona returns the girl to them saying that she left because some cabin boys beat her. Apparently the captain agreed to take her back and a tentative peace remain between the two groups. As an aside I have to say I am confused by the desperateness that people seem to have regarding pleasing the Frenchman, or the very least pleasing their captain. I’m unsure why they seem so desperate to please them, and because we’re seeing everything through an outsiders point of view there is no way to tell why the Donnacona does this.
The section after this is a lot of travel, talking about the land, the animals, and passing areas where people live but not interacting with them. Later on they mention friendly relations with some people, in conflict with others, which made the “good people” sorry and angry. They did reach the river Saguenay and traveled it, but found its depths did not work well with their boats. The people they meet make mention there are people dressed like the Frenchman in towns as they have a great quantity of gold and copper. They mentioned the river leads to several great lakes of freshwater, but no mention of the sea. They also mentioned a land where there is no ice and snow, with the people dressed in skins and furs like them, and who constantly war with each other.
It seems in the month of December scurvy hits the people in the Frenchman’s fort, spreading across the three ships, after apparently hitting some of the people of the area as well. Many people died and were buried under the snow as fear of the unknown gripped everyone. The captain made the sick man work hard to hide their weakness from the people of the land, for fear upon seeing their weakness the “savages” would take advantage of the situation. Apparently they eventually found a cure when they actually bothered talking to the “savages”, seeing that Dom Agaya was well, they asked how he was cured. The people showed the Frenchman how using the bark of a particular tree would cure the sickness. Scholars argue whether it was white spruce or white pine the medicine came from, but the white spruce is supposed to be a better treatment for the scurvy.
Monday, June 30, 2014
Sunday, June 29, 2014
A Memoir of Jacques Cartier cont...Hochelaga and the Abnakis
The next place they visited was the heavy agricultural area that led into the town Hochelaga which was near a mountain the French named Mont Royal. This was actually an enclosed town that even had a gate for the single entrance into town. Cartier even sounded impressed by the defensiveness of the town. He also talks about the long houses, corn flour that they used to make round cakes which they bake on stones, the method they use to smoke there meat, and the fact that the most precious thing to this tribe are the shells they use for their wampum. Cartier describes the way they get the shells is by of someone who has been sentenced to death and cutting large gashes in their body. They placed the body in the bottom of the river where the shells live and leave it there for up to 12 hours. When they take up the body we are able to gather what they need of the shells that have grown into the gashes. Once again Cartier mentions that the women are very physically curious and touch the Frenchman without shame, very curious.
One of the oddest things was the leader (I think that’s who he was) started bringing sick people to the captain for the captain to touch and “heal”. Many gifts were given afterwards, a feast was had, and then some of the people led the Frenchman on the mountain. While there, their guides made reference to silver coming from the river, but said evil folks named Agojuda were there, and that they warred with each other all the time. The Agojuda’s armor was described as wood laced together by cords woven together. I found reference to Samuel de Champlain mentioning the Agojuda as well and in notes scholars said that judging from the slat armor mentioned this was likely the Ouendat (Huron). Cartier and the other sailors were hoping the mountain held copper, but the Abnakis (Abenaki) insisted that came from Saguenay. After the walk to the mountain Cartier and his men went to return to their boats and when the Abnakis saw that they were tired, they carried the sailors. When the French men left the people follow them along the river, seeming sad to see them go.
It wasn’t until several days later that Cartier mentions Taignoagny and Dom Agaya who came with many others to welcome them further down on what the Frenchman named the Whip River. Cartier seem to doubt the sincerity of the welcome. They insisted that the Frenchman come see the Donnacona who apparently were located in a different place than they had been when the sailors had visited before. The captain gave the men knives and other things of small value, and to the women he presented gifts of tin rings. While there the captain was also shown by the Donnacona the “skins of five men’s heads stretched upon wood like the skins of parchment” and were told the skins were from a group called the Toudamans who they were at war with, and who had unexpectedly attacked them. A group that just happened to be located at the place the Abnakis said that the copper came from. Saguenay. Looking into the Iroquois and armor they were, it seems more likely that the Toudamans wore actually of that group, so it is possible the term Agojuda may have meant Iroquois not Huron.
As a side note the mention of the wood slat armor is very interesting to me, and may require a bit more research as a possible option for my own armor. To my knowledge my tribe didn't wear any armor in battle, at least nothing that would fit the standards of SCA armor, so this would slat armor might be a possible solution. I have seen the wood slat armor mentioned before while doing research on First Nations, and the Russians were said to have some contact with people called the Tlingit who wore wooden armor. Here's an example of that I found...
One of the oddest things was the leader (I think that’s who he was) started bringing sick people to the captain for the captain to touch and “heal”. Many gifts were given afterwards, a feast was had, and then some of the people led the Frenchman on the mountain. While there, their guides made reference to silver coming from the river, but said evil folks named Agojuda were there, and that they warred with each other all the time. The Agojuda’s armor was described as wood laced together by cords woven together. I found reference to Samuel de Champlain mentioning the Agojuda as well and in notes scholars said that judging from the slat armor mentioned this was likely the Ouendat (Huron). Cartier and the other sailors were hoping the mountain held copper, but the Abnakis (Abenaki) insisted that came from Saguenay. After the walk to the mountain Cartier and his men went to return to their boats and when the Abnakis saw that they were tired, they carried the sailors. When the French men left the people follow them along the river, seeming sad to see them go.
It wasn’t until several days later that Cartier mentions Taignoagny and Dom Agaya who came with many others to welcome them further down on what the Frenchman named the Whip River. Cartier seem to doubt the sincerity of the welcome. They insisted that the Frenchman come see the Donnacona who apparently were located in a different place than they had been when the sailors had visited before. The captain gave the men knives and other things of small value, and to the women he presented gifts of tin rings. While there the captain was also shown by the Donnacona the “skins of five men’s heads stretched upon wood like the skins of parchment” and were told the skins were from a group called the Toudamans who they were at war with, and who had unexpectedly attacked them. A group that just happened to be located at the place the Abnakis said that the copper came from. Saguenay. Looking into the Iroquois and armor they were, it seems more likely that the Toudamans wore actually of that group, so it is possible the term Agojuda may have meant Iroquois not Huron.
As a side note the mention of the wood slat armor is very interesting to me, and may require a bit more research as a possible option for my own armor. To my knowledge my tribe didn't wear any armor in battle, at least nothing that would fit the standards of SCA armor, so this would slat armor might be a possible solution. I have seen the wood slat armor mentioned before while doing research on First Nations, and the Russians were said to have some contact with people called the Tlingit who wore wooden armor. Here's an example of that I found...
Saturday, June 28, 2014
Obi Research...
