jessie k.

Hey, now _that's_ a cool picture! That looks awfully awkward though; how did they keep everything from tipping over?

Now I'm curious: concerning wool felt, and felted wool, were they both authentic to the same time periods, or was one or the other, only, used during a certain time period?

I call it garb, because when I started in SCA, that's what everyone else called it! Before that, I probably would have called it a costume, but now, that brings to mind Halloween and Ren Faires. Not that there's anything wrong with Ren Faires, but...

Phil: Muchisimas gracias! I try to make good first impressions. I would certainly like to educate people about piracy, and other historical topics that I'm interested in, however, I have to keep busy trying to educate myself. Funny how getting a history degree so I can learn about historical topics that interest me, means I first have to learn about historical topics that don't necessarily interest me. Anyway, like most of you, it seems, time and budget are my biggest problems!

Now for my humble two cents worth: I'm fairly new at the reenacting game, myself. I suppose the argument over authenticity or entertainment depends on why you are doing it--to teach others, or to have fun? If your goal is to teach others, and help them appreciate the reality of piracy, then one should be in the right garb, and speaking the right words to give people as realistic a perception of piracy as is practical. Obviously, they are going to know that you are not a real pirate, but they may come away with a better understanding of what being a real pirate was. Not just from the clothing, speech, etc, but from the information you have imparted to them. Really, the clothing, and weaponry is just a way to draw and keep their attention, so that they will be interested in the information you give them. However, if you are just in it to have fun, then authenticity isn't as important as giving off the impression of piracy. Myself, I am in it for fun and information! So I dress as accurately as my budget allows, have my fun, and impart as much information as I posess to those who want to know why I am dressed funny!