1000 BC to 500 AD
• Picts (The painted people) – known as warriors, sophisticated metalwork
• Pictish Evidence: stones with symbols, Cairns (piled stone graves or meeting places,
Pictish crosses (early celtic cross)
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-HMjE_gLd4 (first 12 seconds)
• 2nd Group of Peoples: Scots (Also called Gaels)
• Romans tried to invade – built Antonine Wall across
middle of Scotland; Picts sent Romans packing -pushed behind Hadrian’s Wall (In N. England)
around 200 A.D.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1034389/
563 A.D.
•St. Columba gets into fight at his monastery
or with his family
•St. Columba leaves Ireland by Boat to bring
Christianity to Scotland (has fight with Loch
Ness Monster along the way…)
•Arrives on Island of Iona and builds
monastery
•This is where ‘Book of Kells’ is started
•Vikings invade 7-9th centuries – kill monks
•4 main groups of peoples in Scotland: Picts,
Scots, Britons (south), and Angles/Saxons
(Edinburgh and east)
•Picts and Scots unite: Unity marked at
“Scone” -- where Stone of Destiny tradition is
established (also known as ‘Stone of Scone’)
•Kings of Scotland are ‘enthroned’ on stone,
not crowned
1000’s
•King Malcolm unites Scotland
•King Duncan (from play Macbeth) is second king – evil dude
•King Macbeth (kills Duncan) – buried on Iona?
•1300: King Edward I of England gets greedy – takes control of Scotland (and stole the
stone! “’da Sleekit wee basturt!” – translates as skinny mischievous bastard)
•William Wallace (the people’s hero – a commoner) raises troops & kicks Edward’s English
Butt @ Battle of Stirling Bridge
•William (our hero) is quartered and dismembered by British (1305)
•Robert the Bruce (noble who betrayed Wallace now decides to fight the British) – defeats
Ed at Bannockburn (1314)
•Scottish independence! Declaration of Arbroath (thought to be inspiration for USA
Declaration of independence): Scottish call to freedom & Independence
•Arbroath: …”as long as but a 100 of us remain alive, never will we on any conditions be
brought under English rule. It is in truth, not in glory, nor riches nor honours that we fight,
but for freedom -- for that alone, which no honest man gives up but with life itself…”
The Declaration of Arbroath—a modern musical version
Jim McLean
In Thirteen-Twenty Scotland said,
Should England dare our soil to tread,
The blood will flow in rivers red,
Before capitulation.
No more will Scotland bow the knee,
To foreign prince who e're he be,
For come what may we'll aye be free,
From English domination.
Chorus :
Here's to the men who took the oath,
The Declaration of Arbroath,
Freedom and right, our cause is both,
To save us from damnation.
Out with traitor, out with foe,
Give the Saxon blow for blow,
And freedom's brightest star shall glow,
Above the Scottish nation.
Its not for honour that we sigh,
Nor glory makes us long to die.
But liberty is Scotland's cry,
No English subjugation.
Our fathers didn't die in vain,
For while a hundred men remain,
No English king shall o'er us reign,
Stand up for Scotland's nation.
Too long we've played the tartan fool,
Too long we've bowed to English rule,
Too long we've cringed before John Bull,
Afreaid of confrontation.
So heed the words from Bruce's pen,
Scotland must be free again,
Stand up a hundred Scottish men,
Who'll honour the Declaration.
Footnote : This week marks not only the 150th song in the series 'Sing A Sang At Least' but also the 684th anniversary of the Declaration of Arbroath, the historic letter from the Scottish nobles to
Pope John XXII asserting Scottish Independence, on 6th April 1320. The Arbroath letter marked the emergence of Scotland as the first nation-state in Europe in the modern sense. This great song
by Jim McLean says it all- thewords of The Declaration of Arbroath should be etched on every Scot's heart. Thankfully there are still more than a hundred Scots prepared to stand up for full
Scottish Nationhood.