Okay my daughter has mentioned wanting to do a Japanese persona as well as a Chinese persona for SCA, and upon hearing this a friend gave her a tradition style pink silk kimono she had in her storage. Outside of the lining of the inside which is musty spelling and heavily stained, it look in decent shape. I think a hydrogen peroxide wash should remove the stains from the ivory lining, and the outer layer looks in good shape. I did notice the layers look to be basted together which baffles me a bit. I'm not going to worry about that until I can see if I can salvage the inner layer or if its too staining and it need to be taken off and redone.
The kimono did not come with an obi, but I should be able to make one easily enough. From what I can find out the traditional obi is4 meters long and 60 centimeters in width. The width is folded in half and the obi is wrapped twice around the waist and then tied in the back. Formal obi belts are made of a brocade or tapestry weave. The more pattern, the more formal is the basic rule. I found a couple vid on how to tie an obi, but more research need to be done so I know which we should use so my daughter can use her kimono for court wear.
The kimono did not come with an obi, but I should be able to make one easily enough. From what I can find out the traditional obi is4 meters long and 60 centimeters in width. The width is folded in half and the obi is wrapped twice around the waist and then tied in the back. Formal obi belts are made of a brocade or tapestry weave. The more pattern, the more formal is the basic rule. I found a couple vid on how to tie an obi, but more research need to be done so I know which we should use so my daughter can use her kimono for court wear.
DIY: Mini Crossbow
Thought I'd post the fun vid I found. Could be modified to be bigger, perhaps, but the small version
looks like fun
looks like fun
Friday, June 27, 2014
DvD: Explorers of the World; French Explorers final part - Lewis Joliet and Jacques Marguerite, also Sieur de La Salle… Steampunk Research?
I had debated whether to go any further since the stuff was now way off the cutting point for the SCA time range, but just in case I need this information for the steampunk stuff I do (or anyone else reading it needs it) I think I’m going to finish summarizing the information I gather from the DVD. The next explorers are a partnership of Lewis Joliet and Jacques Marguerite. Jacques Marguerite was actually a priest but turned out to be an explorer as well. He came to Québec Canada in 1666 (yes I get the irony of that number) and learned the languages of the local groups so he communicate more effectively with them, something he ended up being very good at. He ended up going west to a mission where he ministered to the Ottawa tribe. It was there he heard about a great river, the Mississippi, and decided he was going to carry his ministry there. Marquette befriended a man called Lewis Joliet who was born in Québec and had become a fur trader. When the governor of New France gave Joliet the job of exploring the Mississippi River in 1673, he allowed Joliet to bring Marquette along. In their journey they came across the Missouri River, and at the time believed it to be the Northwest passage to the Pacific French explorers had so long sought. But their job was the follow the Mississippi River which they did past where the Ohio River meets the Mississippi, all way down to the Arkansas River, claiming the land in the name of France as they went. Though they were supposed to journey to the end of the Mississippi River the natives of the area warned them that further down the river was heading into Spanish territory so Joliet and Marquette were forced to stop there. They couldn’t risk capture from the Spanish if they wish to return with what they had learned, including the fact that according to the natives the Mississippi opened up until Gulf of Mexico not into the Pacific Ocean.
The explorer that helped the French to expand the land claims Lewis Joliet and Jacques Marguerite had helped to discover, was René Robert Cavalier, Sieur de La Salle (now there’s a mouthful). La Salle was a fur trader who had a passion for exploration. The Seneca, part of the Iroquois Federation, taught him how to travel in any season, living off the land and carrying only dried corn as provisions. The government of New France gave La Salle permission to build a fort on Lake Ontario, Fort Frontenac, then he persuaded the king, Louis XIV, to give him the right to explore the area between Florida and New Mexico and to build forts to protect French settlers for trading. La Salle journeyed down the Mississippi and claimed everything there for his King, naming it Louisiana. That was in 1682.
DvD: Explorers of the World; French Explorers pt 3 - Samuel de Champlain
The next voyage by Samuel de Champlain didn’t happen until 1603, which is a tad off of the SCA time period range, but just in case I’m going to cover it anyway. One of the reasons it took so long for them to return was the war brewing between Spain and France. There was a new king on the throne, Henry IV, and he was the one who sent Champlain back to the New World, with far less resources than previous explorers had at their disposal. Because of lack of funds the king gave fur traitors a monopoly to encourage them to colonize the area. This was the core of the mission given to Champlain in 1603. I find myself wondering how strict the SCA 1600 cut off date is… whether there’s a bit of wiggle room to play with this time period. Anyway, back to Champlain.
He had already traveled to places like Mexico, Cuba, and Panama where he built a canal connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Champlain followed Cartier’s route up the St. Lawrence River to Québec before returning to France. He made 12 more trips after that to the New World to explore and to write about what he saw. As far as research goes this is a good sign because there might be a translated version of his journals like there is for Cartier. In his further journeys he traveled from Nova Scotia past Maine and to Cape Cod. Is believed if the French had not had a run-in with local natives in the area they might have built their colony there. If they had done that they would’ve beat the pilgrims by 15 years. They ended up building a colony near Nova Scotia called Port Royal. That became the first permanent French colony in the New World.
Champlain did not establish his Québec settlement until 1608 which was an important location for the St. Lawrence River trade route. This was in the territory of the Huron and the Algonquin. Champlain was smart enough to know the only way the settlement was to survive was to make allies of his new neighbors. Further up the St. Lawrence was the Iroquois’s territory, and they were another matter. This tribe was the traditional enemy of the Huron and Algonquin. Champlain was wounded several times fighting the Iroquois because of his being allied with their enemies. He also traveled the Ottawa River into what is now Ontario and even as far is New York State. Explored, and colonized, and traded in these areas. I was pleased to learn that not only did Champlain draw excellent maps during his travels but he gave detailed accounts of his adventures and of the people he encountered which is another reason for me to try to get copies of his journals. Champlain explored northeast North America until his death in 1635.
He had already traveled to places like Mexico, Cuba, and Panama where he built a canal connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Champlain followed Cartier’s route up the St. Lawrence River to Québec before returning to France. He made 12 more trips after that to the New World to explore and to write about what he saw. As far as research goes this is a good sign because there might be a translated version of his journals like there is for Cartier. In his further journeys he traveled from Nova Scotia past Maine and to Cape Cod. Is believed if the French had not had a run-in with local natives in the area they might have built their colony there. If they had done that they would’ve beat the pilgrims by 15 years. They ended up building a colony near Nova Scotia called Port Royal. That became the first permanent French colony in the New World.
