By Katy Demcak '99
News Staff
Who are those students in the dining hall, casually chatting while wearing beautiful, hand-made dresses straight out of the Middle Ages? Why do they wear cloaks in the winter? "Felding is the campus' medieval group," Jennifer Arnott '98 explained, "We're part of a larger association, the Society for Creative Anachronism (S.C.A.)." Thia Odiorne '98 calls the S.C.A. "the Middle Ages the way they should have been, without the Black Plague and other nasty stuff. We splice everyone from 600-1600 into one group." Members of S.C.A. meet at events at which people dress in "garb" or period costumes and participate in medieval entertainment.
Erika Schmidt '96, Provost, or President, of Felding, said that "they [the events] usually start around 10 a.m., but people straggle in all day. There's fencing and fighting competitions, and sometimes archery." Other attractions include period dancing, and commedia del arte, a 15th centure Italian improvisational comedy group, as well as storytellers. Food served at events is also medieval; feasts include meats like venison and rabbit, and authentic recipes and ingredients are used whenever possible.
One of the most important aspects of the S.C.A. is the "persona," or each members' personal medieval alter-ego. Names that can be traced back to the Middle Ages are chosen, and sometimes elaborate pasts are created for these personas. "Cecilia is my persona in the S.C.A. She's the daughter of an English merchant-type person who somehow ended up in Italy in around 1550. At the moment, I don't have any really appropriate Italian Renaissance garb, but thats only a matter of time. Cecilia's somehow managed to fall in with a commedia dell'arte troupe, which she finds enjoyable. She also sometimes dances, sings, and play assorted musical instruments," said Arnott.
One wears garb appropriate to the persona's period. "Lots of people in the Boston area have 16th centure personas becasue the clothing is fancier and more elaborate," noted Anne Cross '99, next year's Exchequer, or treasurer.
Members of Felding sew their own garb. "Sometimes we have sewing events on a Saturday or Sunday where we reserve a living room and all sew together. This year we had a member of the S.C.A. come and give a bodice-making workshop," said Cross.
Events occur in the Barony of Carolingia, the S.C.A.'s name for the Boston area, every weekend, but members of Felding attend one approximately every month. Different S.C.A. groups sponsor the events. The Borough of Felding, as the Feldings call Wellesley, hosts an annual event, Falling Leaves, held the weekend after Columbus Day. A popular event at Falling Leaves is the Ladies' Footrace. "Women run toward a male target who gets a ten-second head start. Whoever tags him first wins a period gift," explains Jacobina Arch '98, last year's winner of the race.
Unofficially, members of Felding meet to participate in related activities. "There's dance practice at M.I.T. once a week, as well as rehearsal for the Italian improv group. A calligraphy workshop is here every Thursday," said Arch.
Many Feldings take gym classes like fencing and archery. Other period hobbies include embroidery and cross-stitch. Cross believes that "many of the Medieval/Renaissance classes have been taken over by Feldings."
A favorite Felding activity is Knife Night. Cross explains: "Once a month we get dressed up and go to the dining halls with our period knives. We eat as if we were in medieval times, only using our fingers and knives." Arch pointed out, "It's awfully hard to eat spaghetti that way."
Felding is actually the oldest S.C.A. group in the area; the first event in Carolingia was held at the Shakespear House ten1 years ago. Felding will be 20 years old in the spring of 1998. While Felding is thriving now with 14 members, many of them first-years, at one point the group almost ceased to exist. Schmidt said, "A few years ago, there were only two of us. Some alums came to our help and gave us contacts in the S.C.A." Felding alumnae are now referred to as the "Felding Aunties."
Unofficially, Felding members meet to enjoy common interests such as role-playing-games and fantasy novels. Most Feldings are avid readers and writers, a trait shown by the Felding Saga. The Saga is a continuing story written in parts by various members. While supposedly medieval in nature, Arnott pointed out that "things from our own lives, like boyfriends, end up being brought into the Saga." The Saga can be found in the Felding folder on Bulletin. Similar to the Saga is the Felding song, sung to the tune of "My Bonny Lies Over the Ocean." Members of Felding get immortalized in a verse whenever one does something memorable. The Felding song is full of private jokes, such as the abundance of Jennifers in the group.
Members of Felding recognize that they are unique on campus. Their habit of wearing cloaks was a joke in this year's Junior Show.
Cross laughed, "We don't mind people making jokes about us as long as it's all in good fun." She points out "cloaks are warm, waterproof, and a lot more fun than a normal jacket."