Lord Whimsy

My Great Great Great Great Great Great Grandpa

Lord Whimsy — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 01:14:14 +0000

When my grandmother was young, her great aunt had a picture on her wall. My grandmother described it as a man in a feather headdress. She was told it was an ancestor of hers, and that he was a chief. A second cousin of mine has been doing some sleuthing, and according to her, she has traced our line through colorful characters like “Stiff Arm” and “Watachee” to Standing Turkey — also known as Cunne Shote or Kunagadoga. He was a member of a clan known as the Moytoy, an odd line that traces itself back to an Englishman named Thomas Carpenter, who arrived at the Jamestown colony and soon thereafter “went native.” He left Jamestown and married a Shawnee woman. His descendants intermarried with both Shawnee and Cherokee. The clan was forced southward by the Iroquois. Eventually the Carpenters–now called the Moytoy–assumed a place of prominence among the Cherokee. By the time whites reached the region of the Overhill Cherokee, the Moytoy were indistinguishable from their fellow tribesmen.

Standing Turkey succeeded his uncle, Kanagatucko, or Old Hop, as First Beloved Man of the Cherokee upon the latter’s death in 1760. Pro-French like his uncle, he steered the Cherokee into war with the British colonies of South Carolina and Virginia in ther aftermath of the murders of several Cherokee leaders held hostage at Fort Prince George at the edge of the Lower Towns of the Cherokee in what is now western South Carolina. He held office until the end of the Anglo-Cherokee War in 1761, when he was deposed in favor of Attakullakulla.

He was one of three Cherokee leaders to go with Henry Timberlake to London in 1762-1763, the others being Ostenaco and Pidgeon. Arriving in early June, the Cherokee were an immediate attraction, drawing crowds all over the city. They sat for Sir Joshua Reynolds to take their portraits (see above image), and they met personally with King George III. (They laid four scalps at the feet of King George III as a token of their goodwill.) The Cherokee returned to North America with Sergeant Sumter on August 25, 1762.

In 1782, he was one of a party of Cherokee which joined the Lenape, Shawnee, and Chickasaw in a diplomatic visit to the Spanish at Fort St. Louis in the Missouri country in seeking a new avenue of obtaining arms and other assistance in the prosecution of their ongoing conflict with the Americans in the Ohio Valley. The group of Cherokee by Standing Turkey sought and received permission to settle in Spanish Louisiana, in the region of the White River. (source: Wikipedia)

Personally, I find the idea of being descended from an elected tribal chief far more appealing than being descended from a duke or king.

Where I’ve Been

Lord Whimsy — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 21:59:37 +0000

This is a still from a film that my friend, filmmaker David Kessler, is shooting right now in the Pine Barrens. I’ve been serving as a guide through some of the more wild areas this winter. Here I’m deep in The Great Swamp, getting a look around to see which is the best way to head. We were all a little sore after this particular trek.

Carranza’s Last Flight

Lord Whimsy — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 04:43:57 +0000

Excerpt from Goodwill: The Flight of Emilio Carranza from Robert A. Emmons Jr. on Vimeo.

For more about Emilio Carranza, go here.

A (Stuffed) Lion In Winter

Lord Whimsy — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:34:32 +0000

A film crew visited the house recently, as they invariably do. Here’s what they found. My thanks to Ted Passon and Laris Kreslins for flattering me with their collective lens.

The Mirrorlands

Lord Whimsy — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 03:59:21 +0000

Pines, preview sequence: Mirrorlands from David S Kessler on Vimeo.

An excerpt from David Kessler’s ongoing film project, Pines. The film has become a collaborative effort: I serve mainly as a guide, but in this clip I have contributed a bit of writing, which is read by Jared Martin, of Dallas fame.

