Dr Daniel Milosavljevic
University of Canterbury
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HB comes from and represents Scotland.
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Embodies tradition, history, heritage…
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Is primitive, brutal, undeveloped, basic…
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Is symbolic of place and ethnicity.
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Is treated as novelty, exotic, fringe, token…
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Preservation saved it and Highland culture.
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Speculation about events of the past.
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Since 1960s a more critical stance.
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A number have lead evidence based research.
 Lorimer, Collinson, Cooke, Blankenhorn, Campsie, Cannon,
Chambers, Haddow, MacInnes, Buisman, MacDonald,
McKay, Brown, Cheape, Donaldson, West, Gibson,
Campbell, McKerrell, McLellan, Forrest, Dickson,
MacKenzie, Paterson, Sanger, Fatone
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Progenitor likely from British Isles or Western Europe.
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Music transplanted from existing traditions.
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Function & context has changed dramatically.
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Modern form of the HB established ~ 1780.
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Aspects of ‘Highland’ culture (re)constructed.
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National standardisation in early 20th C.
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Tradition was never really threatened.
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HB now globally spread.
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Factors include
 Highland clearances
 Emigration
 Colonisation
 Empire
 Trade
 Opportunity
 Warfare/military occupation
 Popular culture
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Cultural bias evident in scholarship on HB.
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Expected given associations with Scotland.
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Scholars mention HB’s global spread.
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Yet have not explored this in depth.
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A few scholars have provided case studies.
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Diverse interpretations of Highland piping.
 Provide for referential comparison.
 Challenge ideas about ownership.
 Affirm (or deny) collective belonging.
 Reveal important social & cultural processes.
 Facilitate debate for culture and society.
 Learn about the world and what it thinks of us.
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Canada - Loten (1995), Gibson (2002) and
Shears (2009).
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Hong Kong - Ho Wai-Chung (2001).
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New Zealand - Coleman (1996)
Together Shears, Gibson, Loten, Ho WaiChung, Coleman, (among others) imply a
global diversity of Highland piping traditions,
customs, and practices that are both partly
consistent with those found within Scotland,
and are also divergent from them.
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Focus on NZ piping culture, national identity,
authenticity, globalisation, and diaspora.
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MA thesis explored NZ national identity
evident within a national pipe band festival.
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PhD thesis explored authenticity &
localisation for the most traditional of
Highland bagpipe repertoire - piobaireachd.
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NZ locals believe “we play the same”.
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Some standards consistent with Scotland.
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Yet localisation evident too.
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Local people = local values/local meaning.
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Authorities in NZ worried about divergence.
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Avoid displaying local culture in performance.
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St Andrews Pipe Band of Miami est. 1964.
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Performance for 4th of July Parade, 2012.
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Attire chosen for local conditions.
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Repertoire includes Yankee Doodle, etc...
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Is this authentic Highland piping?
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What about other places?
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Have they nuanced Highland bagpiping?
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Disclaimer…
I present some examples from Asia.
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The mashak of India, Pakistan & Afghanistan.
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Being replaced by the HB.
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Other local pipes are being replaced as well.
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What the video’s creator has to say.
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HB plays an important role here.
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Why, and what is the role of ‘Scotland’ here?
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Several hundred pipe bands in Pakistan.
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Second biggest producer of HB.
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Cultural products sent to & sold in Scotland.
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Some factories sell 70% in Scotland.
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How is ‘Scotland’ a part of local economy?
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Sri Dasmesh Pipe Band, 2009, Sydney, Australia.
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Performing a parade central to ANZ patriotism.
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Incorporate Sikh identity into their performance.
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Play local ‘Asian’ tunes too.
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Yet aspects of Scottish HB culture are evident.
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How is ‘Scotland’ a part of what this band does?
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Didn’t even show the Omani camel band!
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What was the point of this?
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To illustrate diverse ideas about Scotland.
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Do these influence piping in Scotland?
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Is Highland bagpiping in Scotland authentic?
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Why such association with national identity?
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When does the HB cease to be Scottish?
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What defines the HB?
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When is something Scottish (or not)?
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Most importantly, who gets to decide?
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Diaspora = 100 million (Alex Salmond, 2009)
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People affect culture relative context.
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Yet still little mention of HB’s global forms.
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Is it a global culture?
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Diverse people = diverse definitions of culture
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I argue (as does Grant 2013) for a diaspora.
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A HB diaspora with Scotland as ‘home’.
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‘Authenticity’ is integral for local people.
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‘Scotland’ exists as a heterogeneous concept.
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Cameron 1856 - song about longing for home.
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‘Scotland’ is a considerably complex idea.
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Where does nation begin (and end)?
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What does nationhood sound like?
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What defines an instrument or tradition?
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What does it mean to own culture?
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Communities are imagined (Anderson 1983)
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Understanding Scotland Musically:
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Can we? Well, we can try.
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Do we? I argue we do not.
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No disrespect intended but we could try harder.
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Embrace (post)modernity & global flows of culture.
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Recognise our limitations as researchers.