Champlain did not establish his Québec settlement until 1608 which was an important location for the St. Lawrence River trade route. This was in the territory of the Huron and the Algonquin. Champlain was smart enough to know the only way the settlement was to survive was to make allies of his new neighbors. Further up the St. Lawrence was the Iroquois’s territory, and they were another matter. This tribe was the traditional enemy of the Huron and Algonquin. Champlain was wounded several times fighting the Iroquois because of his being allied with their enemies. He also traveled the Ottawa River into what is now Ontario and even as far is New York State. Explored, and colonized, and traded in these areas. I was pleased to learn that not only did Champlain draw excellent maps during his travels but he gave detailed accounts of his adventures and of the people he encountered which is another reason for me to try to get copies of his journals. Champlain explored northeast North America until his death in 1635.
DvD: Explorers of the World; French Explorers pt 2 - Jacques Cartier
The next part of the DVD is on the guy I’ve been reading the memoir of, Jacques Cartier. Like a lot of the other French explorers, Cartier was looking for silver and gold which was rumored the Spanish had found in the New World. Ships reached Newfoundland in 1534. The trader character mentions Cartier meeting the Huron and the 2 teenage boys (I thought they were men but apparently they were teenagers which I guess at that time teens counted as men to their own people and to the French) that Cartier took back to France, and who learned to speak French. The narrator states that the two boys were taken and that their father, the chief, only let a happen because there was nothing he could do about it. Cartier was sent back to the New World a second time by the King, who was still looking for a passage to the Spice Islands. The discovery of the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the St. Lawrence River was not only a gateway to the content itself and into the Great Lakes through the other river systems, but it became an important travel method for trading later on. Through the St. Lawrence River they reached places like Québec and Montréal. With the intention to head back Cartier return to Québec where they built a fort to shelter them through the long winter.
During that winter the crew was hit by horrible scurvy that made their teeth fall out, and might have died from it if the locals hadn’t shown them how to make a tea from the bark of a type of you tree, boiled to produce a medicine. It was foul tasting but in a week all the men that drank it were cured. The harsh winter killed off many of Cartier’s men, but if not for the medicine and the help of the natives it would have been a lot worse. The chief of the area told Cartier many stories about places rich with gold, so the Frenchman captured the chief and his two sons and took them back to France with him. The chief’s stories must’ve been convincing because the King of France sent Cartier back a third time in 1541. On the third voyage Cartier filled his crew complement with mostly criminals because it was so dangerous they were the only ones willing to volunteer to take the risk of trying to colonize the areas. The local fishermen and sailors other folks were perfectly happy up in the Newfoundland area coast so they weren’t interested on going further in. Cartier tried to take a smaller boat down the river to find this place of legend but he was not able to make it through the rapids before having to turn back. No long after he returned to the encampment a group of natives attacked them forcing Cartier and the survivors to flee, eventually boarding the ship and returning to France.
A Memoir of Jacques Cartier cont...More Huron and Journey to Hochelaga
The text gets a little more complicated after that, rather confusing in fact, but I would try to recount the events as explained best I can. They mention Donnacona again when they meet in St. Croix along with 25 boats loaded with people. That day the Huron people wouldn’t get the ship which made Cartier and the others suspicious. People seemed joyous, but Taigoagny and Dom Agaya did not. The captain asked the two men if they were going with them to Hochelaga and the men said yes. The captain left the ship with an armed escort of men, which didn’t sit well with the Donnacona. Things seem fine the next day when the Donnacona and a huge group of Huron feasted with them all outside the ship and small presents were given. It seems the Donnacona did not want them to go to Hochelaga. There was some mention of making Taigoagny a present to appease the Donnacona. The Donnacona even made a present of the daughter of his sister who was about 10 years old, along with two younger boys. There is the argument after that between Taigoagny and Dom Agaya, and Cartier refers to Taigoagny as having treason and malice. The children were taken on the ship (note to self to remember this for research) and there was a gunfire display for the pleasure of the people which according to the author was later used by Taigoagny to convince the people that the Frenchmen had killed two of the Huron.
Things turned bad after that. With the help of Taigoagny some the warriors dressed up like devils with huge horns, black-and-white skins, and faces painted black. Things get super confusing about then, so they bought a stolen boat, a performance related to the Huron trying to convince the explorers not to go on to their planned destination, but from what I can tell it entirely centered on Taigoagny and Dom Agaya who were now working together it seems. There was some mention of the Huron leader requiring a hostage be left behind, I guess to make sure they returned from Hochelaga. The footnote says it is believed the people didn’t want the Frenchman to go to Hochelaga because the visitors had given them such wonderful gifts they didn’t want to share the generous visitors with others.
When Cartier met the new group along the river they saw houses built all along the banks. These people were very friendly as well, and shared a large amount of the fish they had fished from the river they lived by with the newcomers for trade. The leader of this group also gave the captain a gift two of his own children, a girl about the age of 8 or 9, and a boy of 2 to 3 years. The captain accepted the girl but refused the boy because he was too small. Knowing how my own people value their children, I admit to being baffled at the idea of the leader of this group giving his own children to the strangers. This is the second time it is mentioned that a leader of the Huron has done this, and I find myself curious if this is a common practice. I can’t imagine what it was like for those children on the ships, far away from their people, their families, anything familiar. After this the explorers met a group of hunters, but no one else until they reached Hochelaga.
At Hochelaga they were greeted by hundreds of people, men women and children, who I assume are Huron since there is no mention of a recognizable difference between them and those Cartier and his men just left. Like all the rest the situations they were meeting with friendliness, acceptance, and a large dose of hands-on curiosity especially from the women and children. The captain gifted the women with tin and other “trifling things”, and gifted the men with knives. Once they reached the village itself there were gifts given to the leader of hatchets and knives, as well as some religious icons including a “memorial of the crucifixion” which the captain made the Huron leader kiss before hanging it over his neck. This interaction seemed to go extremely well.
Things turned bad after that. With the help of Taigoagny some the warriors dressed up like devils with huge horns, black-and-white skins, and faces painted black. Things get super confusing about then, so they bought a stolen boat, a performance related to the Huron trying to convince the explorers not to go on to their planned destination, but from what I can tell it entirely centered on Taigoagny and Dom Agaya who were now working together it seems. There was some mention of the Huron leader requiring a hostage be left behind, I guess to make sure they returned from Hochelaga. The footnote says it is believed the people didn’t want the Frenchman to go to Hochelaga because the visitors had given them such wonderful gifts they didn’t want to share the generous visitors with others.
