QInlat lalDan pa''a'

[weslipuqlod]

I have made contact with DaraQ, an original founder of the Monastery of QInlat.

It is our hope that the doors to the Monastery will open once more for all those seeking the guidance of qeylIS and the true strength within the tlhIngan tIq.

More information will be posted as it comes available.

qeylIS nuDevjaj
- t'raQ weSlI' puqloD

[weslipuqlod]

I do not know when they were formed, but the Monastery of QInlat had a
website from at least 1995 to 1997 then they simply disappeared.

Those that founded the group did so because they were tired of simply
dressing up as a Klingon, going to events, and standing around shouting
tlhIngan Hol to people. 

They believed that there had to be something more, they wanted things that
were truly Klingon, not just fandom silliness.

They began to involve themselves in a sort of quest, a pursuit of vision,
to drop mundane human thinking and adopt a manner of thought and action
that was truly Klingon.  Through ritual, ceremony, culture, cuisine,
language, and martial arts they pursued what it was to be truly Klingon.

There was no rank, no structure, and no dues.  Anyone could join and
members were referred to as nejwI' - seekers.  Their only requirement was
that you could not hold rank in another organization. 

You were free to join or "serve on a ship" but you could not command, you
were to serve as a Klingon missionary and guide others toward respectful
representation of true Klingon culture. 

They met regularly, performed at several conventions/gatherings, and
communicated across the internet.  They hosted retreats where others were
welcomed in and could participate, actually immerse themselves, in Klingon
culture. 

It was operated very much like the Monastery of Boreth was depicted within
Rightful Heir.
 
As those that participated achieved their various "visions" of tlhIngan
qa', they recorded their thoughts in essays that were combined into a tome
that was published upon their website as a guide and inspiration to others.
 

I encountered the Monastery in 1997.  I always wanted to attend their
events but by the time I was able to contact them, they were gone.  I
always wondered what happened to them and if they still existed on some
level.  I have been searching for a member since and now after five years I
have finally achieved success.

I have since learned that the overall group activities grew larger than
several of the members were willing to assist with.  With only a few to
support the cause the Monastery closed its doors.

In a series of conversations with DaraQ, The Alliance of Identical Fire,
boq nIb qul, is exploring the possibility of reviving QInlat at least in
part.  As further information is available it will be posted.

[Abbot Nej vIt]

I remember this group from when I had first strated getting online. I had been referred to the site by a friend and it looked very interesting. I then lost my internet access for a time, and was never able to find the group again once I was online again.

It is good to know that someone is still interested in this worthy effort. From what I recall of the original website, the professed goals of the group were well worth having a look at, and simply knowing that they were out there "Somewhere" had given me additional resolve when I started working on the chIrgh {Library/Temple} concept.

I would very much like to know how you contacted DaroQ? And would be similarly interested in contacting the one myself...

Thanks for the update.

maj! {Good}...

[Kesvirit]

Abbot!  It is good to see you again!

weslipuqlod has not been through this area for several years.  I do not know where he can be found. His website is listed on an expired/deleted domain list as of 12June2006. The only ways I can think of to try to contact him are through the address listed on his profile or through the old boq nIb qul address at  |  boqnibqul at yahoo dot com  |.

I wish you success in finding him and DaroQ.  May your path bring you through our doors again.

-=- Kesvirit


[Edited for coherence]

[qoSagh]

I had never heard of this group until I read this thread, but it seems that many of their theories and goals would be in line with the qaptaQ. I too used to wish more for my Klingon brethren than dressing up and eating Big Mac's while having peace conferences with the local Fed ships. Although that was not what lead to the formation of our group, it was one of the prime motivations in our heyday.

[Abbot Nej vIt]

Kesvirit,

Greetings to you... I can scarce believe that I missed the date on Weslipuqlod's post, and had been hoping that this might be much more recent.

This said, I have never really been gone from KIDC, just inordinately busy. Which is to say that I still consider myself a lurker even if I do not post as often as I'd like... Clearly from your response, however, I have been too long in regular posting... I may have to remedy this...*Grin*...

As to the Monks and Monastery of Quin'lat, they were one of my earliest inspirations for creating a Order Theological for the Klingon scene... Or my Klingon scene anyway...

