Scotland's self-debasing year-long riot of fake tartan and knobbly sticks is being pitched to her diaspora in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, but, controversially, not the West Indies, which are full of people with Scots names.
And yes, those names are indicative of Scots descent. Like African-Americans, Afro-Caribbeans are very visibly lighter-skinned than people from the West Africa whence their slave ancestors were transported. Both in America and in the West Indies, very light-skinned slaves were given good jobs in the big house, rather than being made to work the fields. Think about it.
Yes, it is wrong to ignore those Diaspora Scots in the Caribbean (and the duskier Diaspora Scot-Irish, of whom more anon, in the United States). But there is a rather more glaring omission. There are five million people born in Scotland and living in England (i.e., as many as the total population of Scotland), and a million people born in England and living in Scotland (i.e., one fifth of the total population of Scotland is English-born).
Who in Scotland has neither relatives nor in-laws in England? The Christmas cards are wending their way across the Border as I write. I can tell you that for a fact.
Yet this "homecoming" has been, and is being, sold not at all in England, where at least half the Scots Diaspora must live. Actually, although the thought of some March of the Clans down Edinburgh's Royal Mile is absurd, I find that neglect rather hurtful.
And is anything been done in Northern Ireland, one wonders? Certainly, there is much reaching out to the Scots-Irish in America. But what of the Scots-Irish in Scots-Ireland? Nor let it be forgotten that the Scots were no great fans of the American Revolution. They much preferred the land to the north that remained loyal.
The Scots-Irish were revolutionaries pretty much to a man (they were no solid Unionists in Ireland at the same time). But those whose families, and indeed persons, had gone directly to America from Scotland were frequently Loyalists.
An early draft of the Declaration of Independence included among its charges against George III "sending against us Scotch and other foreign mercenaries". And in vain did the rebellious Legislature of North Carolina publish a manifesto in Gaelic, which nevertheless continued to be spoken there for more than a century after the Revolution.
So the Scots-Irish from America will have plenty to discuss at their "homecoming".
To which they, at least, have been invited.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
"Scotland's self-debasing year-long riot of fake tartan and knobbly sticks"
ReplyDeleteTartanry is the creation of arch-Tory unionist W. Scott and encouraged by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.
"And yes, those names are indicative of Scots descent. Like African-Americans, Afro-Caribbeans are very visibly lighter-skinned than people from the West Africa whence their slave ancestors were transported. Both in America and in the West Indies, very light-skinned slaves were given good jobs in the big house, rather than being made to work the fields. Think about it."
Very true. But does Scotland want to ask people to celebrate their Scottish heritage which may have come about through rapine? Could provoke a "Malcolm X" reaction.
"Nor let it be forgotten that the Scots were no great fans of the American Revolution. They much preferred the land to the north that remained loyal."
What went wrong with the founder of the American navy John Paul Jones or the Patrick Hendry - whose father came from Aberdeen - who thundered "Give me liberty or give me death!"
"Yet this "homecoming" has been, and is being, sold not at all in England, where at least half the Scots Diaspora must live."
The Czechs are more concerned about their American diaspora than those found in the phonebooks of Vienna and Salzburg. No news there then. Ditto for the Slovenes who harp on about the Slovene Heritage park outside Chicargo but do not care about Slovene diaspora in beyond Styria and Carinthia in Austria.
Ditto the Croats. They claim Marco Polo (without solid foundation) but do not give a dam about the Von Trapp family whose scion lived on the Adriatic coast all his life before 1916.
Well a lot of slaves when they became free & had to choose last names chose their master's. Not exactly a markm of honour that there are so many Scots surnames their but not proof of direct descent either.
ReplyDelete"Tartanry is the creation of arch-Tory unionist W. Scott and encouraged by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert."
ReplyDeleteSo why in Alex Salmond so keen on it?
"But does Scotland want to ask people to celebrate their Scottish heritage which may have come about through rapine?"
That's not how they themselves tend to see it. But then, of course, why would they? It's not the whole story, or anything like it.
Many West Indians are proud of their blood ties to Britain. I have heard unmistakably Afro-Caribbean people deny that there is much, if any, African in them at all, and describe themselves as "English", presumably maening "Anglo-Saxon". They must go blind whenever they look in a mirror, but there we are.
For that matter, I have Saint Helenian relatives who tick "White British" on forms including the census, and one of whom claims to be "olive like the Italians". They are not joking. I mean, if you were to see these people...
John Paul Jones and Patrick Henry were very much exceptional, and the latter in any case refused to sign the Constitution, going on to speak and vote against its ratification by his State Legislature.
"No news there then."
But no excuse, either.
Neil, you only have to look at them to see the "proof of direct descent".
ReplyDeleteOr, as I said, ask a lot of them from the Caribbean, even if not from the United States.
I have seen pictures of you in tartan. They are on Facebook.
ReplyDeleteYes, at my brother's wedding. Real Lindsay tartan.
ReplyDeleteBut next year, even more than every year, people will be flogged what they are told is the Polanski tartan, or the Ahmed tartan, or anything you like.
I exaggerate? Only very slightly.
And these Polanskis in America or Ahmeds in Australia have been invited to this "homecoming". We Lindsays in England have not been.