A SLICE of SCOTLAND’S CULTURE
The culture of any group is shaped by the many factors which are present in the
natural and human environment. It goes without saying that climate, geography, the bounty
or the hardness of the land, whether the neighboring peoples are hostile or
friendly,…all have a place in shaping that people through the challenges and the
limitations which present themselves. Equally important, perhaps even more important, is
the way in which an people meet the challenges with which they are confronted, and
certainly in the ways in which they may recognize their possibilities as well as fully
understanding their problems.
When we look at the culture of the Scottish nation we must look beyond the ruins of great
abbeys and castles, standing stones, illuminated manuscripts and such ; beyond the
skirling of pipes and the tartan-clad regiments, dancers and clansfolk, and focus on what
such things represent and how they came into being. The chronicles, poetry and folk song
lyrics give ample evidence of great periods of unrest, of tragedy and sometimes a grinding
poverty. At the same time the intricacy in art and architecture, poetry and song, give
evidence of a triumph of the will in the face of tremendous adversity. The Hebridean women
who took wool from their sheep, scoured it in the animals’ urine, colored it with
lichens scraped from rock, carded it, spun it and wove it into one of the world’s
most durable and weather-resistant fabrics, were about as close to true
"creators" as any of us might imagine. Scottish culture is a long story of her
people overcoming unbelievable odds, of imagination and ingenuity ; a refusal to retreat.
Scotland may well have been the Western world’s first "melting pot". The
"Scotti" from what is now Ireland, indigenous Picts and "Attecotti",
Cymric-speaking relatives of the Welsh living in Strathclyde, not to mention Danes, Angles
and later the Normans and folk from the Low Countries, all added their customs and pooled
their resources. Family names, place names to this day give evidence of these different
groups,. and once blended, have given to the world a national character of great
distinction which many diverse peoples have come to love and respect. The bagpipe, the
tartans and kilts are but the tiniest tip of an iceberg ,the base of which connects with
the childhood of the human race.
Siol nan Gaidheal is able to offer our visitors but a very small slice of this this
ancient heritage, but we attempt to present here some information ,some addresses and
URL's which might enable our friends and fellow Scottish diaspora folk to gain further
access to this continuum, this marvelous experience of knowing what it is to be Scottish.
True enough, we have a footing deeply set in the past, but we focus also on a great
future, and it is our belief that this world sorely needs much of what Scotland has to
offer.
Culture Related Links:
Architecture Art & Design Clans & Tartans Folklore