Cunnan

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Status:	Dead
Language:	English
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Wiki license:	GNU Free Documentation License
Main topic:	Hobbies

Wiki size:	4,023 article pages see stats
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(As of: August 2007 - Archive.org links)

Cunnan was an information wiki for re-enactors of the Middle Ages and Renaissance, with a heavy slant toward members of the Society for Creative Anachronism (or SCA for short). Cunnan is the largest SCA wiki! Cunnan is an Old English word that means "to know" or "to know how". It is related to the High German word "kennen", which means "to know". Some of the initial information in Cunnan was taken from the English Wikipedia, but has been, or will be, rewritten to make it relevant to people who are interested in medieval re-enactment. Cunnan is not an official document of the SCA or any other group, and its content has not been endorsed by any group. [1] Cunnan wiki went offline sometime mid 2011.

The Society for Creative Anachronism is a hobby-organization that is devoted to studying and re-creating the Middle Ages and Renaissance, primarily in Western Europe, but also other regions such as the Middle East and Japan. It could be considered a historical re-enactment or living history organization, but, unlike most of such organizations, the SCA does not concentrate on a narrowly-defined time-period, let alone a specific war or other event. The SCA also does not have a minimum standard of authenticity. The activities of the SCA have more to do with re-creation (and recreation) than with re-enactment. Some SCA participants describe the SCA as a large group of people with interlocking hobbies.

At a typical SCA event, you will see a wide range in the quality of re-creations and reenactments. Some individuals may do some aspects of re-creation well (say, music), while simultaneously doing others poorly (say, clothing). Still, there is one standard that all participants of official SCA events are held to: participants shoud try to dress in period (i.e., pre-1600s) garments.

The relatively low requirements to participate are also one of the strengths of the SCA. For example, they make it possible to participate in the SCA on a small budget. As long as you are genuinely interested in medieval or Renaissance life, there is a place for you in the SCA. If it was a job or a hobby in Period, most likely someone within the SCA practices it, sometimes to an excellent degree. Excellent practitioners are awarded a SCA peerage (SCA-wide, highest level award) known as the Order of the Laurel.

The SCA is worldwide in scope. There are active groups all over the USA, Canada, Europe, Israel, Africa, Australia, and New Zealand, with scattered groups elsewhere. The known world is divided into kingdoms. Each kingdom determines its king and queen via combat in a crown tournament.

To prepare for tournaments and wars, some groups hold 'fight practices', where a unique full-contact martial art is practiced. The fighters wear armour (often of their own making), and strike eachother with sticks that are primarily made of rattan, and made to resemble swords, pikes, spears, axes, and other medieval weapons. This Armoured Combat (sometimes called 'Hardsuit' or 'Heavy Weapons Fighting') is interesting among martial arts for its lack of formalized training, which allows new-comers to add to the game in unpredictable ways. SCA fighters practice many-on-many engagements that are called melees or wars.

Some groups practice fencing with modified rules which largely disregard Olympic fencing rules. As SCA fencing is supposed to recreate courtly dueling, fencers neither recognize right-of-way, nor are they forced to stay within a lane, instead fencing "in the round". SCA Fencing is based upon Renaissance fencing manuals, and includes two-weapon, sword-and-cape, and sword-and-shield styles.

Some SCA groups hold regular dance practices, where Renaissance Dance and English Country Dance is taught.