am Jean Baptiste Tavernier. A Frenchman for the village of Kahokia in the Illinois Country. I am Captain of the Milice de Sainte Famille, the local militia. This is a very basic persona description.
Here is a slightly more complex one developed by Jonathan Brewer.
Michael Smith O' the Powell
says....
One of the best ways to
develope who and what you
are is, once you have the
basic gear, USE IT!! If you are a deer hunter, hunt with
your firelock, if you fish, try linen line and a handmade hook. If you want your clothing to get the "look", wear it while
you hunt, fish, farm or whatever you do. The more you fire the rifle or fowler, the more you wear and work in the clothing,
the more proficient you will be with them, the more comfortable you will be with them and the more believable you will be with them. And above all, ENJOY, remeber, "if it aint fun it
aint worth bothering with"
question often asked of reenactors at an event is : "Well, who are you supposed to be?" A good question. And one you should answer before getting too far into this hobby. Who you are will direct how you will proceed.
he persona is the person you "become" when you step back in time to recreate history.
irst you need to decide what period you want to reenact. Look around at the events you attend. Look into your local history. It is hard to do French and Indian War in west Texas while you are surrounded by cowboys. Here in the mid west we can reenact time periods from the late 1600¹s to the Civil War. This article will focus on the French and Indian War period 1754-1763 because that is my area of focus.
e are fortunate to have several excellent resources here. The Old Courthouse State Historic Site in Cahokia, Illinois and Fort de Chartres State HIstoric Site in Prairie du Rocher, Illinois. Both these sites have libraries and a staff willing to help. And don¹t forget your local library. The reference librarian can and should be you best friend. A great resource is a book entitled "Who am I? : Creating a Living History Persona" by Cathy Johnson. It is available through Heritage Books.
eveloping a character can be as simple or complex as you want to make it. Let¹s start simple. Are you French, English or Native? Are you a civilian or in the military? These two questions will be the basis of your character. They will decide what clothing you wear and what equipment you may carry and use.
Choosing a
Persona
Simple Advice about a Complex Hobby - 18th Century Living History
A
T
F
W
I
D
ere are some questions to guide your search for a character. They will work for either male or female. The ones marked * are the ones to answer first. The rest will help to fill in later.
*1. What is your name?
*2. What year is this?
*3. Where are you from?
*4. What is your station in life? Are you wealthy, middle class, poor?
*5. What do you do for a living?
6. What is you religion? (A no brainer. If you are French , you are a Catholic.
If you are English, you are a Protestant.)
7. What do you wear? [This answer will be affected by the first five questions above and
will be covered in another section.]
The rest of these questions are extra details that you may or may not want to pursue.
8. Who do you live with?
9. What is your typical daily menu?
10. What do you do for fun?
11. How were you educated?
12. What medical care is available to you?
13. Can you read or write?
14. How did you learn your trade? (see #5. )
15. Is your ³station in life² likely to change ? How?
period character is a very personal thing. It can be guided by what you do in "real life". If you like wood working or leather work, this can be incorporated into your character. Crafts also help "pay for the habit". More about that in another section.
hese are guide lines and nothing is etched in stone. I hope this give you some place to start.
"I am a poor widower blessed with two sons to carry on my name. I am not a wealthy man and lack the ambition to become one, preferring to make a leisurely living in many different ways, mining lead, working as a store clerk, hunter of meat and furs, and my personal favorite games of chance. I perform my duties with the local milice as required, and join in with the local tribes, who I get along well with, on their journeys to harass the English dogs that invade our French territories, such as when we ran the interlopers, led by M. Washington, from the area around Fort Du Quesne a few years past.
My name is Patric La Chance, the year 1757. I live in the village of Cahokia and also frequent Fort de Chartres and Kascaskias. My father, Pierre La Chance, was born in Nouvelle France, in the Montreal area, and was a trader of furs. My mother, Marie, was also from Nouvelle France and was born in Quebec and later moved to Montreal.
I wear the clothes suited for my station and activities - on my head I wear a workman¹s cap or scarf, a shirt made of cotton or wool, breeches made of linen, a woolen waistcoat of navy color, wool or cotton stockings, leggings of navy wool, and Moccasins to cover my feet. I carry a trade fusel of 62 caliber, leather belt around my waist to house my shot pouch, a frog to hold my trade knife and hatchet, haversack for supplies, and wool blankets on my back. In times of cold I wear the capote to ward off the chill. Equipped as such I am ready for any adventure, it is all I require, all else nature and our Lord will provide."
Here is a slightly more complex one developed by Jonathan Brewer.
