What are the groups standards for authenticity?
There are two terms in this hobby I hope are never applied to us. The first is that we are ‘farby.’ This word originally comes from the German noun ‘Farben’ which literally means ‘colours’ (plural). What it means in the hobby is someone who does something very unauthentically. It could be women wearing make up, someone using modern fabrics in the clothing s/he wears, or even eating modern meals at events. The other term that is distasteful is ‘authenticity nazi.’ These are the people who count every stitch in a coat arm, who gossip about others for using metal cooking irons, and who think it’s a mortal sin to have a cot in one’s tent. Our group will never be either extreme. I would estimate that we lean closer toward the ‘nazi’ side of things, but those hobbyists take this to the extreme and take the fun out of it for many people. Authenticity is important, but having fun, making friendships, and creating memories is just as crucial. If this hobby was not fun, not many would do it. We
