Welcome - Brand New Blog With Some Plans

This is the first post of what I hope to be many. My goal here is to provide a web-presence for the group; I'm not that tech-savy but the need has arisen and this is one step in that direction.

My name is Gabriel Martin (he/him) and I am the current group leader of Timberhaven. I am one of the founders of the group which is 8 years old, there are others active in the group as well. I am a middle aged male, half Asian and half European in lineage. I'm married and have an adult son. I am not educated in the standard sense. I am a US Navy veteran (1989-1993, Boatswain's Mate, USS St. Louis, USS Shasta) and have been working all of my life. That said these are not my identity markers and just facts. 

My goals are to mostly highlight the achievements of Timberhaven, share our experiences, and maybe educate the reader of this blog with what we are learning.

Timberhaven was born from another group that came out of Regia Anglorum, a very high-fidelity reenactment group from the UK. That old Portland group was one of the few Regia groups in the US. Timberhaven is the rebirth of that old group and has grown in it's own direction for the past 8 years. We are always growing and learning.

Some of the current tenants of Timberhaven is to not highly focus on the combative and martial aspects of the Viking age but to also highlight craft and culture. We really want to highlight the craft and art of women in the Viking Age as that goes unrepresented in many public demonstrations.

We are not political, we are not into racial politics as well. We educate based off existing research and current discoveries as best we can. We note ourselves to be "high-fidelity" and historical accuracy is a focus but we know no one is perfect. We are not cos-players, SCA, or LARP. Nor are we a HEMA group with scheduled martial training. While Timberhaven members may be invovlved in all the aformentioned activities Timberhaven as an entity is not. Our focus is education via public displays and private experimentation and reading and research.  

Our parent organization is Vikings North America and all Timberhaven members are required to sustain an annual membership with VNA and protected with liability insurance. We are also represented in the more local Northwest Viking Alliance.

Whew!! That's a lot of typing and quite the info dump!! I apologize. Here are some pictures of stuff we have done in the past few years.

Northwest Viking Alliance 2021: Timberhaven members toasting the fact they got set up in the 2 hours it did not rain.

Rollo showing what a difference a comb can make.

Tiffney at Scanfair 2019

Heather and Cory at our Midsummer display at Oaks Park 2019.

Cory Midsummer 2019 showing some young visitors how scales work.

Knives made by member Jon Von Hall.

Rollo... Gabe (me) and one of my projects - a composite and layered sewn belt.

Combat Safety Training (spear) at a local Portland park 2019. James, Andriian, Casey (from the back).

Following the traditions of the historical reenactor world wide, taking a picture in kit on a snow day!