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We're Indians Sure
Enough: The Legacy of the Scottish Highlanders in the United States,
by Michael Newton, published by Saorsa Media, 320 pp., US $24, UK £15
ISBN: 09713858-0-7 is the first critical examination of the cultural
record of the Scottish Highlanders in the United States. This book
includes the first extensive collection of Gaelic poetry composed about
their experiences in their adopted home, as well as providing first-hand
accounts written by Scottish Gaels as they fled oppression, became engaged
in the conflicts in North America, and settled in unfamiliar territories.
Their songs, which can be
heard on the companion album The Songs of the Scottish Highlanders in the
United States, give voice to a people who have previously been known only
through impersonal records written in what was, to them, a foreign
language. This literature enables us to under stand their lives from their
own perspective in a way which dry historical documents cannot and forms a
backdrop for their adventures and their interactions with the other
peoples of America.
Dr. Douglas F. Kelly, V-P
of Scottish Heritage USA commented, "Michael has plowed a largely
neglected field of study. I predict that his pioneering work will bear
rich fruit and will stimulate other research in an area important to the
cultural history of both Scotland and North America."
For more information,
contact Saorsa Media, 506 Maple Avenue, Richmond, VA 23226 or e-mail
gaelicmichael@hotmail.com.
This is Angus MacHare Colquhoun!
Although he isn't a "bear", Lois Seamon thought Angus MacHare Colquhoun
would be interesting to our readers. Each year Angus stands guard at the
Clan Colquhoun tent at Thomas Point, Maine; and he does an excellent
job....except for a time a few years ago when the marauding MacGregors
(outnumbering the Colquhouns 10 to 1) captured him and left a ransom note.
He was discovered later at the offender's tent. Poor Angus was shamefaced,
his pipes were silent, and he was draped in the MacGregor tartan. But the
feisty Colquhoun women- Lois, Carl and Liz - met the MacGregors with such
force that Anus was piped back to his rightful place at his home tent. The
Colquhouns! Cnoc Elachan!
Children's Hospice Association Scotland, 18 Hanover Street,
Edinburgh EH2 2EN Scotland, UK, will celebrate its 10th birthday in 2002.
In that same year, they plan to have completed their second children's
hospice with the help of generous supporters, including Scots in
Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United States. Financial help will
be appreciated.
At this time they are still
searching for a suitable site. CHAS is optimistic that a site will be
found that is in the west of Scotland; peaceful and with a pleasant
outlook; private and sheltered within an accessible location; near rail
and bus routes and motorways; 10-15 miles from a large town; within flat
walking distance of good local facilities such as cafes and shops; within
30 minutes' drive of a hospital; and approximately 5 acres.
Rick Shader, 1st Vice
President of Scots American Society of Brevard sent along some
articles that our readers may benefit from knowing that our ancestors
turned to God in their time of need just as we are today in the wake of
the September 11th tragedies.
When most people think of
the ancient Celts, they recall Druids, pagans, fairies, and the little
folk. However, there is one important piece missing: Celtic Christianity.
Most people don't associate
the Celts with Christianity; but it was an important part of their lives.
Nearly a century and a half ago, one man took it upon himself to record
the prayers and poems of the Highlanders. Alexander Carmichael traveled
the Highlands and Islands for many years in the course of his work; and he
wrote them down. Songs & Prayers of the Gael, forged by crofters and
fishermen in the often wild and harsh conditions of the Western Isles,
were recited by both Catholics and Protestants. For many of the prayers
had their origins in the shared stream of spirituality that flowed from
the Celtic Church of Ireland and Scotland before the 11th century.
By the 19th century,
however, as a result of the Highland Clearances and the dispersal of
community, along with the suppression of the Gaelic culture, language, and
perspective, the songs were beginning to fade in the living memory. If
Carmichael had not recorded these prayers, some of the greatest riches of
Scottish spirituality would, within decades, have been lost forever. They
were handed down through generations by oral tradition as precious and
intimate possessions, woven into the daily ceremony of rising, working and
sleeping.