1400’s
Education:
– St. Andrew’s
– U of Glasgow
– Aberdeen U
– Edinburgh college of surgeons
– Printing press
•Scotland required all landowners to send sons to school
•Scots most literate people (for Centuries) of N. Europe
•Line of “Stewart” kings: James I, Ii, III, IV
1500’s: A play in 8 acts (cast= Henry VIII, Mary, John Knox, Dauphin, Darnley, Riccio,
Bothwell)
1.Henry VIII in England – Fighting France
Catherine of Aragon left to deal w rowdy Scots –
Killed James IV of Scotland @ Battle of Flodden Field
Pipers play “the Flowers of the Forest” yet today to mourn loss of Scottish king;
Pipers can play only at Funerals or will die themselves (superstition)
2.James V – also killed by English
Left 1 week old daughter Mary
Henry VIII wanted her to marry Edward (his son)
Mary “Queen of Scotland” was taken back to France by her mother
3.French could not say “Stewart” – the line of Scot kings so they called her “Stuart”
4.Mary marries…French Dauphin (prince)
Soon after French king dies, Dauphin dies
Leaves 16-yr-old Mary Queen of Scotland & France
5.About this time….
Queen Elizabeth is taking charge in England
John Knox (radical bearded reformation leader) gaining power in Scotland
Mary is inconveniently Catholic (raised in France)
6. John Knox writes “First Blast of the Trumpet against the
monstrous regiment of women…”
Keen to destroy Mary (and Elizabeth if possible)
7. Knox has following:
reformers sign “The Covenant” in 1557 declaring
allegiance to Protestantism;
Knox is founder of the Presbyterian church;
Knox promotes education – school in every parish
8. Enter Mary – Returns to Scotland (not been there since
baby) and moves in to Holyrood Palace
• Marries Lord Darnley & has son “James”
• Darnley jealous of Italian secretary Riccio
Stabs and kills him @ Holyrood – you can still see blood when you visit
Holyrood
•Mary is understandably a little ticked off; She hooks up with Lord Bothwell
who chokes & kills Darnley & blows up his apartment
•Mary marries Lord Bothwell; Nobles are understandably a little ticked off
•Mary forced to abdicate crown to baby James; Flees to England to safety of
cousin Queen Elizabeth who promptly throws her in the Tower of London and
eventually beheads her
Late 1500’s
James VI of Scotland & also James I of England
•Enthroned on stone of scone
•King James Bible
•Patron of arts & Sciences – Shakespeare, John Donne, Francis Bacon
•Believed no blood should ever be shed for religious diversity
•Catholic Guy Fawkes attempts to blow up James & Parliament: “Remember,
remember the 5th of November”; Guy Fawkes day celebrated in England, NZ to this
day with fireworks…& burning of effigy of Guy Fawkes {See also: ‘V-for Vendetta’
movie }
Remember
remember
the fifth of
November-Gunpowder,
treason and
plot.
I know of no
reason why
gunpowder,
treason
Should ever
be forgot…
1600’s
•1637 @ St. Giles Cathedral in downtown Edinburgh, Jenny Geddes throws her
stool (sitting chair, not the other kind) at the minister during worship & says,
“Out thou false thief! Doest thou sayest the mass at my lug {ear}?”
King of England (Charles I) had tried to legislate that all masses were in
Latin/Anglican form which did not sit well with the Scottish Presbyterians.
Presbyterians and Scottish nobles signed the “National Covenant” to adhere to
‘true religion’
•The Killing Times – series of ‘sectarian’ wars 1640’s to 1680’s
• Scots “The Covenanters” (The Presbyterians) fought Charles I (Anglican)
• “The Covenanters” fought Charles II (Charles was Catholic, fled to
France)
• Charles replaced by James VII (James II England) James also Catholic,
was defeated and fled to France)
• Catholic Highlanders fought w/English, called the Scottish Royalists
• Much butchery of civilians/vengeance killings
http://wn.com/the_killing_time__the_wigtown_martyrs
1700’s
1689 Wm & Mary (Protestants) crowned King/Queen of England &
Scotland: “The Glorious Revolution” – at least for the Protestants
This is where ‘orange’ symbolism comes from -- “William of Orange”
1707
Act of Union Signed uniting Scotland & England under Protestant rule
1708
Big surprise -- Catholics are not happy
Remember James ‘Stuart’ we left exiled in France at turn of century?
