Dunedain Culture in a Nutshell

[Odigan]

We find that that kit we made, while serviceable, does not meet the mind's eye of what we expect we should be using, or wearing, so we begin again, until we finally mesh imagination with reality.

...I'm not a reenactor, or a LARPer, or much of a woodsman, to be honest. What I am is a bit of a dreamer, who is very happy to found others who want to share the dream of the Dunedain, that one day their Kingdom and people would be restored.

...Certainly I want my garb and kit to match what I see in my mind's eye, and I doubt I will ever truly match that, but half the fun of this hobby, or being a part of this culture, if you will, is trying to.

An exceedingly excellent and erudite post you have made! As I'm short on time I'm just going to paste my own words from a previous post and say that what we strive for is something not too far afield from the realities of our own historical past, with the convenience of having to adhere only to an interpretation of what "was" rather than worrying over factual minutiae. This both frees us to focus on actual skill sets and encourages experimentation, imagination, and expression while still remaining believable because of a bounding vision as crafted by Tolkien.

If you can dream it, you can build it. I see no reason why you cannot someday match the vision of your mind's eye.

Is it just me, or has this whole "historical accuracy" jag brought more rancor, discord and ill feeling to this forum in a shorter amount of time than anything I've ever seen before?

Thank goodness we have a stellar group here else a conversation like this one would become a death stroke.

Personally I find it refreshing to have such a lively topical debate. If people are getting riled up or emotional over such a thing on a forum then they should probably take a stress pill. If a simple discussion such as this were to lay waste to any group then they have some serious issues that need addressing. As Tolstoy said, "what counts in making a happy marriage is not so much how compatible you are, but how you deal with incompatibility."

[Jonathan B.]

I would much prefer a "Mission Statement" over standards. The last thing we need are Stitch-Nazis as they never help anyone and generally chase people off.

[E.MacKermak]

I refer instead to: Type of fabric (wool, linen, silk, etc.), having no visible machine stitching, no snaps/zippers/velcro/modern fasteners, or whathaveyou. The sorts of things that may be obvious to some and not to others and make great strides towards crafting a believable impression.

There is a difference between goals and standards. Standards are the minimum expected level. Based on the quote above, the young man who just got around to his first cloak, made of cotton, would not have met the standard. I believe we all have our goals and none of ours are exactly like the others. That was what drew me in to this group. I didn't and don't want a living history level organization based on a fantasy novel which took parts from a somewhat romanticized view of the early Middle Ages. I wanted to learn, pass on what I had learned, and work toward enjoying something I do as a hobby.

Sorry if that does not fit in other people's view.

[Greg]

Thank heavens we have no stitch-nazis.

If anyone who has gotten upset over anything written has gotten there via anything I've written, I apologize. What I wrote was strictly stated as being my opinion; nothing more. I never asked to set standards; I merely wanted to display my own standards and what I hold in my own mind's eye to be the appearance of Dunedain Culture.

This forum, as Pete has mentioned, has been joined by many reenactors for the very reason that it is NOT strict, and so I don't think that it ever will become a place that is. The whole point of this place is to encourage exploration of Dunedain Culture (and now, perhaps many other cultures within Middle Earth) with the means available without having to worry about stitch-counters and up-close-and-personal inspections.

This thread would probably have been better startedout named "Greg's Dunedain Culture in a Nutshell", which would have helped make it more clear that I simply wanted to show my own personal standards while simultaneously bringing to light several old images posted by Andy on SFI that many of the new members haven't had a chance to see. Sure, I wanted to encourage, where possible, others to try their hand at following this standard to whatever degree they are capable, but I certainly didn't want to suggest that this forum needs to go in a strict direction.

JBook is a historical reenactor to the core, and as such, clothing standards come naturally to him. Has been since birth. What he wants to do within Middle Earth reenactment is admirable, and often outside the capabilities of most simply because they lack the time to invest. *I* lack the time to invest in order to approach what he hopes to achieve, but he's inspired me through our private discussions over the last year or so to strive for realism as best I can, and I've done what I can to move in that direction. His Blog, which many of you have read, is attached to his concept of the "Middle Earth Reenactment Society", which he hopes to form as a formal Club, much like historical reenactment groups. Due to the way he operates, I'm sure there will be some standards associated with that group. That's fine. THAT is the place for them.

The MERF, in my opinion, will always be a place for artistic expression, though our focus ALWAYS be in keeping with Andy's vision of re-creating Middle Earth, with as much accuracy and credit applied to the BOOKS as can be found. If that's means shiny rivets to you, go for it! I once donned bracers and a quiver loaded with them. It's just not my thing anymore, as they don't fit in with my current kit. Doesn't mean what I am doing is any better than yours.

It's all just my opinion.

[Eledhwen]

No blame to you, Greg. People are people. One thing you can count on; one person's small matter will be other people's earth-shattering upheaval. I thought your original post was very clear on it being your opinion and yours alone. Many of the responses here aren't necessarily oriented to the original post though, I suspect.

People here are independent, strong-willed and minded...and discussions can, and should, get quite lively. But people are who they are...and some can indeed be hurt by things said here. The written word is so much harder to interpret than the spoken word..and no, they are not the same by any measure.

