Re: scope of the SCA

[Corun MacAnndra <corun@access.digex.net>]

Poster: Corun MacAnndra <corun@access.digex.net>

Caitlin writes:
> 
> Thus, in the 
> 1960s, many adults found that they had trouble distinguishing hippies by 
> gender, because they did not observe (then current) majority-culture dress 
> conventions. 

Read; long hair. ;-)

> (For an example of 
> how this works, remember the scene in ... was it Tom Sawyer or Huck Finn? 
> . when a boy dressed as a girl was "caught out" by how he moved when 
> something was dropped in his lap.

I think it was Huck and he was trying to thread a needle.

> In contrast, most of us are not familiar enough with other cultures, across 
> period, and the types of status signifiers within those cultures to be able 
> to make fine discriminations.  We cannot look at someone dressed ambiguously 
> and say, my, that person has the body language and hair style of a 10th 
> century farmer from southern France (or whatever).  What is being conveyed 
> is on a much grosser level (fancy early-period, fancy late-period, etc.) in 
> most cases, and thus "correct choice of clothing" is all that is needed 
> because that's all that we have the internal filters to understand.

Caitlin makes a good point here, and to add to it, the cultural indicators
are not widely known across cultures. For example, unmarried Mongol women
were allowed and often expected to dress like men. They were not usually
allowed to wear the heavy amounts of jewelry, the elaborate hairbraids or
hats (e.g. the bohtag), or sashes. It was also not uncommon for unmarried
women to be in the ranks of the warriors in battle. Even today this cultural
convention may be seen among the nomads of Mongolia. I have a video of the
Nadaam (an annual version o the Mongolian olympics derived from the ancient
khuraltais). This event includes competitions in archery, horsemanship and
wrestling. At one point in the video a rider is charging past a line of
targets. A rifle is unslung from the rider's shoulder and fired at these
passing targets. The rifle is reslung and at this point the rider knocks
the scarf from off their head to release long braids which fly out behind
ther rider, now clearly seen to be a young woman. Up to this point however,
it was not possible to see that she was a woman, and one not familiar with
the Mongolian culture assumes that it's a man.

In service,
Corun

--
     Corun MacAnndra   |   Dark Horde by birth   |   Moritu by choice
Though we are not now that strength, which in old days moved earth and heaven,
that which we are, we are. One equal temper of heroic hearts, made weak by time
and fates, but strong in will. To strive, to seek, to find and not to yield. 

=======================================================================
List Archives, FAQ, FTP:  http://sca.wayfarer.org/merryrose/
            Submissions:  atlantia@atlantia.sca.org
        Admin. requests:  majordomo@atlantia.sca.org