A persona is the "person" you chose to portray when you step back in time to recreate history. It can be a real type person from history (be VERY careful in doing this as it must be perfect), an ancestor you can document, or... just plain make up a person and become he or she.
MY PERSONA: My main persona is that of a Scots/Irish free trapper. I have traced my ancestry to Laflen in Ireland, and MacLachlan in Scotland. I also do Oglethorpe's Independent Highland Rangers, and a Scout for a volunteer Militia Company during the Rev War. (Many now call this the AWI... American War of Independence, which I guess is now politically correct since we don't want to be associated with Revolutionaries... but we still REVOLTED against the King of England... go figure. I am not much into political correctness... just history.) My "stuff" is always changing as I find out more and more about the family and the time period I portray.
RESEARCH: You need to thoroughly research your persona as to the time frame involed...ie... F&I War, Rev War, Fur Trade, Long Hunter, etc... Many out of print books are available through places like AMAZON.COMat very reasonable prices. Remember the KISS principle here when collecting "stuff", and always ask yourself, "Would this have been available?"... Just because it was available in New York, does not mean it was available in the Rockies, or Virginia, or etc... Lead Crystal goblets were available in New York, but how many would you have seen in a Fur Trade fort on the Platte or Colombia Rivers? Would the common family have this, or just the "gentry" class? Is this item within your time period? The list goes on and on... and I am sure you get the idea here. Most of the items you see at the Ronnys today are totally incorrect... not out of period... just would not have been available in the Mountains. You may have seen pewter and tin, but certainly no lace table cloths, fine linens, crystal goblets, fine silver eating utensils, etc... *chuckles* I am just as guilty as most, though. Mouse likes to set a nice table, sooooo... (the married guys understand).
PERSONAL GEAR: When Mouse and I go to a Ronny, I will be the first to admit that we take WAY too much "stuff"... We just finished putting shelves in the trailer so everything is now neatly packed in the trailer, and we only take out what we need, depending on the length of stay. Makes things a whole lot simpler when we get where we are going. Tear down and restowing it in the trailer is now half the usual time that it took before.
Clothing: My "hat" is usually an Irish "Tam", (I have been known to wear a 'Coon or Skunk hat, or a soft leather floppy hat), Elk skin pants, a wide 3" belt with an iron buckle, either Poppin's or Dyer mocs made of elk or buffalo hide, shirts are linen (plain color), and a Capote made of a 4 point green and black Whitney blanket. Depending on the weather, I also have a lighter Hunters Frock (walnut dyed) that I wear. I recently made a War Shirt out of elk and I wear that sometimes. If I am Trekking, I will sometimes wear me drop front "knickers" with wool or elk legings. Saves wear and tear on the stockings. Periodically I get into me Kilt and all of the Highland acoutraments. Nothin better than wearin a kilt "regimental"... The Ladies love it... Mouse wears either the traditional Highland garb for a married woman, or the frontier clothing consisting of chemise, skirt, bodice, pocket, and mob cap, plus Poppin's center seam mocs.
Shooting Items: I have 2 rifles that I use mainly, both flinters. One is a .50 cal. South Carolina long rifle, and the other is a .62 cal. Chiefs Trade Gun, and it DOES have a rear sight (see my other page for that). I converted a Traditions Hawken .50 from capper to flinter. Traditions said it couldn't be done.... I'm here to tell ya, it can be... and very easily. I much prefer the flinters now... My possibles/shooting bag (Beaver tail style) contains 3 or 4 extra flints, patch knife, short starter, a few strips of patch material, small primer flask (filled with 4F ), ball bag and balls, combination pliers/screwdriver/pick, knapping hammer, pan brush, ball puller, patch worm, oiler,ram rod puller, and a main spring compressor. Along with this I carry a scrimmed powder horn, made for me by Mark Toigo, filled with 3F black powder. I have a small flat horn in the possibles bag for a priming horn.
NOTE: Traditions told me that I could not convert their Springfield Hawken from cap to Flinter. Heh!! I got news fer ya... I did it! Shoots great, too!! Took a bit of hunting for the parts, and several bits of advice from guys on the Mountain Man List, some enlarging of the lock fit area... but its done. I did have a problem with the frizzen not opening all the way, but I am worked on tuning the lock and now it works just fine. Real good lock time...
