scalife

I found the Society for Creative Anachronism quite by accident. I'd say it was a happy accident. I found myself in the midst of a meeting on the campus of the University of Northern Iowa one evening for the student group known as the Medieval Re-enactment Society, which I later discovered is the student body portion of the Shire of La Grande Tente. I had no idea what these folks were about, but I knew I loved their energy and eccentricities. After a few more meetings, I was hooked. I found myself blissfully sewing costumes and searching thrift stores for objects that might look medieval.

My first event was Lilies War. This is a BIG event for Calontir. I'd only been in the group for 2 months and hadn't really been in costume yet. I believe the population at the site that year was at about 1200 folks. What an eye opener! This was the first time I'd been surrounded by folks dressed in garb and doing activities that re-created the middle ages. It was intoxicating. It was at this event that I truly got to know the people of my group. There's something to be said for camping for 3 days with people to find out who they really are. I found myself longing for my own pavilion, grander garb, and to know everyone on site by name. But this takes time...

Within a year of participating with "The Tente", I was given an Award of Arms by Their Majesties. This award was for being a productive and promising citizen of Calontir. It also gave me the right to put "Lady" in front of my name (which was initially Anastasiia). So, as Lady Anastasiia I continued my SCA journey. I was given the job of being the group's Minister of Arts and Sciences. Lady Elena Erastova (now known as Lady Marina Stewart) showed me the ropes and soon I was merrily dreaming up competitions, encouraging folks to host workshops, and teaching newer members (and some older ones) about different arts and sciences during our weekly meetings. I was still looking for my niche, but knew I was getting closer. I had a feeling that this niche would not be the belly dancing I dabbled in, however, for some reason we recruited a lot of young men the year I wore the dancing outfit to our demos.

I fell in love with the Russian arts and became emmersed in researching the costuming and culture of medieval Russia. As my knowledge of Kiev grew, so did my ideas about garb. I decided a hat would be the thing. It's been an obsession ever since. I adore wearing the big Russian kokoschniks and obruchs. I'm always on the hunt for new pictures or commentary regarding the shapes of these hats, what materials they're made of, who wore them and how they were constructed. It was only after this discovery that my persona started to really take shape.

After my tenure as seneschale of La Grande Tente, I moved to Lincoln, NE to join the Barony of Mag Mor. I fell so head over heels in love with Mikhail that I could no longer bear to be so far away from him. So it came to pass that I moved to his land and became a Mag Moron....a venerable and ancient nickname for members of the Mag Mor populace.

After promising myself a year's reprieve from being an officer, I became minister of the arts and sciences for Mag Mor (after 6 months of residency). So much for my year's respite...I guess I'm a sucker for a fun job. Mag Mor has a glowing reputation for having highly skilled artisans within her borders. This reputation is not unfounded. I'm continually amazed by the creativity and degree of research that is put forth by my friends and cohorts here. I have found renewed inspiration here. Using the skills I've learned in college, I have begun making reproductions and replicas of medieval cooking pots and eating "gear". I adore opening my kiln to find that my experiments have gone beyond my expectations. I look forward to each session in the studio and each class I teach. Check out the Russian Pottery section to see what experiments and objects my comrades and I have worked on.

I've been in the SCA now for 6 years and I have just begun to really hit my stride. I have a lovely pavilion. I have a nice set of garb with a few hats to play with. And now I'm the territorial baroness of Mag Mor. I've come to know many, many wonderful people across Calontir and even in the other Kingdoms of the Knowne Worlde. Yes, 6 years ago, I didn't think I'd ever be here and I look back on my journey with awe at the support and acceptance and love I have received so far. I look forward to the next 6 years and the 6 years following and the 6 years beyond that.