James VIII has son ‘Charlie’
• Catholics in Highlands are called ‘Jacobites’ (French word for ‘James’)
• Highlanders have allegiance to Stuart line for King/Qu of Scotland)
* Bonnie Prince Charlie arrives in Scotland & with help of Jacobites hopes to
secure crown
* Jacobites (and Charlie) Win at Falkirk
* Jacobites lose at Culloden (Protestant Scots join with English to fight Jacobites)
* Bonnie Prince Charlie has to go in drag to escape to France
* This defeat is beginning of decimation of Highlands, Highland culture,
and Catholic power and stronghold in Scotland
1760’s to 1870’s
•1700’s-1800’s Edinburgh & Education flourished
“Athens of the North”
Adam Smith founder of economics
David Hume philosophy
Alexander Graham Bell
Industrialization Inventions
•1760’s Protestants decree against Catholics
No more Highland culture
Kilts, bagpipes are outlawed
Adam Smith
•Sir Walter Scott (Author) 1771-1832
Romanticizes the Highlands culture
English nobles visit to dress in kilts –
much like Americans ‘played Indian’ in USA;
fascination with ‘savage’ image
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/d/da
vid_hume.html
David Hume
• 1870’s The Clearances:
Burned the homes
“Cleared” the Highlanders from the Highlands
Wanted land for sheep
Highlanders that survived moved to Glasgow
or immigrated to New Zealand or USA
• Industrialization led to great wealth for
Protestants – colonization, slave trade, industry
• Irish and Catholics were laborers – tenement
culture in Glasgow through 1960’s
20th Century (1900’s):
Fodder for British canons – 1880’s to 1940’s
Scots highly represented in military WWI, WWII
Highland Regiment (pipes and Kilts return)
1928 – First modern stab at independence with creation of Scottish National Party
Strong labor movement in Scotland
Industrial base very strong up to 1970’s: Coal, ships, steel
1970’s Industrial base crashes
But…discover oil in North Sea
Perception that English swoop in and steal the oil profits
Scotland has only 72 MP’s in parliament out of 600 MP’s
1990’s Growth of service industry: primarily finance & tourism
Scottish Independence Movement: grows through 1990’s-2000’s
**Called “Devolution” and vote will occur fall 2013
1999 Creation of Scottish Parliament: huge big deal!
Given control over health, education, housing, transportation
No control over finance, defense, immigration
More socialistic tendencies than Brits:
• Free pre-school
• Small school classes (18 students)
• Free meals for students
• University education free
• Elderly free residential care
• Free museums
• Public access to hike/walk/camp-- all land
• Own currency
National Athem: ‘O Flower of Scotland’ (Read some of words before playing)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdfyuj3DfTw
O flower of Scotland
When will we see your like again
That fought and died for
Your wee bit hill and glen
And stood against him
Proud Edward's army
And sent him homeward
Tae think again
The hills are bare now
And autumn leaves lie thick and still
O'er land that is lost now
Which those so dearly held
And stood against him
Proud Edward's army
And sent him homeward
Tae think again
Those days are passed now
And in the past they must remain
But we can still rise now
And be the nation again
That stood against him
Proud Edward's army
And sent him homeward
Tae think again
Cultural Value: Egalitarianism & Independence
Egalitarianism found in religion (Presbyterianism –
religion of the people), politics and art
Robert Burns – Scotland’s most famous poet
Nickname = “Rabbie”
“A Man’s a man for all that…”
Burns was the poet of the people.