Anyway, good to see you as well...

qoSagh,

These folks tended to be a little intense, as far as a mission to be as Klingon as possible. However, they never claimed that everyone had to be as dedicated as their most commited members. Which itself was a misnomer, as you did not so much apply for membership as invest in some aspect of fandom (or RL) that you felt to be worthy and Klingon, and then share it with others. Particularly at Cons or other public venues.

I would very much like to know who (if any) of those folks are still around. Every now and then I'll do a Google search on the Moastery, or Monks of QInlat (as well as various permuatations) and nothing ever comes up.

maj! {Good}...

[qoSagh]

I can certainly deal with intense, as long as it is still fun and not too dangerous.

I have never seen anyone get too Klingon in public mostly because within Klingon fandom we all seem to kind of keep each other in check. Trying to create something cultural was a main inspiration for the qaptaQ, which has given further depth to our characters. It has also allowed us to bring a new dimension in the form of Klingon based ceremonial arts. I suppose that these are the aspects that we share with the rest of Klindom.

[Abbot Nej vIt]

Their intensity, I believe, was primarily a matter of dedication to developing their skills and ultimately in mastering them if possible. If my recollection serves this could be in any artform that the student preferred, be it martial, culinary, linguistic, musical, or what have you. Again, if memory serves.

As to the cultural side of things, I have been asked more than once what the "Point" was in developing Klingon Clergy. After all, many Klingon fans already strive to learn more about the cultural side of their hobby, generally respect if not revere Kahless, practice or are at least familiar with a few of the ceremonies we witnessed on screen, and so forth.

My answer has always been that while this is true, there is also a steady decline in active fandom with the relative sparseness of new Trek, let alone Klingon content. In many ways the internet helps to ensure that the canon side of things is somewhat preserved, however, the Fan experience is much more fragile and tenuous. Therefore an active Clergy, dedicated to preserving both canon and fanon Klingon culture is very much a legitimate and necessary aspect of the game.

As you say, this also opens up the potential to explore and develop new content whose relevance would seem to be in how it is used by fans, as opposed to being canon for canon sake. I think, in a way, that that might also describe some of the ideals that the Monks of QInlat were striving for as well.

In short, religion and religious practice need not be--strictly speaking--about venerating a God or pantheon of Gods so much as preserving existing culture and facilitating "New" culture at the same time...

maj! {Good}...

[qoSagh]

Once again we agree on much of the roles and responsabilities that Klingon clergy have. I too have been asked what the point of it was and why I have continued such a task. I personally like to learn things, and can not imagine what a cold and lonely place Klindom in general would be if I did not explore Klingon culture to it's full depths.

I find it interesting that you bring up the average Klingon fans familiarity with the on screen ceremonies. I disagree simply because I do not think there is enough source material for one to truly become familiar with anything. I had this discussion last night with the Grand meycha about a Rite of Assencion I attended at a convention. It was allotted 45 minutes as that was the standard program length. The officiant (and I hesitate to even give him that title) had nothing to work with other than the brief glimpse seen on TNG and the single paragraph from the Star Trek Encyclopedia that so many websites have coppied. He read the paragraph, then handed out crudely made pain sticks and had the 2 minute long ceremony. It seemed like he did not know where to go or how to end the presentation. Yet as critical as I have just been, I do acknowledge that he was probably more familiar with that ceremony than most fans. He simply did not have any further source material to work with and hit a dead end. This is most prevalent in the numerous Klingon weddings I have seen performed that take about 5 minutes because they simply repeat the small piece of the ceremony that we saw on DS9.

I would put for this concept, that I think ties in with what the monastery was trying to do. If you are not interested in intense research on a topic, than you can not learn much about that topic. This goes doubly so for Klingons as the fans are left to create much on their own, to fill in the blanks. In order to find the right direction to create in, one must often look at other aspects of Klingons to keep you on track in the aspect you are working on. All of this eventually helps create what we know of as Klingon culture, and helps us in the greater Klingon fandom.

If there is any purpose to all of this beyond having a few moments of fun, then I at least hope I can contribute something to that greater fandom. I think that is hat these monks tried to do also. The key of course is in finding the balance between intensity and insanity, something we all wrestle with from time to time in fandom.