Here are a few questions that we have had to answer from time to time. If you have a question, please feel free to ask the FAQ Man.

Ok, so what is it you do?
The quick answer is that we dress funny, talk funny and act like we're someone else from somewhere else.
Now the real answer is that we portray what we think life would have been like in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland in and around the 15th and 16th centuries. We dress in period clothes and speak in an approximation of ancient Scots Gaelic and Scottis (a language very similar to English).

All right, I'll buy that. But what's the difference between that and "historical recreation"?
Historical recreation relies on having a specific historical event or reference to draw upon.
What we do is what the Smithsonian calls "First Person Interpretation". It's very similar to recreation, but since there is little historical references to the Highland Scots in that period, we have to make educated guesses at what things must have been like.

What kind of guesses?
The process goes something like this- first we find the earliest references we can. These are usually some letters written in the right time frame about someone else's trip to Scotland, or sometimes a later reference to one of thosewritings. Then we track down all other material written on that subject from as many sources as possible, weed out those with suspect reliability, and average out the findings. Then, we take the results and compare them with any modern day equivalents to see if this theoretical finding functions, as it should. Lastly, we try out the item, process, etc. to see if it actually works.

Sounds like a lot of work for little return. Do you do anything else?
It is and we do. We also look for comparable references and similar ideas in other cultures/areas to help fill in the blanks. If nothing else, this gives us ideas of where and what to look for in our research. We also reverse engineer crafts on occasion: we find a modern but old activity (something done around 50 to 150 years ago) like fishing or basket making, look at how they are doing it. Then we try to remove all the modern parts until we get to the basics and see if we can replicate that. If it works, we fine-tune it until the process looks appropriately ancient.

Ok, I'm impressed. But why do you go to all the trouble? What are you trying to accomplish?
Well, different people do it for different reasons. Some are aspiring actors and want to work on portraying other people. Some are role players who want to play at being someone else for a time. Others are historians who enjoy researching the particulars of a period or wish they were living in the time we play at. And then there are those who are teachers who want to educate the public about the period and it's differences and similarities. Most of us are a mixture of some or all of those.
Our general goal is educate while entertaining the public and hopefully have a good time while doing so. Sort of like a hands on museum piece…

So if I wanted to do this sort of thing, how would I go about getting started?

• First, get together a group of like-minded folks to help, as this is project better suited to group than an individual.
• Then, pick an area, era and culture you're interested. This is important, as you'll be living there for a while.
  Start looking for the references closest in time to when you are portraying. This will help insure accuracy. Also look in eras before and after, in areas nearby and in cultures similar to the one you pick. Then apply the process outlined above.
• Expect to spend a fair amount of time, money and energy if you want to do this right. You'll need to make costumes, acquire props, and learn something about the languages spoken (with the correct accent).
• Find a venue where you can interact with the public. Prepare to travel some distance to get there, carrying everything you need to do your show with you. Allow time for set up and tear down and don't forget to make arrangements for sleeping, as most of these events take place over the course of a weekend.
  And don't expect to get a lot return on your investment, except in having a good time and satisfaction of a job well done.
  Or, if you are interested in 16th century Scotland and are in Northern California, you could join us. Sign up for our mailing list and you'll be informed about our meeting schedule and the event calendar.