When Cartier met the new group along the river they saw houses built all along the banks. These people were very friendly as well, and shared a large amount of the fish they had fished from the river they lived by with the newcomers for trade. The leader of this group also gave the captain a gift two of his own children, a girl about the age of 8 or 9, and a boy of 2 to 3 years. The captain accepted the girl but refused the boy because he was too small. Knowing how my own people value their children, I admit to being baffled at the idea of the leader of this group giving his own children to the strangers. This is the second time it is mentioned that a leader of the Huron has done this, and I find myself curious if this is a common practice. I can’t imagine what it was like for those children on the ships, far away from their people, their families, anything familiar. After this the explorers met a group of hunters, but no one else until they reached Hochelaga.
At Hochelaga they were greeted by hundreds of people, men women and children, who I assume are Huron since there is no mention of a recognizable difference between them and those Cartier and his men just left. Like all the rest the situations they were meeting with friendliness, acceptance, and a large dose of hands-on curiosity especially from the women and children. The captain gifted the women with tin and other “trifling things”, and gifted the men with knives. Once they reached the village itself there were gifts given to the leader of hatchets and knives, as well as some religious icons including a “memorial of the crucifixion” which the captain made the Huron leader kiss before hanging it over his neck. This interaction seemed to go extremely well.
DvD: Explorers of the World; French Explorers pt 1 - Giovanni da Verrazano
Taking a break from Cartier’s memoirs to check out a DVD I got from the Library called Explorers of the World; French Explorers. One I needed a break from the book. I don’t know if his writing is just bad, or the translation is faulty, but Cartier is is very hard to follow at times. The back of the DVD mentions how the French explorers established New France and claimed most of present-day Canada. They mention people like Jacques Cartier (St. Lawrence River area), Giovanni da Verrazano (the first European to sail into New York Bay), Samuel de Champlain (Quebec), as well as Lewis Joliet and Jacques Marguerite (Mississippi River Valley), and several others. This DVD series apparently has one on Spanish explorers and one on Vikings that I may want to check out at some point. The study guide is useful giving me a basic timeline of who went to where and when. I don’t know if they’re going to follow the timeline order as far as which Explorer is discussed when, but I guess I’ll find out. I apologize now if I seem to jump around a lot since this is mainly just taking notes from the video.
Okay first warning to anybody planning to watch this video, its horribly cheesy. Is supposed for 5th to 8th graders, but honestly it’s a bit too cheesy for them I think. They have 2 kids walking from their school into some art gallery with portraits that talk to them like something out of Harry Potter. They did have a picture of a guy in some really nifty French trader outfit that’s got some serious possibilities towards Metis wear. He’s got some high moccasin boots, the puffy pants, what looks like a capote coat with minor fringe, and a simple belt. There looks like there’s some sort of shirt under his coat that looks like it has small lacing at the neck and what might be a bandanna on his head. Okay I admitted I notice weird stuff, blame the ADD. The guy introduces himself as Pierre Castor, a French trader from Montréal. He talks about New France which I had thought was mostly Canada but it seems is not only part of Canada but a good chunk of land in the center of the US right around the Mississippi River. I’ll have to check the dates, but Cherokee territory is in the section they note on the map. He mentions beaver fur was a very popular trading item in Europe, that everyone wanted a beaver skin hat or trim in their clothing. I know that beaver skin is very water resistant and not overly coarse.
He says that French exploration of the New World began with Giovanni da Verrazano. What amuses me is one of the kids mention that name doesn’t sound French, which was honestly the first thing I thought of I saw the name on the back of the DVD case. Apparently were both right. He was an Italian explorer working for the King of France who was looking for a passage through the New World east to the Spice Islands for trading purposes, something closer and easier to use than Magellan’s route. The French king at the time was King Francis I. The King was also concerned at the amount of land the Spanish were claiming on the southern end of North America into South America, and that the English had claimed the area up by Newfoundland so I guess King Francis wanted his piece of the pie before all the good parts were taken.
Verrazano left France in 1524 and landed at Cape Fear, North Carolina. On hearing the location I was hopeful he encountered Cherokee there since I know that’s part of their territory at the time, but it seems he didn’t stop there he just sailed north up the coast. When he saw Pamlico Sound Verrazano thought he was seeing the Pacific Ocean since from the entrance to the waterway the land is completely invisible. He continued to sail north looking for passage through all the way up to Newfoundland. At this the actor playing the trader mentions there were some contact with the local peoples during Verrazano’s journeys. According to the teacher narrating the French’s purpose wasn’t conquest so the interactions with the people they met were far friendlier then other explorers. There is no mention here what tribes Verrazano encountered, but this is still positive news regarding my research on my persona, because it shows that the interactions happen with the French as early as 1524. I tried going online to look up what tribes he might’ve encountered, and the interesting thing I learned was that 4 years after Verrazano’s journey began he ran into some people in the islands around Florida and the Bahamas that happened to be cannibals and who ate him. I will point out the eaten by cannibals section was not mentioned in in this educational DVD. This means I need to do a little further research on this explorer to figure out which tribes he encountered during his journeys.
Okay first warning to anybody planning to watch this video, its horribly cheesy. Is supposed for 5th to 8th graders, but honestly it’s a bit too cheesy for them I think. They have 2 kids walking from their school into some art gallery with portraits that talk to them like something out of Harry Potter. They did have a picture of a guy in some really nifty French trader outfit that’s got some serious possibilities towards Metis wear. He’s got some high moccasin boots, the puffy pants, what looks like a capote coat with minor fringe, and a simple belt. There looks like there’s some sort of shirt under his coat that looks like it has small lacing at the neck and what might be a bandanna on his head. Okay I admitted I notice weird stuff, blame the ADD. The guy introduces himself as Pierre Castor, a French trader from Montréal. He talks about New France which I had thought was mostly Canada but it seems is not only part of Canada but a good chunk of land in the center of the US right around the Mississippi River. I’ll have to check the dates, but Cherokee territory is in the section they note on the map. He mentions beaver fur was a very popular trading item in Europe, that everyone wanted a beaver skin hat or trim in their clothing. I know that beaver skin is very water resistant and not overly coarse.
He says that French exploration of the New World began with Giovanni da Verrazano. What amuses me is one of the kids mention that name doesn’t sound French, which was honestly the first thing I thought of I saw the name on the back of the DVD case. Apparently were both right. He was an Italian explorer working for the King of France who was looking for a passage through the New World east to the Spice Islands for trading purposes, something closer and easier to use than Magellan’s route. The French king at the time was King Francis I. The King was also concerned at the amount of land the Spanish were claiming on the southern end of North America into South America, and that the English had claimed the area up by Newfoundland so I guess King Francis wanted his piece of the pie before all the good parts were taken.
