[Ansteorra] Why aren't we doing this?

[Chris Zakes]

At 07:00 PM 11/4/2010, you wrote:

From: Chris Zakes <dontivar at gmail.com>

(snip)

>>I know there was a widespread *belief* in the early days that the SCA's time
>>period extended to 1650 (which still wouldn't cover someone who 
>>wanted to play
>>1651) but that was never in Corpora, the By-laws or the Articles of
>>incorporation.
>>
>>         -Tivar Moondragon

>I remember once getting crap from someone for playing a pre-600 
>Germanic persona
>like I do now years ago.  That conversation also included a tirade about why
>allow non-Western personas like Japanese and such.  As I said it was 
>at least a
>decade or so ago.
>
>   I was told as a newcomer 600-1600 or essentially the rounded 
> average of the
>dates of Anglo-Saxon Christianization missions (597 Kent; 601ish for
>Northumbrian and Edwin) to the end of Elizabeth I.  Delightfully 
>Anglo-centric,
>which I have no issue with personally.
>
>Wihtric


That's another common misconception about the SCA: that there's some 
official beginning date. I've seen 600-1600 (to give a nice round 
millenium) or the fall of Rome, or 400 AD all used, but again, the 
official documents just say "pre 17th century." Back in the early 
days of what would eventually become Ansteorra, there was a household 
of Egyptians from the time of the pharaohs, and I've seen classical 
Romans, too.

As for non-western personas, to quote from the introduction to 
Corpora http://sca.org/docs/pdf/govdocs.pdf

"For Society members, most of the world, and all of the centuries 
prior to the 17th, can serve as a source for personal research. 
However, the further you go from the core of Medieval and Renaissance 
Europe, the less the environment we offer will resemble what someone 
of your time and country would find natural or homelike. For example, 
you can be an Asian or African guest at a European court, but you cannot expect
others to share your special interests - like any long-term visitor 
in a foreign land, you are the one who will have to adapt to the 
customs you find around you."

         -Tivar Moondragon