"Lines of Descent"

Celebrating the culture of the Seven Celtic Nations at Sycamore Shoals, East Tennessee

Sycamore Shoals Celtic Festival, 9th September 2012

We are staying at the home of our good friends Buddy & Beth Arnold and their son Sam in Johnson City, East Tennessee. Sometimes known as “Little Chicago”, local lore has it that Al Capone made the town the centre of his Appalachian bootlegging activities. Whatever the truth of this, Johnson City now has a lively musical scene that hosts the Little Chicago Blues Festival, the Umoja African-American and Latino festival, and the Blue Plum Festival of blue grass and American folk music. 

But we’re here for the Sycamore Shoals Celtic Festival in nearby Elizabethton. Sycamore Shoals marked a turning point in the fortunes of the American Revolution. In March 1780, 2,000 patriots gathered on this spot to march over the mountains and engage local loyalists led by Major Patrick Ferguson. Ferguson was a Scottish officer in the British Army and was killed when his militia was defeated by the patriot “overmountain men” at Kings Mountain. Today as we make the short drive through the beautiful Smoky Mountains, Beth assures us that this is “God’s own country”.

The festival is organised by the Upper East Tennessee Celtic Society to promote the Celtic culture, traditions, customs, history and music of the men and women who settled this part of Appalachia. While all that might sound rather high-minded, the weekend is a fun programme of jousting displays, fancy dress competitions, bonnie knees contests, sheep dog herding, storytelling, folk music and Celtic rock. The vendors and representatives of the clans are here too.

While listening to the music, Melanie and I meet Jack Beck. Originally from Scotland, Jack is a performer of traditional songs and ballads and hosts the “Celtic Clanjamphry” on local radio. As we sit and talk, Jack explains his passion for the folk music that was brought here by settlers from the British Isles. He talks about their songs and fiddle music and how they were adapted locally and fused with other musical traditions. He uses the expression “lines of descent” to describe the link between American folk music and its roots across the Atlantic.

It occurs to me that it is not just folk music that has a “line of descent” from Scotland and other Celtic cultures. There are “lines of descent” in the timing, technique and interpretation of Highland dancing, the notation of the piobaireachd and the rules for the athletic events at Scottish games. These tie many cultural and sporting activities strongly to Scotland and other Celtic nations. But as I have observed previously, America has its own vibrant culture and this Celtic culture is also creatively fused with African and Latino rhythms, Creole and Cajun music and, of course, American jazz and rock.

The sun is setting over the Smoky Mountains as we drive back to Atlanta. We listen to Jack’s latest CD “We’re all Jock Tamson’s Bairns”. He recorded it with his partner Wendy Welch and its title is an apt reminder that our identity is shaped and formed by other cultures that are of equal worth. And it finds an exciting expression here in a small corner of Appalachia.

Land, culture and roots

Scotland's other national drink; an Irn Bru floater. Made from girders.

Montana, 25^th September 2012

Melanie and I arrive at the Bitterroot Scottish Irish Festival in the beautiful State of Montana.  Yesterday we spent 18 hours driving from Billings to Missoula via the Beartooth Pass, Yellowstone Park and historic Virginia City.  This is a vast and open state with range after range of majestic mountains.  It's truly “Big Sky Country”.

The Bitterroot Scottish Irish Festival is held in the grounds of the Marcus Daly mansion just outside a small town called Hamilton. It’s about an hour’s drive from Missoula.  Melanie and I arrive just in time for the opening ceremony and the Calling of the Clans. I am hot, tired and hungry so once the formalities are over we go in search of food and shade.  The vendors are selling gyros, nachos and barbeque, but the largest line is for the Scottish food van.  As we join the line someone points to my Scottish soccer top and shouts out, “You’re wearing last season’s jersey!”  Having introduced myself, I discover his name is Kenny and he’s from Edinburgh too. As we shake hands he asks if I am a “Hearts or Hibs man?”  Now the rivalry between Edinburgh’s soccer teams may not be as deep as Glasgow’s Old Firm, but I sense a leading question.  My answer is both honest and diplomatic: my grandfather supported Heart of Midlothian, my father supports the Hiberian, whilst I have a vague attachment to Aberdeen FC.  Kenny turns out to be a Hearts fan and seems amused and satisfied by my answer.  Local loyalties established, we chat about growing up in Edinburgh in the 1970’s and 80’s and swap memories of the Commonwealth Pool and getting fish and chips at Brattisani’s "chippy" in Newington.

This is a friendly event.  Although smaller than Grandfather Mountain, there are a good number of competitors for the highland games and highland dancing, and among the shade trees are vendors, food outlets, musicians and clan tents.  Some people are local and others have travelled from Washington state, Oregon and Canada.  Everyone seems to be enjoying themselves and I speak to a good number of them.  They are here because it is a fun day out for the family and they want to discover and celebrate their Scottish or Irish heritage and culture.  Given that America has successfully exported its own culture, this interest in all things ‘celtic’ slightly puzzles me.  One lady explains that it is all about “land, culture and roots”.  She tells me that Americans have a deep attachment to their land and have their own vibrant culture. However, in her words she explains that “Americans are somewhat rootless” and there is an importance of finding out the “stories of the people who made us”.

So, it’s about the importance of establishing roots across time, a continent and an ocean.  It’s about finding the story behind a surname. It’s about discovering how your ancestors lived.  The stories I swapped with Kenny earlier in the day established a relationship based on memories of a time and place, common experiences and the possibility of shared allegiances. I think that is what is happening at these Scottish festivals too and it is all the more understandable now.

