[MR] Things I didn't know about Barracuda

[Davitt il Bigollo da Pisa]

At 02:38 AM 4/30/2008, Anthony Bryant wrote:

>On Apr 30, 2008, at 1:28 AM, Davitt il Bigollo da Pisa wrote:
>
> >
> >>
> >>
> >> Keep racism out, please.
> >>
> >> Or I assume you don't think Blacks should portray European persona,
> >> either.
> >>
> >> And I'm sure you're not saying that is the case, right?
> >
> > Lots of Africans in Europe. They can portray
> > Moorish physicians, Turkish merchants. Or even
> > Moorish military commanders in Venice.
> >
> > And then there are the villages in Europe that
> > were established as retirement colonies for Roman
> > Legionaries--many of which had been recruited in Africa.
> >
> > And then there are Sicilians or Spaniards, which
> > had been ruled by Muslims for substantial periods.
>
>Are you suggesting that People of Color should not have Anglo-Saxon
>persona? How about Normans, or Vikings,

The Normans (Roger and Robert Guiscard) are the 
guys who drove the Arabs out of Sicily. And they 
were never known to pass up a comely lass 
(interesting differences of male and female DNA in Iceland).

The Vikings were the "Varangian Guard" of the 
Emperor in Byzantium (Constantinople). I haven't 
heard of their passing up a likely girl, either. 
They also ruled Russia, so a retired Varangian 
Guard might have settled there with his wife and 
other men and women in his household.

>or even Hundred-Years War  Burgundians?

Northern Italy was part of the Holy Roman Empire 
by that time. Sicily was part of the Kingdom of 
the 2 Sicilies, ruled by the Bourbons (France) 
with capital in Naples. At other times it was 
ruled by various German houses. So there are 
plenty of opportunities for some descendant of 
the Arabs who ruled Sicily for about 200 years to get elsewhere in Europe.

Then they are those who are obviously descendants 
of Roman legionaries. These would be most common 
on the edges of the Empire, such as along the Rhine or Danube.

But, of course, we're all of African origin, some more recently than others.

And, ICBW, but I thought a point in developing a 
personum (singular of persona, I guess), was to 
have a plausible story (under the definition of 
plausibility developed by the Baron Munchausen) 
to explain yourself, your interests, your 
personality, and any other qualities you wish to 
explain or call attention to. My point is, there 
are a lot of stories you can tell that would 
explain your being a Black-looking peasant in 
Bulgaria, or a Black-looking Boyar on the Volga, etc.

There are reasons I'm from Livorno (Leghorn), but 
my family is da Pisa. And being a goldsmith's 
agent (that is, a branch banker for the da Pisa 
bank) and jewel trader allows me to explain many 
of my other peculiarities and interests. My 
ancestry is mundanely from eastern Europe, 
Poland, Lithuania, Hungary (depending, in part, 
on which army was there last), but that's much 
less interesting (at least, to me).

But ultimately, I, too, am of African descent, 
although I'm told I don't look it.
:-)

--

Davitt il Bigollo da Piƒa
Goldƒmith's Agent in Livorno
Fa¢or in the lands of the Mughuls
Coral and Emeralds from Inde and Serendip

Checky argent and azure, two cheƒs rooks or in 
chief, a cheƒs knight or, a three-turret tower or in baƒe