IMMIGRATION TO AMERICA

The native language of the Scottish Highlands is Gaelic and the cultural legacy of the Scottish Highlanders is best understood and explained by means of the reference points available in Gaelic literature and tradition. It is important, if they are to be studied and represented as real people and not simply quantitative data or names on passenger lists, that we understand them on their own terms. Formal education in Scotland focused on the English language to the exclusion of Gaelic, and so many Gaels never learnt to write in their own mother tongue. Still, they continued to express themselves and their opinions in Gaelic, and we are fortunate that some of their oral and written literature survive which documents these experiences.

Scottish Highlanders have their own cultural and literary legacy and need to be understood as a legitimate society in their own right. We will do a disservice to any society if we only ask "What are its contributions to world civilization?" or "How has it influenced American culture" or even "How does it explain who I am?" Such questions force us to remain outside the culture and impose foreign values and concepts upon it. We cannot hope to understand another culture if we are unwilling or unable to let go of our own frames of reference.

The Scottish Highlanders should not be confused with the people of Lowland Scotland or the so-called "Scotch-Irish." People celebrating Scottish heritage in the United States often fail to differentiate the Ulster Protestant planters ("Scotch-Irish"), the Lowland Scots, and the Highland Scots. Aspects of Highland heritage (the tartan and kilt, the Highland landscape, and so on) are generalized to all of Scots, despite the fact that these things would have been alien, if not anathema, to Lowlanders. Later icons of Lowland culture (such as Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott, and bagpipe bands) have been projected backwards onto Highland ancestors who would not have recognized them as aspects of their heritage, while crucial aspects of Highland culture, especially the Gaelic language, are neglected.

The way in which Scottish heritage is typically represented can be very misleading to the unwary. Most of what passes for Highland tradition now was created outside of the Highlands during the nineteenth or twentieth centuries; in other words, long after most Highland immigrants had already left Scotland. If these original settlers could see what is now celebrated as being their heritage, they would seldom recognize it. This is not to say that these things are not valid or should not be done, only to warn that we need to be mindful of how tradition is invented, who invents it, why, and how. In other words, we need to apply critical thinking.

The idea that each clan has its own tartan was only invented in the 1820s; bagpipe bands evolved in the British military from the 1860s onwards and were imported into America in the twentieth century; Highland Games developed under the patronage of Queen Victoria and were molded by the British elite for their own agenda; the Kirkin' of the Tartan was invented in America during World War II and has never been performed in Scotland; and so on. Despite these red herrings, the determined student of Highland culture can trace many aspects of modern traditions and arts to their sources in Gaelic-speaking society and often find living tradition-bearers who still perform them, even if they are not recognized publicly and do not feature in any formal institutions.

The history of immigrants in America is often told by recounting the stories of a number of individuals who were able to overcome poverty and other obstacles and achieve wealth and fame in their adopted country. Only by examining the cultural background of Highland immigrants can we ask and answer such questions as: What previous experiences shaped the attitudes, perceptions, values, and behavior of the immigrant? Was there something unique to Scottish Highland immigrants which made their contributions to America different from those of Italian, Jewish, German, French, Spanish, and other immigrants? Have they influenced American culture?

Until the story of the Scottish Highland immigrants in the North America is researched properly, we will not understand the entire story of the Highland people. Neither will we understand fully the people and cultural elements that have come to create North America until we take account of Scottish Highland immigrants and their experiences.

REFERENCES

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