The inhabitants of the
Highlands and the Islands bore constant witness to the living nature of
the land and sea surrounding them, as they sought protection and blessing,
healing and strength, comfort and community. God was everything to the
Highlanders and they saw His handiwork in everything around them. He was
an integral part of their daily lives. Christ is seen as being with and
for the poor; healing is regarded as a grace that releases the essential
life and health of body and soul, and not in opposition to the natural
process of death; and the goodness of Creation is celebrated, while life
is also regarded as a pilgrimage. Commitment to the Gospel is set within
the context of an intimate relationship with a personal God; the life of
heaven and the life of earth are seen as bound inextricably together; and
the delights and demands of welcome and hospitality - expecting to meet
Christ in the stranger's guise - are richly portrayed. We can certainly
learn a lesson or two from our Highland ancestors. Here is a sample of the
prayers:
May the strength of God
pilot us,
May the power of God preserve us,
May the wisdom of God instruct us,
May the hand of God protect us, May the shield of God defend us,
May the hosts of God guard us against the snares of the evil one
And the temptations of the world.
May Christ be with us
Christ in us,
Christ before us.
May thy salvation O Lord
Be always ours
This day and for evermore. Amen.
St. Patrick
Alone with none but Thee, my God,
I journeyed on my way;
What need I fear, when Thou art near
O King of night and day?
More safe I am within Thy hand
Than if a host did round me stand.
The child of God can fear no ill,
His chosen dread no foe;
We leave our fate to Thee, and wait
Thy bidding when to go.
'Tis not from chance our comfort springs,
Thou art our trust, O King of Kings.
St. Columba.
If you would like copies of the prayers, please send a stamped,
self-addressed envelope to The Family Tree, Odom Library, PO Box 2828,
Moultrie, GA 31776 and ask for "Prayers article from Palmetto & Thistle".
My mother's ancestors
AGNES BIRDSALL and HENRY KEMP year 1598, Norwich, England! Desire
pedigree. Contact: Richard Morrissey, 28656 Murrieta, Sun City, CA 92586.
Jacob Miller, 4000 E.
Fletcher, Apt. I-114, Tampa, FL 33613-5333 some questions that he
would like our readers to answer.
What does AMERIGO mean in Latin? Does it mean freedom? Was this the reason
that the name AMERICA was adopted?
Can anyone help?
MARY KATHERINE JACKSON
OLIVER HAYS, 93, a civic worker, died of heart failure Wednesday,
March 14, 2001 at St. Catherine's Village. Mrs. Hays was a Flora native,
the daughter of Rufus Lafayette Jackson and Ada Collum Jackson. Mrs. Hays
was well known for her coloratura soprano voice and she sang at many
religious and social functions. In 1927 She married Halbert Puffer Oliver
and moved to Texas, where Mr. Oliver died in 1934. In 1937 she married
Donald Osborne Hays, who survives her. She was active in the UDC in
Washington. When they lived in New York, Mrs. Hays was employed at the
1940 New York World's Fair, in charge of the W&J Sloanes' house in the
"Homes of Tomorrow". She was secretary to William Pahlmann, then head of
the Interior Design Department of Lord & Taylor's Fifth Avenue Store. She
returned to Mississippi where she continued her studies at Millsaps
College until her husband was ordered to Washington where she joined him.
There she was a Regent of Abigail Hartman Rice Chapter of the DAR among
many other duties. Also Mrs. Hays was a member of the Women's Club of
Flora, The First Families of Mississippi, and The Washington Club.
While doing family
research, Mrs. Hays found that her Johnston line led right back to the
Annadale Chapel of the Cross about ten miles from her Flora home. She
orgainized a tremendous amount of research material which is now on
microfilm in the DAR Library in Washington, The Mississippi State Archives
and the Morman Library in Salt Lake City, Utah. When Clan Johnston in
America was organized, she was a charter member of its Executive Council,
and the National Membership chairman until 1980. Survivors include, Mr.
Hays; many cousins, five nephews and three nieces. |
