tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6093666650139166859.post5812449141192842970..comments2024-03-26T20:00:38.042-07:00Comments on A Woodsrunner's Diary: A Word From Colonial Williamsburg.Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12562001301604097606noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6093666650139166859.post-88136672647399962882011-03-07T14:32:59.354-08:002011-03-07T14:32:59.354-08:00Hutch. Understanding why certain people did things...Hutch. Understanding why certain people did things or did not do things in the 18th century was not easy for me, but then I concluded that really they were not much different than people today. Some are smarter than others and pick up on things quicker.<br />Why experienced people made so many mistakes I cannot fathom, such as Gist & Washington only carrying one blunt hatchet between them, trappers not looking after their guns, scared people not putting doors on their cabins!<br />As far as the equipment you use in conserned, yes I think you are right. If it existed, & if there is a strong possibilty that you could have acquired that item, then you can have it. If it is something that would not normally be owned by the "middling sort", then perhaps it was taken from a defeated foe, such as a French/English officer. Or as you say construct a scenario where you were able to trade for such an item.<br />Regards.Keithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12562001301604097606noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6093666650139166859.post-81449032784269147742011-03-07T05:42:53.589-08:002011-03-07T05:42:53.589-08:00It helps me that I have 3 different Indian tribes ...It helps me that I have 3 different Indian tribes in me; Sioux, Choctaw, and Bridgeport. But I've always liked that I can simply walk down a path, see a straight stick, and it becomes an arrow. The cost, total, of making it? About $3.95. <br /><br />I've been toying around with this for a bit now, and here's how I'm figurin'. In the sites I've listed, there's always much scrutiny in not only IF something was period authentic...but diving into sub-topics of then: region authentic, persona authentic, etc. So I got to thinking a bit. <br /><br />I keep a journal, albeit rather loosely. I don't tend to write down things of every day occurrence. For instance, I don't mention the times that I see hogs in the Texas bush; I always see hogs in the bush. I write down the oddity of NOT seeing those hogs. Would that not have been somewhat of the same thing with older journals? Meaning- if a particular gun was being used, would it be much more common to note the gun that was uncommon, rather than common? In other words, if it was a gun you saw every day, I'd think it was unlikely you care to mention. The exception that I can think of would be for military duty. I'm not disagreeing, by any means, but it's a theory I have that from personal experience is at least a valid one. <br /><br />My second thought was one of travel. Because of my growing up love of LOM, I've always thought of being a loner; a wanderer. Personally, I've been in many different states walking on the Appalachian Trail...in the late 90's. Surely, someone who walked all the time covered MUCH more ground than I. Theoretically, that person could've trapped in the Carolina's and traded, before making a trip back to northern New York, presenting one with an interesting mix of cultural influences. Rare? Maybe, probably. Possible? I see no reason in a man with two legs why it wouldn't be. <br /><br />In conclusion, I think I'm noticing that in the search, I think people maybe searching for what was written down that was down. Which is great. But what about what COULD have been done? After all, is that not why most love it so much? Isn't that what we love about our ancestors, their adaptability? So, the conclusion I've come to is this: If they had it back then- I'll use it, because anything available could have theoretically been attained via trade.<br /><br />So, my further question is- is that a reasonable line of thought, or have I strayed way off path with that?Hutchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01910646382682288133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6093666650139166859.post-21922746598821666282011-03-06T18:34:02.095-08:002011-03-06T18:34:02.095-08:00Good to hear Hutch. An Indian persona is very viab...Good to hear Hutch. An Indian persona is very viable, even if you did not have Indian blood, there were white Indians. I started off just like you, into the Indian persona as a kid.<br /><br />Bob, thank you!!! Great images!<br /><br />Diane, good to know you can do it in this day and age. You never know when the clock might get turned back technology wise. A lot of people are prepping right now in readyness.Keithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12562001301604097606noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6093666650139166859.post-84246299173761317072011-03-06T13:22:57.930-08:002011-03-06T13:22:57.930-08:00There is a "strong" part of me that if I...There is a "strong" part of me that if I could pull it off I would wear and live the way my ancestors did. Even today I am kind of a knock off of being a person of the past but enjoys the SOME modern conveniences...though I know that I could live "off grid" if needed.DianeLynnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14628360972411230549noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6093666650139166859.post-28405265873411309972011-03-06T13:10:58.159-08:002011-03-06T13:10:58.159-08:00Don't have an e-mail address for you Keith, s...Don't have an e-mail address for you Keith, so I'll do it this way. This is later than the time period you are interested in, but thought you might like to look at these. Photos from the late 1800's.<br /><br />http://blogs.denverpost.com/captured/2011/02/23/from-the-archive-frontier-life-in-the-west/2713/Bob Mchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11997282897568511967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6093666650139166859.post-7338610766332789682011-03-06T06:27:10.061-08:002011-03-06T06:27:10.061-08:00That was fantastic. I have always loved history, f...That was fantastic. I have always loved history, from when I was a little boy. I've watched "Last of the Mohicans", "Dances with Wolves", "Son of the Morning Star", and many others more times than I can realistically count. <br /><br />I have always bordered on the native side of things, not because I am part Indian (barely), but because growing up, that is what I could afford. Meaning, the Indian presented me with a way I could be outside being a boy, taking things from nature, and making them. I didn't, and largely still don't, possess the funds to buy much more- even the things I've made recently (canvas snapsack and tent, sheaths, and some leather pouches) are from canvas and leather that I've had for a decade. The steel striker I bought last week was, to me, a major purchase. <br /><br />And perhaps that's the beauty. In the days of old, the labor cost much less, and the materials were damn expensive. Purchases were rarer and prudently thought out; then those purchases were used until they simply couldn't be anymore. Not so any more, as material is cheap, and an increasingly globalized economy makes finding the labor cheap as well. Even then, I find uses for things.<br /><br />The canvas I had was from a bedroll when I owned a house, and horses. I have already spent many nights sleeping in it under the stars. The leather I've had since before I could drive a car (legally), so I've had one side of a cow for more than 12 years. I originally was going to make leggings; I've made a quiver and now some pouches. <br /><br />All in all, I don't think there's anything that will ever keep me from being an 'armchair' historian; I love it. And I don't see it stopping, even if I am not, at all times, 100% accurate- it would have been conceivable and possible when I am done.Hutchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01910646382682288133noreply@blogger.com