Raven Qara ton

Raven Qara ton lives in the Barony of Adiantum in the Principality of the Summits. She is a member of the Household of Caer Lutris. Though her persona was originally a Sarmatian nomad of the fifth century A. D., in the last decade or so her focus has shifted to the Scythian-related Altai culture of the third century B. C. She is a scribe, textile artist, teacher, researcher, cook, and general compendium of arcane knowledge. She judges A & S contests, does community demos, and teaches formal and informal workshops in Adiantum, Summits, and occasionally elsewhere. She loves teaching and learning new things, for both bring the joy of discovery.

Interests

Main SCA art forms: painting and drawing, calligraphy, illumination, gilding, bookbinding, paper making; felting, embroidery (including goldwork and stumpwork), applique, sewing, costuming, fabric painting and dyeing, natural dyes, spinning, weaving, needle-lace, fingerweaving, knotting and braiding; herbalism and edible plants; cooking, subtleties.

Main research specialties: general textile and costume history; central asian and asian textiles, especially Scythian, Tarim basin, Pazyryk/ Altai, and early Chinese; early nomads (Scythians, Sarmatians, Huns) and general nomadic lifeways; medieval painting, pigment history, book arts, calligraphy and illumination, gilding; history and construction of yurts; period cooking, outdoor/ fire cooking.

Other interests: medieval music (voice, harp); knitting; wire jewelry; leatherwork; trying a little of everything!

Personal History

Raven first encountered the SCA in September 1985 when a poster (put up at South Eugene High School by Yseult of Broceliande, then a teacher at the school) led her to the Joan of Arc Demo at the University of Oregon campus. Though she was immediately captivated, she did not attend her first "full" event (with garb and instruction) until the Adiantum Midwinter's Feast in January 1986, around her fourteenth birthday, at which point she was completely hooked.

The first camping event Raven attended was the infamous Crown/ Egil's (Cregil's) at Elijah Bristow Park. At that event she (under a different name), Marian Staarveld, and Seonaid Connsacheal were made wards of the household of Caer Lutris. After several name changes and persona variations, she settled on her current name and persona in 1987. "Qara ton" means "black cloak" in Turkish, and may have been a nomad tribal designation.

Raven was Adiantum Chatelaine in 1987. At the first Summits Defender's Tourney, in October 1988, she received her Award of Arms from Queen Angharad Banadaspus Drakenhefd (King Thorin Njalsson was not at the event). Having received her AA, she then became a full member of Caer Lutris.

To the best of her knowledge, she built the first yurt in An Tir, predating those of Sunjan Temujin by several years. It first appeared at September Crown A. S. 24/ 1989. The yurt has gone through several incarnations and is still in occasional use. It is constructed in the style of the western steppes (Kazakh rather than Mongol) with natural willow roof-poles.

She was apprenticed to Lao Yu (then Lao Tao-sheng) in 1989, and served as a lady-in-waiting during Lao Yu's second reign. At the Crown's request, she created new Kingdom cloaks. She was offered membership in the Order of the Laurel by Barak and Lao at Twelfth Night in January 1993; after taking a vigil, she accepted and was made a Laurel at Egil's Tourney in May 1993. She was the regional combined Peerage secretary for Summits from 1994 to 1996.

She and Marian Staarveld ran a merchanting business called Flying Tigers' Aerie for several years, specializing in silk fabrics. She held the office of Summits Chronicler jointly with Marian Staarveld from summer 1994 to summer 1996.

She was active in the movement for Summits to become a full Principality. She worked on the supporting documents for both the Crown Principality and full Principality petition, and calligraphed and illuminated the petition scrolls for both. In August 1996, five months after Summits became a full Principality, she founded the office of Summits Principality Scribe, which she held for six years. She was also de facto Baronial Scribe for Adiantum (not an official office at that time) for many of those years. She has designed several Adiantum and An Tir award charters, made many original scrolls, and painted and filled in countless Adiantum and Summits charters.

She was a general retinue and support person for Ambrose and Marian during their tenure as Baron and Baroness of Adiantum and their two reigns as Prince and Princess of the Summits. She has also advised and served as informal retinue for many other Adiantum and Summits royalty.

In 2005, she helped coordinate the making of the Summits pages for the 40th Year Domesday Book, a tremendous but rewarding challenge. She calligraphed eight pages, designed and drew four pages, and painted three.

She has extensive experience in period fire cooking for large groups, and has cooked various indoor and outdoor feasts, most in conjunction with Marian Staarveld. In January 2007, together with Yseult of Broceliande and Isobel MacKenzie, they cooked an Adiantum Midwinter's Feast with a Silk Road theme.

Awards

Award of Arms Oct 22 AS 23 / 1988 Jambe de Lion Sept 23 AS 24 / 1989 Baronial Brownie (Adiantum) May 26 AS 25 / 1990 Laurel May 30 AS 28 / 1993 Forget-me-not (Lao) July AS 28/ 1993 Fern and Quill (Adiantum) AS 29/ 1994 Throne Favor (Summits) June 23 AS 36 / 2001 Grail of the Summits - Service (Summits) Jan 26 AS 36 / 2002 Order of the Summits (Summits) Dec 7 AS 37 / 2002 Evergreen (Summits, Duana) - year?? Grail of the Summits - Service (Summits) June 18 AS 40 / 2005 Grail of the Summits - A&S (Summits) June 18 AS 40 / 2005 Fern and Quill (Adiantum) Aug 12 AS 41 / 2006