Read Rabbie Burns out loud first to clarify meaning
Play modern musical version:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMB29AEUzuc
A Man’s a Man for A’ That (modern English
translation)
Is there for honest poverty
That hangs his head, and all that?
The coward slave, we pass him by We dare be poor for all that!
For all that, and all that,
Our toils obscure, and all that,
The rank is but the guinea’s stamp,
The man’s the gold for all that.
What though on homely fare we dine,
Wear coarse grey woollen, and all that?
Give fools their silks, and knaves their wine A man is a man for all that.
For all that, and all that,
Their tinsel show, and all that,
The honest man, though ever so poor,
Is king of men for all that.
You see yonder fellow called ‘a lord,’
Who struts, and stares, and all that?
Though hundreds worship at his word,
He is but a dolt for all that.
For all that, and all that,
His ribboned, star, and all that,
The man of independent mind,
He looks and laughs at all that.
A prince can make a belted knight,
A marquis, duke, and all that!
But an honest man is above his might Good faith, he must not fault that
For all that, and all that,
Their dignities, and all that,
The pith of sense and pride of worth
Are higher rank than all that.
Then let us pray that come it may
(As come it will for a’ that)
That Sense and Worth over all the earth
Shall have the first place and all that!
For all that, and all that,
It is coming yet for all that,
That man to man the world over
Shall brothers be for all that.
Cultural Value: Communication & Community
•Blunt honesty
•Argument & debate
“FLYTING” is a verbal abuse contest
See this value in John Knox and David Hume
•Clannishness & Competitiveness– “sectarianism”
1st place is 1st, and 2nd place is nothing
Edinburgh vs. Glasgow
Protestant vs. Catholic
Celtics (Catholic football team) vs. Rangers (Protestant football team)
Current day violent conflicts between Celtics & Ranger fans
Video clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yssWV70XNbE
Cultural Value: Hospitality
Hospitality is a Highland tradition; person’s very survival dependent upon hospitality; breach of
hospitality is a serious thing
MacDonald’s (and most of rest of country) have not forgiven Campbells
for breach of hospitality at Glencoe 400 years ago; you’ll hear the story in Scotland…
A Gaelic Blessing
“May the holy sunlight shine on you like a great peat fire, so
that stranger and friend may come and warm himself at it.
And may light shine out of the two eyes of you, like a candle
set in the window of a house, bidding the wanderer come in
out of the storm. And may the blessing of the rain be on you,
may it beat upon your Spirit and wash it fair and clean, and
leave there a shining pool where the blue of Heaven shines,
and sometimes a star.”
Cultural Value: Religion
•Catholics (Green)
•Presbyterians (Orange)
•Wee Frees – more conservative break-off of Presbyterians
Too Late!
When Al-Queda attempted to explode a car bomb
at Glasgow Airport, the comedian Billy Connolly’s
response was: “I love the naivety of Al-Queda, for
trying to bring religious war to Glasgow. You’re
four hundred years too late, guys! You’ve not even
got a football team…”
Cultural Value: Folklore
Selties (seal/humans) & Fairies – lots of intermarriage with humans
MacCodram and His Seal Wife transcript
I’m Martin McIntyre, originally from outside Glasgow, now living in Edinburgh.
[Speaking Gaelic]
There was once a King and Queen who lived in the depths of the sea and they had beautiful children. Beautiful straight, tall children with lovely brown eyes
and they used to swim about at the bottom of the sea and the King and Queen were particularly happy and particularly proud of their children. But then
unfortunately the Queen became unwell and a short while afterwards she died and the King did what he could to sort of maintain the children, but he
noticed after a while that they became kind of unkempt and neglected-looking. And particularly their hair, which was long and straight, had become really
tangled and really unkempt-looking and in other ways he felt they needed a mother to look after them.
