Welcome to the Barony of Wastekeep
What is the Barony of Wastekeep?
The Barony of Wastekeep*, is a branch of the Society for
Creative Anachronism, Inc. (SCA).
Wastekeep was established in 1979 by a group of "living
history" enthusiasts. The Barony
resides within the Kingdom of An Tir.**
What is the SCA?
The SCA is a non-profit educational
organization, devoted to the study of the Western European medieval and
renaissance historical periods (650 AD to 1650 AD). The SCA is not a spectator organization. Events and activities are not performances
for an audience, instead events are to enable members to explore one or more
aspects of life in the Middle Ages. The
SCA attempts to recreate the better aspects of the Middle Ages, the nobility,
chivalry, and community spirit.
Participation
is the key to having fun in the SCA.
What does it take to participate?
The main requirement for
participation in an SCA event is to wear a reasonable attempt at pre-1650
clothing called garb. This helps
everyone get into the spirit of things and feel a part of what is
happening. Loaner garb is usually
available for a nominal cleaning charge from the Gold Key of the local SCA
branch.
What’s with the Funny Names?
Part of what SCA members do is to create a personal character from a
specific historical time and place (called a persona; this cannot be an actual
historical figure or one adapted from myth or literature). It should reflect
your own personality and imagination and can come from any culture in the
world. Researching the culture of that time and place will allow you to develop
that persona in an authentic manner. Authenticity is encouraged in as many
areas as ability and finances allow.
Clothing, weapons, utensils, food, and pavilions help to create a period
atmosphere.
Can
I be Prince Valiant?
SCA titles are granted only by the Crown
and must be earned. You may not style
or represent yourself as a Knight, Baron, Duke, Lord, Lady or any other title
without earning it. Kings and Queens selected twice a year by armed combat
called Crown Tournaments.
What do can I do in the SCA?
A common SCA activity is recreating
medieval combat. Events, such as wars,
melees, tourneys, and other competitions are used to test skill at arms. SCA fighting is as close to medieval combat
as possible within the realm of reasonable safety. Participants in SCA combat fight on foot, following a system of
rules, which permit realism while maintaining a very high safety standard. Heavy combat is fought in full medieval
armor, with rattan weapons, which have the same weight and balance of steel but
which are much less dangerous. Rapier
combat is also a popular activity.
Rapier combat emulates a fighting style of the Renaissance (The 3
Musketeers). Rapier fighters commonly
use steel blades called Schlagers or blades made of fiberglass. They addition-ally may use cloaks, daggers,
or other parrying devices. . Some events allow the use of Combat archery to
recreate the arrow’s impact on medieval warfare.
All
fighters must attempt to keep their equipment as authentic as ability and
finances allow and must conform to SCA safety standards. Minors from 16-18 wishing to participate in any combat related activity must have
their parent's permission and a SCA waiver signed by a parent or legal
guardian.
What else can I do, besides fighting?
Activities in the SCA cover a broad range
to medieval activities. These include
Archery, equestrian, calligraphy, dancing, music, cooking, games and many other
forms of Arts and Sciences. SCA events
may include, feasts, balls, bardic circles (for singing and storytelling) and
skills competitions, with many events combining more than one activity plus a
variety of technical and social skills which help establish the ambience of
life in a Medieval court.
The
local branches provide educational demonstrations for the public and schools as
well as classes held during a weekend (University of lthra) where knowledgeable
people share with others.
How do I join the SCA?
The
SCA is an international organization, membership is not required, but is
strong-ly encouraged. Membership is
required to participate in any combat activity or to hold office. Yearly memberships are $35 , with a $60
maximum for an entire family.
With
a membership you can receive a subscription to the SCAs quarterly magazine, Tournaments Illuminated, and the kingdom
newsletter.
In
addition the Barony of Wastekeep publishes a monthly Baronial newsletter, “The Word” which provides information on
local SCA events, meetings, classes, workshops, and social gatherings.
For a subscription to the
Baronial newsletter “The Word”: send check or money order for $12.00 payable to "The
Wastekeep Word” to:
1436 Rimrock Ave.
Richland, WA 99352