"We're all Scotland's Story"

 

Ed Miller, Jil Chambless and Scooter Muse

North Carolina, July 2012

Melanie and I have spent a wet weekend on Grandfather Mountain camping with our McPherson friends. Despite the Scottish weather it has been a lot of fun and we are driving home to Atlanta along the I-85. It is getting dark, the rain is still falling and we are listening to Ed Miller’s latest album, “Come awa wi’ me”. Ed’s a Scottish folk singer and a native of Edinburgh. He now lives in Austin Texas and performs on the Scottish festival circuit. Ed has a great voice and earlier in the day we had watched him perform with Scooter Muse and Jil Chambless.

 

One of the songs on Ed’s CD catches my attention. It’s The Proclaimer’s song, “Scotland’s Story”. It celebrates all the diverse folk who arrived on Scotland’s shores over the millennia and contributed to our heritage. It reminded me that my high school register in Edinburgh contained Mackies, Macphersons and Macdonalds as well as Di Rollos, Levinsons and Argwals. Whatever our cultural backgrounds, we were all proud to be Scots.

 

As we drive on back to Atlanta the thought occurs that Scotland has not only produced a world-wide diaspora, but she has also provided a home and refuge for people from all corners of the globe. It makes me proud that the Scottish hall of fame includes the likes of the sculptor Sir Eduardo Paolozzi, female engineer Mamta Singhal, the Harry Potter actress Katie Leung and the guitarist Mark Knopfler.

 

So in the words of the song Ed’s that singing, “We're all Scotland's story and we're all worth the same”.

Meet the family....

Parade of tartan, Grandfather Mountain Highland Games

Grandfather Mountain, July 2012. 

The story starts just over six years ago. I was single and living in London. My good American friend Beth McPherson Arnold enticed me over to the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games with the promise of introducing me to 50 single American women. It didn’t take me long to book my ticket and within hours of arriving on the mountain I was introduced to Melanie Pinkerton. Melanie was active in the Clan Campbell Association and had traced her Scottish ancestors to those who had arrived in the US in the mid 1700’s. There started a transatlantic romance, and five and a half years later we were married in Melanie’s home town of Stone Mountain, Georgia. And I became part of the Scots’ diaspora.

 

That visit to Grandfather Mountain in 2006 was my first encounter with my American cousins. Those of you who have attended these games will know the beautiful games field and campsite that are situated under the watchful eye of Grandfather Mountain. I camped with Beth and her McPherson family in a motor home surrounded by tents, smoking campfires and the sound of the pipes being played from dawn to dusk. Every morning after an ice-cold shower, I would stop by the campsite kiosk for my breakfast coffee. On my first morning the lady behind the counter complimented me on my accent. I rather too quickly replied that I was probably one of the few Scots on the mountain. No sooner were the words out of my mouth than the kilted man behind me laid a large hand on my shoulder and with a southern drawl corrected me, “Sir, on the mountain we are all Scottish!”.

 

Really? In fact the population of Scotland is just under five million compared to some 312 million Americans. Of that population it is estimated that 20-25 million are of Scottish descent. Attendance at Scottish festivals aside, this population tends not to describe itself as ‘Scottish-Americans’, and unlike Irish-Americans or Jewish-Americans does not form a caucus in American politics. Its Scottish identity is principally expressed in social or cultural ways including St Andrew’s Societies, Burns Clubs, pipe bands and, of course, Scottish festivals. The main events at these festivals include traditional highland games, piping and highland dance competitions. They are opened by the “Calling of the Clans” and the singing of “Flower of Scotland” and “The Star Spangled Banner”. Around the periphery of the games field are stands representing clan associations, St Andrew’s Societies, folk concerts and souvenir stalls. And of course, food outlets selling Scotch pies, Cornish Pasties and American made haggis – of which more later…

 

Over the next nine months I look forward to meeting more of my American cousins, so if you are going to be at any of the games I will be visiting please make contact and say ‘hello’.

The Saltire and the Star Spangled Banner

The Saltire and the Stars and Stripes at Grandfather Mountain

Welcome to The Saltire and the Star Spanged Banner.  In April 2012 the University of Edinburgh made me an award from the Kerr Fry Bequest to fund a nine month study tour of Scottish Highland Games in the United States of America.  There is an average of four games a month in the USA alone.  Some attract several thousand visitors and are internationally renowned, such as Grandfather Mountain Highland Games in North Carolina.  Others are smaller affairs and more recently established, such as the Bitterroot Scottish and Irish Festival in Montana.  As a Scot I am flattered by this interest in Scottish culture, but am left wondering why these events are so popular.

 

So in the course of the coming months I will be travelling the US visiting a number of games and festivals, starting at Grandfather Mountain and ending at Tartan Week in New York City. Between times I will be visiting Bitterroot Scottish and Irish Festival in Montana; the Sycamore Shoals Celtic Festival, Tennessee; the Stone Mountain Highland Games, Georgia; the Tucson Celtic Festival and Highland Games, Arizona; the Central Florida Scottish Highland Games; and the Queen Mary Highland Games, Long Beach, California.

While visiting these events, I will investigate how Americans of Scottish descent express their heritage and in so doing will account for their popularity.  I will produce a report for the University at the conclusion of my study, but the purpose of this blog is to share some of my experiences along the way.  Please do stop by and comment, or better still make contact if you are visiting one of these games.

Finally, I would like to thank the Kerr Fry Selection Board for its generous support of this study and my wife Melanie who is my travelling companion and trusty research assistant.