So he kind of looked around them to see who he could possible marry. And he found this witch who lived in a kind of a forest under the sea and he decided
that she would perhaps be an appropriate woman to look after the children and she was absolutely delighted she was going to be the Queen of this vast
ocean dominion. She didn’t care very much about the kids and they didn’t care very much about her. And in fact as time went on she began to become
increasingly jealous of the children and how beautiful they looked and how elegant they were particularly and of their tallness and their straightness.
Until finally she couldn’t take it any longer and she got these particular herbs and these plants that she found under the sea and made this potion and cast a
binding spell on them. And from that moment forth they ceased to be long, tall, straight children but wee, squishy, podgy seals and they had to swim there
sort of at their will under the sea and the King was very distressed to see them swimming off. They no longer had the same allegiance to him as they had
obviously when they were his normal children.
There was only one thing about the spell was and that one day in the year from sunrise to sunset they could come on shore, they could take off their seal
pelts and become normal children again. Straight, tall, beautiful children with beautiful brown eyes who could sign and play on the beach. But then as
sunset would approach they had to put on their pelts again, go back into the sea and that was them for the whole of the next year.
And of all the places throughout Europe and the West of Scotland and Ireland where seals like to play and to swim, the Western Isles have always a
favourite spot and particularly a part between Harris and North Uist called [speaking Gaelic] the Sound of Harris, and there’s a small island called Berneray
in between those two islands.
And one day a fellow called Rory MacCodram, a local man from Berneray, was walking the shore as he often did, as people still do, to see what the sea had
brought in. And he was just walking as he would on any normal day and he heard these voices, these beautiful sweet voices and there was a kind of a
sandbank in front of him and he climbed to the top of the sandbank and he looked down and what did he see but these lovely elegant, tall, gorgeous
children playing and singing. Their beautiful, sweet singing voices as well and he watched them for a while but he was conscious that if they saw him, they
would immediately flee back into the sea and he would never see them again. And he thought he was just about to go home when he saw this pile of seal
pelts, these seal skins and he thought to himself – he was a bachelor and he was getting on in years and he still hadn’t found the woman he’d been
searching for, and he was wondering whether he ever would, and he thought to himself and he looked at the children and he went over to seal pelts and
the seal pelts and he had a look through them. They were kind of a brownish colour, a rusty brown colour, a reddish brown colour but there’s this one
particular one which is beautiful golden brown colour. Without thinking too much about it really and considering the consequences, he picked it up and ran
home.
And when he got home he went into the house and he thought, “Well I’ll better put this somewhere,” and he stretched up to the lintel about the door and
he put it up there where it wouldn’t be seen. And he said down he had some nets to mend and other bits and pieces and pieces to do. And he waited and
he waited for quite some time and then when the sun had gone down maybe an hour or so afterwards he began to hear this kind of barking, kind of wailing
sound outside. He opened his door and there was this beautiful woman outside and she was totally distressed. He says, “What’s wrong?” She says, “Well
I’m from the sea, I’m a seal woman,” she says, "but I was playing with my brothers and sisters on the beach and when I went to put on my seal skin it wasn’t
there." She says, “I must have lost it or something must have happened, I don’t know what’s happened at all. Can you help me at all, can you help me find
it?”
And he knew full well that he could help her find it, all he had to do was stretch up from the lintel and take it down and give it to her and he could reverse
her sorry state. But he looked at her and she was absolutely beautiful and he thought about his own situation and he said, “Ah I don’t know what could
possibly have happened to your seal skin,” he says, “somebody must have come upon it and for some reason taken it with them”. "It was a beautiful seal
skin," she said. “Yes,” he says, “I’m sorry this has happened for you,” and he looked at her and he said, “If you were willing to stay with me, if you were
willing to come into my house and be my wife and, if it’s God’s will for us to have children, I will be a very caring, loving husband for you and I’ll look after
you and I’ll make sure that you want for nothing”. And she looked at him and she thought about her plight and she thought, “Well I’m never going to be
able to go back to the sea, he seems quite a nice man, I’ll go and I’ll take him up on his offer”.
