Oakland Dueling Laws

Due to a quirk in the California State Constitution and serious political graft in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, specific types of dueling in order to settle points of honor remain' legal within the city limits of Oakland, CA. The types of dueling allowed are:

The traditional costume of the Oakland duelist includes the wool felt gaucho hat, dueling ribbons, and the plaid. Dueling kilts or bombacha trousers (bloused at the ankles) are approved legwear, except for squid gun duelists, who wear dungarees. Ladies additionally duel in dueling corsets. White shirts are worn, except for squid gunners, who fight stripped to the waist.

In an effort to contain and channel the public's appetite for engaging in and watching duels, in 1962 the City Council decreed that all public duels must be settled every July at the annual Oakland Scottish Highland Games and Dueling Festival.

History

"Matters of honor most grave to be legally settled, even unto the point of injury, maiming, and death, within the Municipality of Oakland, California, using claymores, or other gentlemanly, ladylike, or popular weapon, as shall be appropriately determined by the elders of the city." The City Dueling Commission has ruled that only four types of dueling will be allowed:

The Old Dueling Grounds

Main Entry: The Old Dueling Grounds

The St. Orlas Era

The late 19th and early 20th centuries in Oakland, CA are known as the St. Orlas Era after The Elevated Knights of the Order of St. Orlas who dominated the Northern California dueling world at the time.

The excesses of the Knights are considered to be among the foremost arguments to the reorganizing of Oakland dueling under the City Dueling Commission.

Dueling Attire

The Gaucho

''Main Entry: Dueling Gaucho

An Oakland dueling gaucho is a black hat of either wool or leather with a flat crown and brim. It is the traditional hat of Patagonian gauchos, and it is worn by all Oakland duelists.

Loss of one's dueling gaucho during a duel is considered an honorable loss. Removing one's gaucho and flinging it to the ground is a surrender.

The Ribbons

Main Entry: Dueling Ribbons

A Dueling ribbon is a long silk ribbon of either black or red, used to tie on one's dueling gaucho. The challenged has choice of ribbons. Black indicates that gauchos will be tied loosely. Red ribbons indicate that gauchos will be tied securely. It is meant to imply that there will be no surrender, and the duel will continue until one duelist cannot continue. California State Tartan

The Plaid

Main Entry: Dueling Plaid

A dueling plaid is a multi-colored sash in a tartan pattern worn over one shoulder by all Oakland duelists unless dueling with squid guns, in which case the dueling plaid is worn around the waist.

If the duelist has a family, professional, national, or other tartan they wish to wear for their sash, they are welcome to. Duelists who do not choose a specific tartan to wear all default to the California State Tartan.

Weapons

Bolas

Bolas are considered the prestige weapon amongst Oakland duelers. Many old Oakland families maintain heirloom sets of leather and stone dueling bolas, hand-crafted by Patagonian master boleaderos in Argentina.

Dueling Bolas

A proper set of dueling bolas consists of six identical three-weight bolas. Maximum length from cord nexus to the end of the stone is 20 inches. Stone weight is variable, but the heavier the stone the more likely there is to be serious injury to a duelist. Because they require the most skill and style to duel with (and the free spare time to develop them), they have always been considered an upper-class dueling weapon.

The Bola Field

Claymores

A selection of traditional men's basket-hilt Oakland dueling claymores from the Thorpe family collection. Claymores are the only weapons explicitly mentioned in the California Constitution. They are considered to be the weapon to choose when the affront is considered grievous and neither duelist will be satisfied with less than blood, and possibly the death of his opponent.

Two-Handed
Basket-Hilt
Ladies

The ladies' claymore is a smaller, lighter version of the men's. There is no ladies' two-handed claymore.

The Dueling Field

Squid Guns

Main Entry: Squid GunThe open action of a Colt Model 1883 squid gun

Squid guns are sawed-off double barreled shotguns that fire shells loaded with rock salt. Originally used by the early East Bay settlers to manage the then-minor Graftopus problem, they became a popular method for the lower classes to settle duel-worthy disputes in imitation of upper class duelists.

While traditionalist and old-money duelists in Oakland shun the squid gun, the City Dueling Commission has continued to allow its use in official duels due to its popularity with the public and the regrettably common desire to see people with serious grudges blast away at each other with rock salt-loaded shotguns.

Ladies

Riding Crops

Sexism in the Oakland Dueling Laws

The Oakland Dueling Laws did not originally place restrictions on who might use which weapon. The laws were changed in 1885 after Persephone Sherman challenged Knights of St. Orlas High Commander Avram Hornbeam to a duel with squid guns. Hornbeam refused the challenge and lost by default. Following this humiliation, he worked assiduously to have the dueling laws changed to disallow squid guns as a weapon for women; additionally, use of riding crops was restricted to women only.

Notable Oakland Duelists

Category: Mystical Oakland

Published under the terms of the CC BY 3.0 license.

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