Accidental Poetry

Lord Whimsy — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 02:31:54 +0000

Today I had the privilege of visiting Suningive at Whitesbog and leafing through the recently-rediscovered blueberry test breeding notes of Elizabeth White, who helped bring the blueberry into commercial cultivation. This book of notes was rescued from a dumpster soon after Elizabeth White had died. I was immediately struck by the accidental poetry of Elizabeth’s notes: There’s something very American in her plainspoken lyricism. I hope that the Whitesbog Trust eventually makes these notes available to the general public, either in electronic or book form. The place names, the descriptions of the plants, and the repetition of measurements have the cumulative feel of a hymn book. You quickly pick up on the vigorous rhythms of the passages, which are pruned to their bare minimum. This book of notes may have been intended for practical purposes, but it’s transcended its original use. I see it as a book of poems, written with a shovel and axe.

The Local Frontier, Part III: Schuylkill

Lord Whimsy — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 21:15:21 +0000

The third and final episode of my solo journey through the urban wilds of Philadelphia’s waterways. My thanks to Shawn Annable and Marc Brodzik of Woodshop Films for their hard work on this series.

The Local Frontier, Episode I: Rancocas
The Local Frontier, Episode II: Delaware

Cold Indifference

Lord Whimsy — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 03:46:51 +0000

My friend David Kessler is shooting a film about the Pine Barrens, and I’ve been serving as a guide. This footage was taken on the lower Batsto River about an hour before David got snagged in a fallen tree and capsized into the freezing water. We saved his equipment and emptied the kayak, but David was soaked to the skin and his paddle was lost. Hypothermia was a real danger, so we quickly stripped him to the waist and I gave him the spare fleece and jacket that I keep in my backpack, just in case this sort of thing happens–which it has. I fixed a rope to both kayaks and towed David downriver to my car before he became hypothermic, but his camera was shot. Happily, the footage was saved.

Les the Mentalist

Lord Whimsy — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 22:23:02 +0000

Last night at The Coney Island Museum’s Grand Guignol Variety Show, my friend Les the Mentalist performed quite an amazing feat. Watch this video to the end, and be astounded.

December calendar

Lord Whimsy — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 16:57:22 +0000

We interrupt the series of Hidden River Expedition episodes to inform you of three events that I will be involved with during the month of December. I hope that our paths may cross.

Grand Guignol Variety Show at The Coney Island Museum
Saturday, December 10th, 8:00pm. The Coney Island Museum, 1208 Surf Avenue, Brooklyn
Featuring classic Grand Guignol performances, film, puppet and toy theatre, song, dance, film and more, followed by a DJed after-party with complementary cocktails courtesy of Hendrick’s Gin. Presented by Morbid Anatomy, Atlas Obscura and The Coney Island Museum and curated by Joanna Ebenstein & John Del Gaudio. Lord Whimsy will serve as Master of Ceremonies. Admission: $25 (tickets available here)

Give-the-Gift-of-a-Terrarium Workshop
Wednesday, December 14, 5:30-7:30 pm. Bartram’s Garden, Philadelphia
Join us for a fun and festive evening with everyone’s favorite affected provincial, Lord Whimsy, who will present a DIY terrarium workshop. Terrariums are fun little living worlds – and they make great gifts! You will be provided with all of the materials necessary to make your very own terrarium to take home, as well as a care sheet. Materials and refreshments generously provided by Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. RSVP required. Member price: $25. Non-member price: $30.

“Oddities” Marathon and Season Launch Party
Saturday, December 17th, 8:00pm. Observatory, 543 Union St., Brooklyn, NY
You are cordially invited to join Morbid Anatomy and Observatory as we gather to celebrate the new season launch of “Oddities,” that unlikely hit of a television series based on our favorite purveyor of curious and amazing artifacts, Obscura Antiques and Oddities in New York City’s East village. The evenings festivities will include the screening of several new episodes of “Oddities,” special drinks and music by Friese Undine, and give-ways by Kikkerland and Obscura Antiques. Lord Whimsy will oversee the evening in his role of Master of Ceremonies, and members of the cast of “Oddities” will be on hand for questions and comments. Admission: $8