Verrazano left France in 1524 and landed at Cape Fear, North Carolina. On hearing the location I was hopeful he encountered Cherokee there since I know that’s part of their territory at the time, but it seems he didn’t stop there he just sailed north up the coast. When he saw Pamlico Sound Verrazano thought he was seeing the Pacific Ocean since from the entrance to the waterway the land is completely invisible. He continued to sail north looking for passage through all the way up to Newfoundland. At this the actor playing the trader mentions there were some contact with the local peoples during Verrazano’s journeys. According to the teacher narrating the French’s purpose wasn’t conquest so the interactions with the people they met were far friendlier then other explorers. There is no mention here what tribes Verrazano encountered, but this is still positive news regarding my research on my persona, because it shows that the interactions happen with the French as early as 1524. I tried going online to look up what tribes he might’ve encountered, and the interesting thing I learned was that 4 years after Verrazano’s journey began he ran into some people in the islands around Florida and the Bahamas that happened to be cannibals and who ate him. I will point out the eaten by cannibals section was not mentioned in in this educational DVD. This means I need to do a little further research on this explorer to figure out which tribes he encountered during his journeys.
Thursday, June 26, 2014
A Memoir of Jacques Cartier cont...The Huron
The next group of people the Frenchmen met are noted as being different than the ones they had previously encountered, but doesn’t explain very well how they were different except they have shaved heads save but a tuff of hair the top of their head. According to the footnotes this hairstyle is called a “scalp lock” and is worn by the Huron. Looking up the Huron I find them also referred to as the Wyandot people or Wendat. It also mentions that these people flip over their boats to use as shelter much as a group mentioned by Viking explorers called the Skraelings (which according to what I found simply means not like us, barbarians). Cartier traded knives, paternosters, glass, hair combs, and other things he considered very little worth but that’s the Huron seemed very happy with. The manuscript goes on to say that they traveled further in to where the Huron were and were greeted well by the men but most the women were frightened and ran into the woods. The few women that stayed were given hair combs and bells, and eventually the other woman returned our also gifted with little tin bells which the women were very pleased with. Some of his comments after this confused me, he mentions the Huron sharing all this food with them but then calls them thieves without any explanation of why. There was a bit of fuss a few days later when the Frenchman planted a cross on the land, but with a bit of diplomacy and some more iron trade goods, that was all smoothed over. Cartier even manages to convince one of the Huron leaders to leave his sons on the visitor’s boat with the promise they would return soon. There was no mention whether the explorer planned to keep his promise, but somehow I doubt it. Even after meeting more Huron on their journey no mention was made of the men they had taken captive. And all month after they sailed for home, marking the end of their first voyage.
The second voyage is listed as occurring between 1535 and 1536, and starts off much as the first one did with a visit to the Isle of Birds. I don’t know if this is a sign that he’s taking the same path or and it’s just the easiest way into that area. Cartier does make a note of moving off to the West to explore the other islands where at a harbor they named St Nicholas they planted another cross. He make some mention about “ by the savages we had we were told this was the beginning of the Saguenay, and inhabited land, and from it came the red copper…” which to me sounds like he had some of the First Nations folks with them, the Huron men taken during the first voyage giving him information. Since his last voyage had they in that year been converted and were now serving Cartier as guides? He does make reference later on to his “two men of the country of Canada” and the Footnote at this point simply calls them Cartier’s Indians. He doesn’t calls them by name nor talks about them as if they were equals as part of the crew, but he certainly used them later on to lore other Huron on board the ship. There is no mention on what happened with that encounter, if it was trading, if the other Huron left the ship, but I’m assuming they did since it sound like it was more than just a couple of them.
When Cartier encounters the next group of people they are afraid of the Frenchmen until the two Huron with Cartier talk to them. At this point their names are mentioned as Taigoagny and Dom Agaya and when they introduce themselves to the people everyone is happy and no longer afraid. As before items the Frenchmen consider worthless are traded to the people who seem very pleased with them. At this point a couple names crop up. There is someone Cartier refers to as the Lord of Canada named Donnacona this title seems to be Agohanna. According to the footnote these too are Huron. At this time Taigoagny and Dom Agaya share with Agohanna the things they seen during her time in France and according to Cartier told the Huron leader how well they have been treated. Reading on this appears to be where they leave the Huron territory since the next group according to the footnote is a new group of people, but the rest will have to wait for tomorrow. I did learn the public and campus library have a great deal on the Huron/Wendat so plenty of good research stuff there for further on this tribe.
The second voyage is listed as occurring between 1535 and 1536, and starts off much as the first one did with a visit to the Isle of Birds. I don’t know if this is a sign that he’s taking the same path or and it’s just the easiest way into that area. Cartier does make a note of moving off to the West to explore the other islands where at a harbor they named St Nicholas they planted another cross. He make some mention about “ by the savages we had we were told this was the beginning of the Saguenay, and inhabited land, and from it came the red copper…” which to me sounds like he had some of the First Nations folks with them, the Huron men taken during the first voyage giving him information. Since his last voyage had they in that year been converted and were now serving Cartier as guides? He does make reference later on to his “two men of the country of Canada” and the Footnote at this point simply calls them Cartier’s Indians. He doesn’t calls them by name nor talks about them as if they were equals as part of the crew, but he certainly used them later on to lore other Huron on board the ship. There is no mention on what happened with that encounter, if it was trading, if the other Huron left the ship, but I’m assuming they did since it sound like it was more than just a couple of them.
When Cartier encounters the next group of people they are afraid of the Frenchmen until the two Huron with Cartier talk to them. At this point their names are mentioned as Taigoagny and Dom Agaya and when they introduce themselves to the people everyone is happy and no longer afraid. As before items the Frenchmen consider worthless are traded to the people who seem very pleased with them. At this point a couple names crop up. There is someone Cartier refers to as the Lord of Canada named Donnacona this title seems to be Agohanna. According to the footnote these too are Huron. At this time Taigoagny and Dom Agaya share with Agohanna the things they seen during her time in France and according to Cartier told the Huron leader how well they have been treated. Reading on this appears to be where they leave the Huron territory since the next group according to the footnote is a new group of people, but the rest will have to wait for tomorrow. I did learn the public and campus library have a great deal on the Huron/Wendat so plenty of good research stuff there for further on this tribe.
A Memoir of Jacques Cartier cont...The Micmac
It was quite awhile before they mentioned meeting anyone
else, but the next time he did it was a group of boats, about 40 or 50, who
this time did not seem pleased the strangers were in their territory. Seeing they were outnumbered at the time Cartier
and his men tried to leave, but a couple of the boats followed them. The
Frenchmen came to discover that the people in the boats actually wanted to be
friends. Of course the Frenchman got nervous, started shooting a bunch of
warning shots, and that was about it for that interaction. It seems however these people showed up later
at the big ship and some trading occurred now that Cartier felt less outnumbered.
