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Master Ark and the Society for Creative Anachronism
 The Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA) is a group dedicated to learning about and reenacting the Middle Ages. In the SCA the biggest events are "Wars". People travel from far and near to put on armor and enter the field of combat surrounded by hundreds of like minded warriors. Some wars now field thousands of players, making them as large as some medieval battles. The largest event of this type is the Pennsic War in Pennsylvania. The second largest is the Estrella War.
The predecessor to the Estrella War in Arizona was the Burro Creek War. I never went to Burro Creek. My first big event was Estrella II . I had a card table and a little shade canopy and a few pieces of bronze jewelry that I had made. It just grew from there.
Master Ark's Cart actually did start out as a two wheeled cart that I made myself. I used cable spool ends for wheels and carved the axle out of a 4x4. I learned that the secret to a stable cart was in the hubs. Good large hubs and a big wooden washer on the inside kept the wheels from wobbling. The other trick was lots of axle grease. I sold my wares from this cart for many years, but eventually I outgrew the cart. I got a marquee tent and tables. I went to the Pennsic War, to the War of the Lillies, to Gulf Wars and to Estrella. I specialized in cloak clasps. I think I was the first person in the SCA to make and sell pennanular brooches. I know I was the first to do Saxon buckle brooches for cloaks.
Before I moved to Hawaii in 2002, I sold my designs to Master Vortigern. Eight years later I bought back some of my original designs and started making new cloak clasps, and 23 years after my first Estrella I was back in Arizona at Estrella XXV. Most of those who knew me are gone, but it was a joy to see the ones who remain and to meet new people. It is good to be back!
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Estrella XXV Florence Arizona, February 2009
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An Tir Crown Tournament Article
The Macleod Gazette printed a very nice article about the SCA by
Frank McTighe. There's a good picture of Master Ark who is also quoted
in the article.
Click these links to see the piece.
Gazette 2.pdf Gazette 1.pdf Master Archer Gareth did Montengarde and An Tir proud at Estrella XXVI !!
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What the SCA means to meI was just at the An Tir Crown Tournament in Fort McLeod, Alberta and I was interviewed by a reporter from the local paper. He was curious about the Society and what had held my interest for so many years.
I love playing in the Current Middle Ages. I like the pageantry, the costumes, the comraderie, the creativity. I realized, though, that the most important things about the Society for me are things you can't see, thing not apparent to a reporter walking through an event for the first time.
The SCA is a place where people can come and be the person they really want to be. It is outside of normal time and normal concerns. No matter what you do to make a living or what your social status is, here the playing field is equal. Here you can be your ideal self.
The SCA is based on the code of honor and chivalry. We say it is not the Middle Ages as they were, but as they might have been in the best of all possible worlds. It is a historically based fantasy, a Utopian society. Everyone starts out equal and rank is earned through your own effort. It is a place where you can take risks, because it is, when all is said and done, a game.
I am something of a recluse, but in the SCA I am social. I am an ordinary craftsman, but in the SCA I am respected as a Master of the Laurel. I don't have much of a singing voice, but in the SCA I became a bard. I am a pacifist, but I took up the rapier and became a passable fencer. I shot archery and always came in last, but I had fun.
I have seen troubled young men enter the Society and be taken on as squires by knights. They found an acceptable outlet for their aggression, and in the process they were taught to be honorable and chivalrous. They learned self control and they were taught this by a man they admired and respected.
Yes, when all is said and done, the SCA is a game. But there is a lot to be learned in the playing. I know I am a better man for the years I have spent in the Current Middle Ages.
I am Master Ark of Ringholden, O.L.
To learn more about the Society for Creative Anachronism visit their website at http://www.sca.org
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