White Scarf
In many SCA kingdoms, fencers may be admitted into the Order of the White Scarf, if in the eyes of the Crown acting on the recommendation of the other members of the order, they have achieved a high level of expertise and behaviour in fencing. They are given a white scarf to wear to signify their rank.
White Scarves sometimes take new fighters under their wing. While names for these fighters vary they are most commonly referred to as Cadets and perform much the same function for their White Scarf as a Squire does to a Knight. Cadets wear a red or blue scarf, depending on which Kingdom they are in, as a symbol of their position.
This is not a peerage order but all the kingdoms in the Known World that have signed the White Scarf Treaty acknowledge the rank of order members from outside their realm. Members are normally given a Grant of Arms on entering the order. The title commonly used is Don or Donna/Dona, but this may also used by any armiger as an alternative to Lord. In White Scarf Kingdoms and especially in the fencing communities of White Scarf Kingdoms, the title is usually used only for White Scarves.
Alternate Awards
Some Kingdoms have not signed on to the White Scarf Treaty and instead created their own equivalent orders. The Bronze Ring in the Middle Kingdom and the Order of the Golden Rapier (OGR) in the Eastern Kingdom are two examples.
Links
http://www.realtime.net/~otto/handbook/wstreaty.html
http://www.avigne.org/sca/ws - Outlands White Scarf page