They traded for knives and other types of iron goods along with a red hat to
give to their leader, in exchange for the skins the people had, including the
skins they were wearing at the time. He mentioned that people plan to return
the next day with more skins, but it doesn’t say they actually returned. It is
noted fortunately in the footnotes that the people Cartier met on this occasion
were the Micmacs. This is useful to
know when start researching possible tribes for the French name persona. I’m not
surprised to see them mentioned since the herald I talked to that had a native
persona with a French name was playing a Micmac.
Reading a bit further on it seems several days later the Micmac people returned in their boats and even hunted up some seals to share and cook as a gift for the visitors. Cartier in exchange gave them hatchets, knives, paternosters (from what I can figure out they are historical versions of prayer beads/rosary), and other goods which made the Micmac very happy. There were women and children there, and Cartier mentions the woman touch them without fear. The Micmac were very friendly and Cartier seem to take this as a sign they would be easily converted. This seems to be the last of the contact with the Micmac people for this voyage. Doing some further research online I found the Micmac referred to as the Mi'kmaq Nation. Our local library didn't seem to have very much on the Mi'kmaq Which was frustrating, though there does seem to be a fair bit at the campus library once I have the time to dig through it all.
Reading a bit further on it seems several days later the Micmac people returned in their boats and even hunted up some seals to share and cook as a gift for the visitors. Cartier in exchange gave them hatchets, knives, paternosters (from what I can figure out they are historical versions of prayer beads/rosary), and other goods which made the Micmac very happy. There were women and children there, and Cartier mentions the woman touch them without fear. The Micmac were very friendly and Cartier seem to take this as a sign they would be easily converted. This seems to be the last of the contact with the Micmac people for this voyage. Doing some further research online I found the Micmac referred to as the Mi'kmaq Nation. Our local library didn't seem to have very much on the Mi'kmaq Which was frustrating, though there does seem to be a fair bit at the campus library once I have the time to dig through it all.
A Memoir of Jacques Cartier...The Beothuk
Knowing I had a good bit to do around the house I decided last night to start going through the pile of books I got from the library. I figure if I can keep track of the books that I’m using for my research, noting which ones were useful (probably leaving out which ones really weren’t in any final biography list I put together), will be easy to gather up in case somebody else needs to know which ones to look for to use in their own research.
The first book I started going through is called “A Memoir of Jacques Cartier” by James Phinney Baxter, A.M., Litt. D. The reason I got this is that it is supposed to contain Cartier’s “Voyage to the St. Lawrence” a manuscript which contains as I understand it information in his own words on the First Nation people he met and observed in his travels to Canada. I’m not sure what to expect in a 1500s Frenchman’s point of view regarding the indigenous people of Canada, but hopefully I can find something useful to take away from it.
The first section is listed “ voyage of 1534”. They mention something about the “Isle of Birds” (which is now called Funk Island not far from Newfoundland Canada). I read for a while after that with no mention of meeting any people at all, just lots of stuff about animals and things they collected, especially birds. Finally about 13 pages in, I found a mention of people. The manuscript mentions they wear leather (skins of beasts), paint their faces with “tawny colors”, and use the bark of birch trees to make their boats for seal “fishing”. He also makes note that he believes this area is not their home but simply where they hunt before they return to warmer lands for shelter. I’m guessing the interaction was friendly because he mentions no battles or conflict of any kind, just that he and his men moved on with their travels. The footnote mentions Beothiks, a word I am not familiar with, and that the people use red ochre to pick themselves. I looked up the word “Beothiks”, and found they are a tribe of Newfoundland that are believed by most scholars to be extinct, but many Micmacs claim to have ancestral links to. It is said that the last known Beothik woman, Shanawdithit, died in 1829 at the age of 20. I have to admit at being tempted to learn as much as I can about the Beothik not only to honor their memory by learning more about them, but in the possibilities of them for my persona.
The footnotes also states that three of these people were earlier captured by someone named Cabot and taken to England, an Italian “explorer” commissioned by Henry VII in the mid-1400s. This is interesting to know since it predates Cartier’s arrival by nearly 100 years. I checked the public library system and found one mention of a book mentioning this tribe, and it's a fiction novel written by a Cree archaeologist called "The Beothuk saga : a novel" by Bernard Assiniwi ; translated by Wayne Grady. I also found mention in the library listing of the Vikings in relation to the Beothik as well which ties back to my first thought while ago on Viking Metis.
There are two mentions at the library on campus of the Beothuk... Pioneers in Canada by Sir Harry Hamilton Johnston and and article called "A historiography of an ahistoricity: on the beothuk indians". Both I am attempting to access for further study and will share later in another post.
The first section is listed “ voyage of 1534”. They mention something about the “Isle of Birds” (which is now called Funk Island not far from Newfoundland Canada). I read for a while after that with no mention of meeting any people at all, just lots of stuff about animals and things they collected, especially birds. Finally about 13 pages in, I found a mention of people. The manuscript mentions they wear leather (skins of beasts), paint their faces with “tawny colors”, and use the bark of birch trees to make their boats for seal “fishing”. He also makes note that he believes this area is not their home but simply where they hunt before they return to warmer lands for shelter. I’m guessing the interaction was friendly because he mentions no battles or conflict of any kind, just that he and his men moved on with their travels. The footnote mentions Beothiks, a word I am not familiar with, and that the people use red ochre to pick themselves. I looked up the word “Beothiks”, and found they are a tribe of Newfoundland that are believed by most scholars to be extinct, but many Micmacs claim to have ancestral links to. It is said that the last known Beothik woman, Shanawdithit, died in 1829 at the age of 20. I have to admit at being tempted to learn as much as I can about the Beothik not only to honor their memory by learning more about them, but in the possibilities of them for my persona.
The footnotes also states that three of these people were earlier captured by someone named Cabot and taken to England, an Italian “explorer” commissioned by Henry VII in the mid-1400s. This is interesting to know since it predates Cartier’s arrival by nearly 100 years. I checked the public library system and found one mention of a book mentioning this tribe, and it's a fiction novel written by a Cree archaeologist called "The Beothuk saga : a novel" by Bernard Assiniwi ; translated by Wayne Grady. I also found mention in the library listing of the Vikings in relation to the Beothik as well which ties back to my first thought while ago on Viking Metis.
There are two mentions at the library on campus of the Beothuk... Pioneers in Canada by Sir Harry Hamilton Johnston and and article called "A historiography of an ahistoricity: on the beothuk indians". Both I am attempting to access for further study and will share later in another post.
Processing... name choices
Okay for several days now I have been working on the challenge of choosing a name for the persona I'm working on that I can live with for the long term. Since as I have been told it is near impossible to get the right documentation for a Native American or First Nations name in the pre 1600 timeframe I've been forced to look into European options. It's not a huge stretch since it was common for European missionaries to baptize the non-christian people they met in an attempt to christianize them. I haven't given up on the idea of finding documentation, especially on Cherokee names, that the SCA heralds would find acceptable, but I figured I would start with the online accessible European name documentation first since a lot of tribal roles are not accessible online.
