Welcomed as a Brother by Native Peoples

[Burly Brute]

So, I'm in Tucson at a week long conference of addictions professionals - kilted for comfort. A presenter this morning, a Native American lady, pointed over to me and said, "I saw a brother over here in a kilt - he knows Scottish people were colonized too."

Her presentation was on decolonization of the mind - for Native Peoples to go back to their old ways for healing.

The conference is heavily attended my Native American therapists so it was pretty special for me. Realized I have Navajo, Hopi, and Apache friends there with me.

And, nice to be recognized as a descendent of a colonized culture with parallels to Native American experiences. Yes, many threads about this before and many books on it.

Just felt great to have it pointed out in front of 500 folks.

This is very thought-provoking, and I have meditated on the spectrum many a nights. Really cool event, glad you shared it with us.

I have subtly been trying to integrate this reality within my workplace (federal gov. affiliated) but it has not come to fruition just yet. Perhaps if I lobby it as a way to increase awareness in general for native peoples. I don't know, who knows! Haha.

Thanks Ron!

-Zach

[Gael Ridire]

Thanks for sharing this!

[OC Richard]

There's a lot of common ground between traditional Gaelic culture and Native American culture.

I was out piping for the dedication of a large piece of land for the Chumash Nation- just why they wanted a piper was never made clear- and my person, (including my kilt) were blessed by the Chief by waving a smouldering root near our cardinal points.

As he was doing this I said to him "and can you please bless the pipes too?" and he seemed to understand immediately the rightness of doing that, and blessed them, as there is really no such thing as an inanimate object to his culture, nor to the Gaels.

My kilt and my pipes have had it all- the smouldering root, Catholic incense and Holy Water, and even Guinness on several occasions.

Then there's the thing about music: the amazing similarity between Scottish Gaelic "waulking songs" and Native American chant.

I was out piping at some school's multicultural event, and I watched the presentation done by a couple Native American guys. One guy chanted, one guy danced. The chant sounded just like waulking songs.

During our break, I told them "I've got something you've got to hear" and I ran to my car and grabbed a waulking song CD and brought it back to the Green Room and popped it in a CD player.

They listened intently to the first song, and asked "what Tribe is that?"

When I told them it was Scottish Gaelic, they were not surprised. They felt that there were many similarities between the two cultures, and considered the Clans fellow "tribes".

[OC Richard]

There's a lot of common ground between traditional Gaelic culture and Native American culture.

I was out piping for the dedication of a large piece of land for the Chumash Nation- just why they wanted a piper was never made clear- and my person, (including my kilt) were blessed by the Chief by waving a smouldering root near our cardinal points.

As he was doing this I said to him "and can you please bless the pipes too?" and he seemed to understand immediately the rightness of doing that, and blessed them, as there is really no such thing as an inanimate object to his culture, nor to the Gaels.

My kilt and my pipes have had it all- the smouldering root, Catholic incense and Holy Water, and even Guinness on several occasions.

Then there's the thing about music: the amazing similarity between Scottish Gaelic "waulking songs" and Native American chant.

I was out piping at some school's multicultural event, and I watched the presentation done by a couple Native American guys. One guy chanted, one guy danced. The chant sounded just like waulking songs.

During our break, I told them "I've got something you've got to hear" and I ran to my car and grabbed a waulking song CD and brought it back to the Green Room and popped it in a CD player.

They listened intently to the first song, and asked "what Tribe is that?"

When I told them it was Scottish Gaelic, they were not surprised. They felt that there were many similarities between the two cultures, and considered the Clans fellow "tribes".

[castledangerous]

Just be careful they don't welcome you and then invite you to be dinner.

What century did you escape from recently?

[McFarkus]

Excellent!

[Gael Ridire]

I had an experience similar I feel to the Native-American & Gael culture. The wife a a clan member has died and I desired to play the pipes at her graveside in a remote mountainous area in northern Utah. The clan member had once been the Secretary of the US Treasury, David Kennedy, in the late 1960s. By his wife's grave he sat, a most dejected & depressed look. I stood off in the distance and began to play "Amazing Grace." After the first couple of notes he sat up erect, stood tall, and turned to face in my direction. The man was completely transformed. I have never witnessed since such power of the pipes since.

[English Bloke]

Ron, I'll bet you were bouncing. I was born in Malawi and while working in Zimbabwe in 1997 as part of a British Military training team, I was acknowledged as a Brother African (and fellow warrior... that bit still makes me chuckle) by colleagues from both the Zimbabwe National Army and The Malawi Rifles and Malawi Parachute Regiment. Quite the honour and privilege I might say. I know how you feel.

[Bugbear]

What century did you escape from recently?

I wondered about that post too, but decided to leave it be: not my thread.

[Dale-of-Cedars]

Yeah, I've noticed the Natives like us. I was told by a group of Crow last summer that the kilt is the garment of a warrior, and that if I have the stones to wear one for no reason, then I must be a warrior- and we're all brothers. I spent that weekend eating and drinking on the dime of the Crow Nation. Gotta love the brotherhood.

FYI This thread seems to be wrapping around toward the mutual esteem between the First Nations and the Scots discussed in the book: "White People, Indians, and Highlanders" in this thread.