DARC at LAM - 2010

the Viking Age comes to LIFE
August 15 - 25, L'Anse aux Meadows NHSC

http://www.warehamforge.ca/DARC-LAM/DARC-LAM-2010.html

In case any readers missed it (??) the Dark Ages Re-creation Company has been asked by Parks Canada to mount a major presentation at L'Anse aux Meadows NHSC. The 10 days of living history is to help mark the 50th anniversary of the discovery of the archaeological site in Vinland.

A look at L'Anse aux Meadows

These clips on YouTube include professional film and those by amateurs. Those that are relatively recent give you some idea what the Encampment looks like - and how the current staff are handling things like visitor questions.


" Frank and Todd live the life of the Norsemen in L'Anse aux Meadows Newfoundland "
June 2008



"L'Anse aux Meadows is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the only known Norse village in North America (outside of Greenland). Explore the unique cultural offerings that this archaeological site has to offer."
November 2009




" By Peter Bull, Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism
After a good night's sleep in St. Anthony, my family & I headed north to L'Anse aux Meadows. ... The site today is a perfect mix of displays, guided tours and interactive exhibits. We really loved L'Anse aux Meadows' hands-on approach to history. Ronan and Cormac had a great time trying on the Viking gear. ... "
August 2009



"A local viking holding court in L'Anse aux Meadows."
August 2009

Currency Bar - from our OWN Iron

A general feeling was that we should have at least one completed 'currency bar' made up for the L'Anse aux Meadows presentation - that was formed from iron we had smelted ourselves. There was one completed billet of iron on hand. Unfortunately there are some gaps and errors in the records, so not as much information can be gained as was hoped.

INITIAL SMELTING

Date : November 12, 2005 (note that earlier records show this as 'October 2005'
Experiment :13/D7 (detailed notes on the DARC Iron series)
Location : Wareham, ON
Team : DARC
Furnace: Norse Short Shaft
- clay cob with stone slab support
- tap arch
Note - reuse of furnace from June 05
Size : 25 cm x 60 H
Source : suggested by earlier experiments
Tuyere : 25 mm ID ceramic kiln support
Placement : 16 cm from base
- about 5 cm in from wall
- angle at 20 down
Bellows : vacuum blower
Air : 600 l / min (estimated)
Charcoal : 79.5 kg broken hardwood
Consumption : about 2 kg charcoal every 10 minutes
Ore : Stelco taconite + Virginia Rock Ore
17 kg (roasted)
Sequence : ore added in variable sequence (7 - 10 min)
as small charges .75 - 2.25 lbs
Duration : about 6 1/4 hours (not including preheat)
Result : 4.3 kg bloom
Yield : 22 %
Notes : - Successful creation of historic sized bloom
- Success in patching and re-firing furnace

BLOOM TO BAR


My notes list an undated effort to forge down a portion of the November 2005 bloom. These seem to indicate the main part of the bloom was cut into two sections, one at 1.70 kg, one at 1.86 kg, the remainder of the mass as smaller fragments. The 1.70 kg piece was forged down into the working bar seen above. The notes list the resulting bar at roughly 2 x 3 by 34 cm, but do not give the finished weight.


This is the completed currency bar. The finished weight is 895 gms. The size is in the range of the artifact samples : 15 x 15 mm (widest portion 18 x 18) by 525 mm long.


This is a close up of the flattened end of the bar. The 'paddle' is 110 mm long, and roughly 32 mm wide. It tapers slightly from 5mm thick at the base to 3 mm at the tip.


A close up of the bar end. I developed the runic mark seen for use on DARC replica objects. In five strokes it combines all the letters for DARC, both in Roman and Norse characters.

The starting billet could perhaps have used one additional consolidation weld. There is some cracking along the straight corners of the bar as a result. The flattening step held together very well however, a step added in the Viking Age as a quality check. Overall the quality of this bar is in the same range as I found when I created a set of replica bars for Parks Canada, using various antique wrought irons.

Replica Currency Bars - for L'Anse aux Meadows NHSC, 2001

Vinland at Wareham

What you will find at the DARC Viking Age presentation - Saturday June 12 (10a-4p):

This drawing roughly to scale 1/4" : 5'
light green - cut pathways
mid green - long grass
dark green - trees
white - fixed structures
pink - presentation areas

The physical layout being used is an attempt to duplicate the kinds of spaces that will be available to us at L'Anse aux Meadows NHSC. The large 'ship shelter' overhead (#5) takes the place of the main turf hall at LAM. Our 'cooking shelter' (#2) takes the place of the small dwelling hut. Our 'smelter shelter (#6) is the same size as the furnace hut.

Visitors are asked to abide by the following:

1) PARKING - Safest is along the N-S roadway (Sideroad 40) to the EAST of the grounds (right hand on drawing). Please leave the entrance drive clear.

2) WASHROOMS - There is a pit outhouse at the rear of the grounds. A port'a'john will be placed at the entry (# 7).

3) It is suggested you stay to the cut pathways. Remember this is a rural location (think of a hacked back field, not a suburban grass yard). Bare feet is a bad idea.

4) The pond is NOT FENCED - APPROACH AT YOUR OWN RISK. The banks on the north and east sides are steep and drop off to deep water.

5) DOGS ON LEASHES ONLY. There are three cats in the household. Their demands take precedence over any visiting animals!

6) Please, no historic costume for visitors.