So she did and although he’d stolen her seal skin, he was true to his word. He was a fairly decent chap and he was an honourable husband and he did look
after her and she didn’t want for anything. He was a fisherman and he went out and fished all day and brought home fish for her tea. And they were
blessed with children, a good number of children. And they grew up as the years went by.
But this one particular morning he was heading out fishing and this hare crossed by him. There’s a lot of fishing taboos and that’s one of one. If you see a
hare then it’s an inauspicious sign. When he looked at the sky and, well, he could see the clouds were beginning to gather but he said, “I’m a very
experienced fisherman, many a time I’ve gone out in my boat and the elements have expressed their anger towards me but they’ve never sunk me yet”. So
he continued on, went out fishing and of course, by the time he’d gone about a mile out shore it was really... the clouds were beginning to gather and the
wind was picking up and this fierce storm was gathering.
And she was at home the same storm that was battering the house, her home, and she was inside with the kids, with the younger ones. The older one, who
also called Rory, was on the shore, he was as mad about the sea as his father was, and he was down about the shore and she was kind of looking after the
kids and looking at the weather and he was out fishing and of course as time went on, a very short period of time really a major gale began to blow up. So
by this time she’s getting really worried about her oldest son Rory so she leaves the younger children just for a second and she goes to the door and she
runs out the door to the edge of the croft and she shouts, “Rory, Rory [speaking Gaelic] come home Rory, Rory [speaking Gaelic]!” And she calls once, she
calls twice doesn’t seem to be … she can see him in the distance but she can see that he can’t hear her and then fortunately on the third call, “Rory
[speaking Gaelic]!” he turns and she can see that he is intending to come home.
So he goes back in but she leaves the door open for him so that she can hear him coming or keep an eye on him coming and she goes back in and makes
sure that the children are okay because they’re up in years but the family have never experienced a storm of this magnitude and, in a short period of time,
Rory comes home and you’d think that the way he’s hurled through the door that he’s absolutely no control about where he’s going to go or how he’s going
to come in. The storm just throws him in through the door and slams the door behind him and, of course, what falls off the lintel but the seal skin. And she
just looks down in amazement and she sits and she picks it up and then she turns to the children and she says just one word in Gaelic which is “soraidh”
which doesn’t mean sorry although I’m sure she did feel sorry. It means farewell. “Soraidh,” she says and she takes the seal skin and goes out through the
door and down to the beach. She takes off her human clothes, puts on her seal skin and enters the water.
And that night when he came home or that afternoon despite his… when Rory the father came home, he had a great struggle getting his boat in and he
caught very little and he thought he was a goner. But when he arrived home the door was sort of flapping backwards and forwards. Anyway he opened it
and he could see his children there sitting with very sad expressions on their face and no fire lit for them and he knew immediately what had happened,
that his wife had gone back to the sea. And the children of that family, although they obviously they missed their mother greatly every more after that,
they did remember her kindness and her love while they had been there, while they’d had her as a mother on this earth. And from that day forth they were
always very careful to be considerate and attentive to the needs of seals and that’s continued to this day that the MacCodram clan and the descendants of
the MacCodram clan have been particularly kind to seals from this day forth.
That’s the story.
http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/video/m/maccodramsealwifetranscript.asp
Cultural Value: Folk Music
•The oldest forms of music in Scotland are theorized to be Gaelic singing and
harp playing.
•Great Highland Bagpipe appeared on the scene.
•Ceiligh (village dance tradition) may include ensemble of fiddle, bagpipe,
accordion, tin whistle, cello, keyboard and percussion.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62sim5knB-s
•Vocal music is also popular in the Scottish musical tradition. There are
ballads and laments, generally sung by a lone singer with backing, or played
on traditional instruments such as harp, fiddle, accordion or bagpipes. There
are many traditional folk songs, which are generally melodic, haunting or
rousing. These are often very specific to certain regions.
YouTube example of contemporary piping/drum:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IxKM77KM64