Because I am comfortable with the name Moon and and so far in the SCA it's pretty much how everyone knows me anyway, I wanted Moon to be someplace in the name that I chose. I also have a deep connection to ravens, so I wanted to have that in there someplace to. Knowing that I couldn't use the English versions of those two words, I started talking to several heralds (including one of our local ones, and others I met through the Facebook Herald chat group) about where I should go for my documentation searches, ideas for names that would fit, in any other resource they can think of. I got some awesome help. Here is what I've been able to document through the SCA accepted sites/places so far as far as the names.
Now for the Cherokee persona, I am looking at a Spanish name since those are the ones my tribe had 1st contact with, even though it was a minimal contact with a large amount of time after that there was no contact at all. I really like the idea of my persona being connected to my own people so honoring my own heritage, not only because I know the most about them compared to other tribes, others out but there is an element of pride there for me. Now in this case I have two documentable by names that can be used together; de Luna and Corva. Together the two names translate into basically raven of the moon which I really like. De Luna I found on a marriage certificate in 1589 from Mexico belonging to a man married to a woman who had a name that sounded very Aztec in origin, as well as belonging to a woman christened in 1559 in Spain whose father also carried the same by name. Corva I found belonging to a man christened in 1557 in Spain whose mother carried the name. I struggled a bit finding a given name from the proper time range in Spanish, in fact I did about two days of searching before I ran across name Mencia (the "e" is accented but I don't know how to type that) which in the article I read related to magical insight, prophecy, empathic ability, and a whole lot of other things I kind of like being related to the persona I am going to do. I found the name Mencia in the marriage certificate from Mexico in 1597 belonging to a woman married to a man who both also had very Aztec sounding last names. I am still looking at options for the given name, but I wouldn't be unhappy using Mencia if I can't find anything else I like better. As far as the by name, I am very happy with Corva de Luna. I have noticed that the "de" is always capitalize on the documentation site in names but I rarely have ever seen it capitalized when used as a locator name in by names anyplace else. It's a question I might want to ask on the herald group I think, or from a local Herald outside of the one I am working who said she knows armory better than naming.
On the French end of things, since if I do the Metis persona the baptized name would be French, for Raven the by name is Corbeau. I really like the sound of it, and I was able to find a woman christened in Belgium in 1606 (which at the time as I understand it was occupied by the Dutch in the French) who not only had the name Corbeau, but whose father carried it as well which documents the name before the 1600s. As far as the Moon end of things I haven't had much luck in French as far as by names go. The name de Lune was suggested, but I can't find documentation for anyone from France or from someplace occupied by the French, though I did find a couple Spanish versions of that by name. I did look for Luna as a given name, and found it on marriage certificate from 1562 in England. According to the SCA naming rules it is acceptable to mix French and English names so I might end up going with that. The ending result would be Luna Corbeau, loosely translated as I understand it to Moon Raven.
Because I am comfortable with the name Moon and and so far in the SCA it's pretty much how everyone knows me anyway, I wanted Moon to be someplace in the name that I chose. I also have a deep connection to ravens, so I wanted to have that in there someplace to. Knowing that I couldn't use the English versions of those two words, I started talking to several heralds (including one of our local ones, and others I met through the Facebook Herald chat group) about where I should go for my documentation searches, ideas for names that would fit, in any other resource they can think of. I got some awesome help. Here is what I've been able to document through the SCA accepted sites/places so far as far as the names.
Now for the Cherokee persona, I am looking at a Spanish name since those are the ones my tribe had 1st contact with, even though it was a minimal contact with a large amount of time after that there was no contact at all. I really like the idea of my persona being connected to my own people so honoring my own heritage, not only because I know the most about them compared to other tribes, others out but there is an element of pride there for me. Now in this case I have two documentable by names that can be used together; de Luna and Corva. Together the two names translate into basically raven of the moon which I really like. De Luna I found on a marriage certificate in 1589 from Mexico belonging to a man married to a woman who had a name that sounded very Aztec in origin, as well as belonging to a woman christened in 1559 in Spain whose father also carried the same by name. Corva I found belonging to a man christened in 1557 in Spain whose mother carried the name. I struggled a bit finding a given name from the proper time range in Spanish, in fact I did about two days of searching before I ran across name Mencia (the "e" is accented but I don't know how to type that) which in the article I read related to magical insight, prophecy, empathic ability, and a whole lot of other things I kind of like being related to the persona I am going to do. I found the name Mencia in the marriage certificate from Mexico in 1597 belonging to a woman married to a man who both also had very Aztec sounding last names. I am still looking at options for the given name, but I wouldn't be unhappy using Mencia if I can't find anything else I like better. As far as the by name, I am very happy with Corva de Luna. I have noticed that the "de" is always capitalize on the documentation site in names but I rarely have ever seen it capitalized when used as a locator name in by names anyplace else. It's a question I might want to ask on the herald group I think, or from a local Herald outside of the one I am working who said she knows armory better than naming.
On the French end of things, since if I do the Metis persona the baptized name would be French, for Raven the by name is Corbeau. I really like the sound of it, and I was able to find a woman christened in Belgium in 1606 (which at the time as I understand it was occupied by the Dutch in the French) who not only had the name Corbeau, but whose father carried it as well which documents the name before the 1600s. As far as the Moon end of things I haven't had much luck in French as far as by names go. The name de Lune was suggested, but I can't find documentation for anyone from France or from someplace occupied by the French, though I did find a couple Spanish versions of that by name. I did look for Luna as a given name, and found it on marriage certificate from 1562 in England. According to the SCA naming rules it is acceptable to mix French and English names so I might end up going with that. The ending result would be Luna Corbeau, loosely translated as I understand it to Moon Raven.
Wednesday, June 25, 2014
Thrown Weapons... Beginnings
Okay, like I promised, I'm going to talk a bit about the thrown weapons get together that happened yesterday night. First off it was frikken fun! I knew I wanted to try it, but I had no idea I would like it so much. I'm hoping to try it with different sizes and different weights knives, and I definitely want to have another go with the axes since I only got to that once. I seem to do okay though, in general throwing in the right direction and hitting the target about 50% of the time. I did start to get better once I began throwing from the tip (holding the knife by the tip rather than by the handle), so that's a good sign that that's were I can comfortably hold for good accuracy. I'm hoping once I get a good idea of what size, length, and weight works best for me in knives and axes I can learn to make my own. I came home so excited that I right away went to dig up some instructional videos on knife throwing. I figured this would be a good place share them. Note that because I got them off of his upload list if you do not stop at the end of the video it will keep playing the next one or something else.