7) There is NO PUBLIC ACCESS TO HOUSE OR WORKSHOP

ANY VISITORS ATTEND THIS EVENT AT THEIR OWN RISK


Please consider supporting the ongoing research and educational efforts of DARC by either making a donation, or purchasing one of the training DVDs / research CD-ROMs or Viking Game.

Vinland at Wareham

What you will find when you come to Wareham for the Vinland presentation on June 12.

the Viking Age comes to Wareham!

Nothing can bring the Viking Age to life like costumed historic interpreters surrounded with the personal goods and tools of the past. Artefacts that seem puzzling when seen in a museum exhibit or book suddenly become clear when seen in use or in placed in your hand.

The Dark Ages Recreation Company has once again been invited by Parks Canada to come and demonstrate the living history of the first Europeans to explore North America at L'Anse aux Meadows NHSC in Newfoundland. As a part of our preparation for this presentation in August, we are mounting a full dress run-through in Wareham on June 12th from 10am to 4pm.

You are most welcome to drop by and visit with members of the company as they practice their skills and fine tune the presentation areas. This presentation will be of particular interest to students in Grade 6 (Explorer's unit) or Grade 11 (archaeology), teachers involved in those topic areas, or other groups with an interest in traditional historic skills such as scouts and guides.

There are no fees to attend this special event!

Wareham is located just of highway 10, close to Flesherton Ontario. Directions are available on the Wareham Forge Website. (http://www.warehamforge.ca/directions/shopmap.gif)

Living History - What does it look like?

DARC focuses on daily life in the Viking Age. The presentation will centre on a 'camp', with costumed interpreters surrounded by a collection of replica objects consisting of domestic goods, tools, and storage. At the rehearsal, simple overhead covers and tents will mimic the buildings which we will use at L'Anse aux Meadows. Individuals will be outfitted with the tools of their various trades and arts, all representing our real interests and skills. (We really are weavers and cooks, blacksmiths and carvers.) All of the objects seen, from clothing to tents, are based on specific artifact prototypes.
To the public, the members of DARC present themselves as actual voices from the past, with shared experiences as a group and direct personal histories. Individual members of DARC have prepared detailed characterizations based on their personal research into the Viking Age, developing considerable expertise in specialized areas. These characters are the 'common man': artisans, merchants or farmers typical of the Norse of the North Atlantic circa 1000 AD. Any conversation is likely to begin at this 'role playing' level of historic interpretation. The interpretive level used is then shifted to suit the needs of individual visitors. Some people delight in talking to a character from 1000 years ago, others are more comfortable with more of a modern commentary. Interpreters are able to handle a wide range of topics and level of detail.
Demonstrations being prepared for this presentation will include:

* antler and bone carving
* soapstone carving
* spinning
* natural dyes
* game playing
* simple musical instruments
* wood work (spring pole lathe)
* coin minting
* weaving
* iron smelting (did you know that the norse made the first iron in Canada 500 years before Columbus arrived?)

The use of replicas, although still historically accurate, allows the public to personally handle tools and materials. In many cases you can actually try a technique or help out with a task.
A team with proven experience!

DARC has provided skilled and well equipped interpreters for special programs for all of the major events and exhibitions that marked the 'Viking Millennium' in Canada. No other group of Canadian re-enactors has as much accumulated museum experience. As a group and as individuals, members have worked both throughout Canada and the USA. Personal research has taken members to museums and archaeological sites across Iceland, the United Kingdom and Scandinavia.

Interested in Discussing Details?

Darrell Markewitz - organizes DARC's museum presentations and serves as the museum contact. Not only one of the original founders of DARC, he brings extensive museum experience as a consultant on educational programing and staff trainer for Parks Canada and other major institutions.

email: dark@warehamforge.ca

Darrell Markewitz
Interpretive Program Designer
Hamlet of Wareham
RR # 2 - Proton Station, Ontario
N0C 1L0 Canada
(519) 923-9219

A ROUGH site plan

This is a site plan of the Encampment Compound as it exists at L'Anse aux Meadows NHSC.
To prepare this, I worked from the scaled architect's drawing of the compound, as it was proposed in the early 1980's. To this I added the room dimensions from the archaeology from Wallace's Westward Vikings.
I had a long talk with Loretta Decker, the site manager at LAM on Wednesday, and the current uses for the various spaces are indicated. Typically Parks has 3 costumed staff in place (Mark as smith, Bonnie as textiles, Mike as chieftain), and rarely more than 5 or 6. This then puts Parks staff at Main 4 / Main 1 and Dwelling.

Loretta has suggested she would like to see DARC integrate fairly closely with the existing interpretive staff. This rather than the more 'arms length' arrangement our original scenario had proposed.

- Weaving would be centred on Main 4, with both looms set up and working if space permits (just ours if not).
- Iron working would shift over to Furnace, with some smithing, but primarily preparation for the smelt
- Main 3, normally not staffed, would contain our woodworking, possible carving
- Dwelling would contain our food preparation, and also our night storage.

Storage could be outfitted as Slave Quarters
Main 2 is available as a station
Main 1 would remain primarily as Parks, with spill over from DARC likely
Interior Yard is likely for domestic tasks like clothes washing

The facing for the three tents is indicated by the arrows:
A - Trade and Games
B - Lathe
C - Bondi (kids?)

I still have to work up the exact placement of the various skills, primary and secondary. Also alternates for foul weather. I suspect that many activities will be easy to move outside as well, so positions there need to be determined as well. A balance between the core team and the additionals, alternate positions during experimental archaeology demonstrations.