Belt Items/Weapons: On my belt I carry an elk "possible" pouch, with a Coyote face on the flap. It measures about 8" wide and 10" long. In the pouch is tobacco, pipe, a few Lucifers, a watch, and a money pouch. (Mouse likes to go shopping at the Traders Tents). I usually carry a least two knives on my belt... a Green River butcher knife, and a 13 inch "bowie style" fighting knife. If I am going to the Hawk and Knife Bloc, I will carry my hawk and a throwing knife made by Ron Russ (Master Blade smith... makes GREAT blades) Before I forget, a plug here for Tom Sterns, Master Leather Smith... He is the ONLY one I will let make my leather goods (I do a decent job, but he is super!!) The same for the knives made by Ron Russ. I also carry a small 4 inch neck knife that is used as a general utility knife. Jimbo Carter made that as a Christmas gift for me.
Haversack/Backpack: I use this when Trekking...I "improved" on a period pack design. With this, I carry a 10x10 canvas from Panther Primitive with corner loops, and reinforced in the middle for a center pole if I use one, a ground cloth about 7'x4' (keeps me dry), a 4 pt blanket, Inside is the rations of chocolate and coffee, sugar, spices, more jerky and dried fruit, dried corn and beans, flour or Bannock Bread mix, rice, and some small tins of peaches, (I know, not period, but I LOVE peaches), maybe some slab bacon, 6 small iron stakes, several lengths of rope about 8' long, a 1 quart tin boiler pot with a lid that doubles as a bowl, and a 1 pint pot, a fishing kit with period hooks, .36 cal ball sinkers, and cordage for line, a fire kit, a wooden bowl, a period fork and horn spoon, sewing kit, a small Ted Cash "Flashlight" lantern, a few candles, a straight razor, period soap, a towel, an extra shirt or two, a period 8" folding handle skillet and any thing else I don't want to get wet. Included with this is my rifle, powder horn and possibles bag. The Haversack is the canvass style, but made from elk. In the haversack is a compass and sundial combo, a period telescope, a few peices of jerky and dried fruit to nibble on as I walk, a tin cup for drinking, and a scarf or a bandana. Also, I carry a canteen of water. Poles for the shelter I cut from trees when we stop to camp (if allowed), or use dead fall limbs. I also carry a small camp (or belt) axe that doubles as a hammer. Total weight is about 29 pounds or so. Not too bad, and I am big enough to carry it. This does NOT include the smoothie and possibles bag.
Normal Campsite: At our usual Ronny camp, we use a Panther Primitive 12x14 wall tent with a 12x16 fly covering the front. Inside is a double size bed frame that I made for Mouse (she hated sleeping on 2 cots and a queen air mattress) from pine with a cedar headboard. We still use the double air mattress due to back problems I have, but it is covered with a patchwork quilt, so the mattress doesn't show. Over top of that is a large comforter and pillows. We have 2 clothes racks... one for her clothes and one for mine, several chests (one is my fathers old Sea-chest from his Navy days), a hearth broom (wedding present) to help keep the tent clean, some Persian throw rugs, a 6 candle chandelier (given to us a s a wedding gift by Tom and Ruthie Sterns), some small lanterns when we want it a lil bit darker, a gun rack to keep my rifles off the floor and to hang my basket hilt claymoor on, and her herb box. I am ashamed to admit, we do cheat a bit... I bought her a Porta-Potty from Sears a few years ago. When it is cold, it sure beats runnin to the hooters!! Even the wood stove goes out now and then... *chuckles*...
Outside, under the tarp, we have a cook box, 3 tables, 1 dining table with 2 benches, a dish rack, a wooden wash tub, a wooden water barrel, and a small 24"x14"x6' tall hutch for her "pretties"... Then around the camp fire we have 4 folding chairs, the 3 pc fire-iron set, a hanger for the pots and pans, a blow pipe, a chopping block, a brass tub to hold the lighter knot, a good camp axe, and a small hatchet. Also, there is 3 lantern stands with candle lanterns on them, plus 2 lanterns and miscellaneous candle holders under the fly. Whew!! Now ya see why I say it takes a 12'x6' trailer to get all this stuff there!! As I said earlier, we are not perfect in our "periodness"... but she does set a nice camp.
For the shorter long weekend events, we have a Panther 10'x11 bell wedge we take, and a whole lot less stuff inside. We each take one trunk, the bed, the fly, a small cook box and 2 tables, the water barrel, wash tub, and thats about it. I made her a new cook box this year that does away with having to take the box with the cook ware in it. Now there is room for food, dishes, and cook ware all in this one box.
As I said... sometimes I think the
Russian Army moves with less trouble than we do... but... We set a nice
camp, and we love company...
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