Choosing Knives
How to Throw Knives
Consistency and Distance
Choosing Knives
How to Throw Knives
Consistency and Distance
Tuesday, June 24, 2014
Thoughts About Weapon Use ... Archery
Okay spent the evening hanging with some new friends in the park and trying my hand as knife and axe throwing. I need a lot more practice but I really liked it. It got me thinking (dangerous, huh?) about the persona I am thinking about and how the thrown weapons and the archery I am beginning to learn fits into that.
Now the Cherokee did use bows, one of the reasons I want a longbow (the one I have now is a recurve). My own one got stolen from my car after a women's retreat I went to years back, and a few years ago some of the ladies with some of my family pitched in and bought me a new one. Its 50"in length, 27# bow with a 24" draw length. Now after finding I struggle a bit with the bow when I tried it for the first time yesterday I decided to do a bit of research on how to tell if its the best bow for me right now.
The first thing I looked into was proper draw length. There are two methods I've found for doing this. One (calculated draw length) involved measuring your arm span and then dividing by 2.5. Using the second draw length measuring method (called ATA Draw Length Standard) would have required getting my bow out and restringing it which at 11pm at nite was not ready to do.
My arm span is about 60"/2.5 giving me a draw length of about 24" This is the same as my bow. Also since I need to also get a bow for my daughter... Her arm span is 58/2.5 = Which is just over 23" (as fast as she is growing she is likely to pass that up soon)
Second thing I have to figure out is bow size.... according to the one site I found the bow size is based on your draw length, so for us its either 22" to 24" = 62" bow... so accourding to this my 50" bow is way to small. Well that's a surprise. Not sure what affect having the bow be 14" to small for me has...
Okay last thing to check is to determine the draw weight...they have a chart I found at the same site as the rest that says Beginner recurve draw weight is Adult Women 16 - 26 pounds (for my daughter it is Youth (Age 11 to 13) 10 - 14 pounds) So at #27 my bow weight isn't right either. Looks like come school cash time to shop for a new bow. It's odd cause it look like the bow itself isn't sized right all around which is odd since the guy that made it is supposed to know his stuff. (Randy Dehnel of Saxon Archery)
Going to talk a bit tomorrow about the knife and axe throwing I did, but bed is calling me. Sending a quick note to the archery marshal from yesterday about the bow sizing to see what he thinks. Now sure the best places to look for bows for my daughter and I that we can afford, but maybe he will have some thoughts to share. I did read that longbows are different that recurve so I might need a slightly smaller longbow than the recurve chart lists. Likely closer to a 58". We'll see.
Now the Cherokee did use bows, one of the reasons I want a longbow (the one I have now is a recurve). My own one got stolen from my car after a women's retreat I went to years back, and a few years ago some of the ladies with some of my family pitched in and bought me a new one. Its 50"in length, 27# bow with a 24" draw length. Now after finding I struggle a bit with the bow when I tried it for the first time yesterday I decided to do a bit of research on how to tell if its the best bow for me right now.
The first thing I looked into was proper draw length. There are two methods I've found for doing this. One (calculated draw length) involved measuring your arm span and then dividing by 2.5. Using the second draw length measuring method (called ATA Draw Length Standard) would have required getting my bow out and restringing it which at 11pm at nite was not ready to do.
My arm span is about 60"/2.5 giving me a draw length of about 24" This is the same as my bow. Also since I need to also get a bow for my daughter... Her arm span is 58/2.5 = Which is just over 23" (as fast as she is growing she is likely to pass that up soon)
Second thing I have to figure out is bow size.... according to the one site I found the bow size is based on your draw length, so for us its either 22" to 24" = 62" bow... so accourding to this my 50" bow is way to small. Well that's a surprise. Not sure what affect having the bow be 14" to small for me has...
Okay last thing to check is to determine the draw weight...they have a chart I found at the same site as the rest that says Beginner recurve draw weight is Adult Women 16 - 26 pounds (for my daughter it is Youth (Age 11 to 13) 10 - 14 pounds) So at #27 my bow weight isn't right either. Looks like come school cash time to shop for a new bow. It's odd cause it look like the bow itself isn't sized right all around which is odd since the guy that made it is supposed to know his stuff. (Randy Dehnel of Saxon Archery)
Going to talk a bit tomorrow about the knife and axe throwing I did, but bed is calling me. Sending a quick note to the archery marshal from yesterday about the bow sizing to see what he thinks. Now sure the best places to look for bows for my daughter and I that we can afford, but maybe he will have some thoughts to share. I did read that longbows are different that recurve so I might need a slightly smaller longbow than the recurve chart lists. Likely closer to a 58". We'll see.
Research and Personas... An Introduction
Because I am doing non traditional personas outside the typical Eurocentric cultures most often used in the SCA, I have been advised to keep detailed records of my notes and resources to share with others that may be interested in following my lead. As I mention in the blog intro, I am mainly focused at the moment in building a Native persona either #1 from my own tribe who had contact with Hernando de Soto in 1540 or #2 a Canadian Metis persona, likely Cree, who are one of many of the First Nations people Jacques Cartier write about in the mid 1500s.
Now I know a decent bit about Metis as a culture and the Cree, even more about my own tribe, so a lot of the harder work and research involved has to do with how to find my notch with SCA which is mostly Western Europe centered. A lot of folks have been very supportive of my choice in persona, even excited about it, but others seem unsure... for this and many other reasons I have a large hill to climb n the way of detailed documentation and pictorial record keeping. The past few month the task has seem daunting, between the work needing to be done and the concept of the expensive supplies I will need to create my garb and tools, as well as the camping stuff I will need to do event with my kids.
For this reason and my sanity I am starting slow, playing around with other garb style and learning all I can over all which I work on my main persona and plans. I hope folks like the info I collect on this blog, and feel free to share idea, resources, feedback. Collaboration is half the fun.
Now I know a decent bit about Metis as a culture and the Cree, even more about my own tribe, so a lot of the harder work and research involved has to do with how to find my notch with SCA which is mostly Western Europe centered. A lot of folks have been very supportive of my choice in persona, even excited about it, but others seem unsure... for this and many other reasons I have a large hill to climb n the way of detailed documentation and pictorial record keeping. The past few month the task has seem daunting, between the work needing to be done and the concept of the expensive supplies I will need to create my garb and tools, as well as the camping stuff I will need to do event with my kids.
For this reason and my sanity I am starting slow, playing around with other garb style and learning all I can over all which I work on my main persona and plans. I hope folks like the info I collect on this blog, and feel free to share idea, resources, feedback. Collaboration is half the fun.
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