I have seen even more harmless discussions than this cause a group to explode, splinter, flame wars, and recriminations. It does happen. Care is needed in all of these kinds of chats.

As I said, it is well we have a solid group of folk here. I have, as I have said, seen other groups detonate over much less. And it isn't because those people are bad, weak or what have you. They have different things loaded into what is going on. As to whether they might need help or not, no comment. I am no professional.

If the group decides, for whatever reasons, to install a set of standards I will simply go on as I have and happily ignore them. That is always an option for anyone....IF a person is confident enough in themselves to take it.

I'm as much a Ranger as any of you. If I do it differently with different things, oh well. That's for me to decide.

Siani

[Mirimaran]

If that's means shiny rivets to you, go for it! I once donned bracers and a quiver loaded with them. It's just not my thing anymore, as they don't fit in with my current kit. Doesn't mean what I am doing is any better than yours.

It's all just my opinion.

Well, there goes that Bedazzler I was going to get you for Christmas



Ken

[Manveruon]

Okay, so I know I'm a "n00b" and all, and I know I've been pretty ridiculously longwinded thusfar, but I'd like to share some observations I've made while reading this thread.

Truly, as I've been reading through, I have found that what the vast majority of people are saying is actually in agreement with each other. I just wanted to point that and really try to drive it home that most folks here actually are on the same page (or at least the same chapter). And as a wise man once said, "that is an encouraging thought."

Personally, I don't find much about this thread negative in any way. In fact, I would say it's overall been a very positive thread, wherein various members of the forum community have come together to share their own ideas about what they would like to see for their ideal kits. Simple as that. This concept of "standards" is something that scares people - a buzzword - but if I may once again interject my personal opinion, I think those who have been perturbed by it are getting the wrong idea. It's been said above, and I'll reiterate it, because I think it was a good point: what most people are talking about are "goals," not "standards." The word "standard" implies the minimum requirement for a person to participate. When it comes to the MERF, it seems everyone here basically agrees that there should be no minimum standard for participation other than a willingness to discuss and learn about mutually enjoyed topics related to the Dunedain and to Tolkien's writings as a whole. Great! Once again, I'll repeat: pretty much everyone seems to agree on that point.

Beyond that, what we've got are a lot of excellent thoughts and ideas concerning what we each, individually, think makes a great Ranger kit. And guess what? Most of us agree on the basics of that too! Overall, there is a varying degree of "authenticity" that each person wishes to attain, but I don't think anyone here looks down on anyone else for their own personal standards of authenticity. What Greg posted was great, I think, and gave a brilliant opinion of what HE wishes to attain with his kit. It also goes further to say that it's what he would recommend for others as well, based on his own experiences, the people that inspire him, and the ideals he personally aspires to. After that, he opened it up for discussion on what we all felt in that regard, and well, that's exactly what we've been doing. Overall, I'd call that a success!

I think Eledwhen really had the right idea when she said these things:

If you must have some standard to strive for, why not simply have it to be the very best Ranger you are capable of being in the way that you understand it?

Each of us brings our own unique gifts and ideas to the mix that is, as Mirimaran said, becoming our Dunedain culture...

...Let each Ranger strive to do their best, to better their kit, to explore their understanding of Dunedain culture in their own way. I think we all benefit from that.

And also:

The written word is so much harder to interpret than the spoken word..and no, they are not the same by any measure.

I have seen even more harmless discussions than this cause a group to explode, splinter, flame wars, and recriminations. It does happen. Care is needed in all of these kinds of chats.

It's easy for people to get the wrong idea in text, because we have no voice tone, no body language, or any of those other little nuances of interpersonal communication, to give an idea of tone and a better understanding of what each person is saying. People seem to get a lot more bent out of shape over things on the Internet than ever they would in a face-to-face chat. So I guess what I'm saying is that it's always a good idea to take things like this with a grain of salt, and to... well... chill a bit, heh.

Finally, above Eledhwen mentioned Mirimaran's excellent post, and I'd like to reiterate that as well. He made some truly excellent points!

[RikJohnson]

>>>>There is nothing wrong with setting a baseline standard.

I would say that blue jeans and sneakers and a cigar are NOT period. Yet I have seen SCA Kings do exactly this because they couldn't be bothered to change into their Garb before an important Tournament.

Yet, for most of us, a wool-blend is all we can afford or get.
I am not going to spend six weeks and a hundred dollars of valuable money to get Period-perfect pants.
I WILL use my sewing machine to produce something that will pass the 20' rule.

And although my main purse was made from scraps of leather and actually looks like it, I will also buy a Ren Faire one if I come across one at the swap meet. Even Aragorn would have some pride and think, "I really like that purse!"

Balance.
Balance between what I should do and what I can do.
I'll happily carry my Longbow and sneer at people with fiberglass bows or composite bows with arrow shelf.
And I'll happily show my hand-made wooden arrows and sneer at the fiberglass shafts that are sold today.
BUT, when I used aluminum arrows (before I learned to make my own arrows), I tried to paint them to look like wood.

Balance.

Perfection is a goal, something towards which to aspire, a continuing journey as we get better and better and slowly replace our 'quickie' gear for better stuff as we learn and can afford.