A question to stump the tartan experts.

[Dreadbelly]

That is a chakram.

I guess it looks like a wagon wheel.

[gilmore]

there is also this:

There is also this:
<<<TINKERING WITH THE MACPHEES

Following recent correspondence within these pages concerning MacPhees and travelling people, your Editor's eye was caught by a recent article in the Sunday Herald by Ajay Close. The article primarily focused on Martin Taylor, the world famous jazz guitarist, who has recently made a television documentary about traveller culture and its vital role in preserving traditional music.

Travelling people have long been central figures in Scottish folklore but we know as little about them today as we did 500 years ago. Perhaps even less. The terminology doesn’t help. In England, "gypsy" is acceptable, but in Scotland not, the term "traveller" being the preferred label. The communities north and south of the Border also speak different languages - in England, a variation on the Romany also spoken by Roma people in France and the Sinti in Germany; in Scotland, Cant is the language of the travelling people. In Ireland, travellers speak a third language, Shelta.

How far this reflects any ethnic distinction between the groups is unclear. The Roma left Northern India 1000 years ago for a nomadic life in Europe. They were tinsmiths (hence the word “tinker”) and horse people who lived apart from the settled community. But the Scottish travellers believe themselves different from the Roma. The story handed down over the centuries was that they came from Ethiopia, and only later intermarried with the Roma who travelled North. A third ingredient in the genetic melting pot were those Scots defeated in clan warfare who took to the road rather than swear allegiance to a rival clan chief. This, of course, is where the MacPhees (of all spellings) come into this particular picture.

But back to Martin Taylor who, it transpires, is from traveller stock on his father’s side, which could partly explain why he has recently formed a gypsy band, 'Le Nouveau Trio Gitan', with French gypsy guitarist Christian Escoude and David Reinhardt, grandson of jazz legend Django - this development has its own pleasing symmetry, since it was Django’s music which first spurred the boy Martin to pick up a guitar. A simple twist of fate...

But there we go, digressing again. Don't worry, it's just an age thing apparently.

Part of Martin's documentary (still to be screened) focuses on the legendary superstitiousness of the travelling people and a number of superstitions are discussed. The most interesting one however, at least from a Corncrake point of view, came from Martin himself when he disclosed that in his family it is considered to be tempting providence to say the word or name "MacPhee" before mid-day!

So, does any Reader know the origins of this superstition, or indeed anything at all that they could share with other Corncrake readers about the history of MacPhees as travelling people?

By the way, it is still conmmon practice on Colonsay not to say the name MacPhee before mid-day, but this usually follows a Darts match the previous evening...>>>http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/corncr.../cornb128.html


There are some surnames associated with travellers: MacPhee, Faas and Shaw and others. Some must have "their very own" tartan.

[gilmore]

That is a chakram.

I guess it looks like a wagon wheel.

But it is a wheel. "Chakra"=Sanskrit for "wheel."