Gaidhlig,Why does it matter?

Babygael · Gaidhlig,Why does it matter?

Knowledge of Gaelic is essential for a complete and balanced understanding of Scottish history.It was, after all the Gaels who forged the Scottish nation and gave Scotland its name.Throughout most of Scotlands history,Gaels have occupied a great deal ,if not the majority, of the land of Scotland,been a substantial percentage of the population,and played a key role in shaping the culture and creating its history.

Gaelic is the only language which has been spoken continuously in the area we now call Scotland from before the time of the romans to the present day.It has left its trace in the form of place names from Lothian to Galloway and Caithness,and in the form of personal names and sirnames throughout the nation.It has influenced the customs and vernacular speech of people as far North as the Faroes.

And yet most Scots know very little about Gaelic.It is as if they have become aliens,even enemies ,to their own ancestors in their own land. A Knowledge of Gaelic provides access to Scotland's history from the Gaelic point of view. It allows a person to learn what the Gaels themselves felt about their history and their culture. It allows a person to recognise and understand the Gaelic place-names that exist through Scotland. By being cut off from Gaelic, Scots have become more vunerable to the Anglo-centric and anti-Celtic re-writing of Scotlands history. The denial of the Gaelic roots of Scotland and the aggression against its oldest indigenous language and culture has contributed significantly to Scotlands torn personality and divisive politics.

Familiarity with primary sources is particularly important since 'Celtic" things have become fashionable and Scottish History is being exploited for profit. People can be easily confused about what is really Celtic,and what Gaelic culture is, and what really happened in Scottish history, if all they read are fanciful English translations, or if Hollywood's commercial ventures are their sole source of history. Anyone who has read Gaelic literature knows that it bears no resemblance to English Literature's portrayal of the gloomy,sentimental,mist shrouded Celt.

Scotland is currently in the midst of a deep idenity crisis. After 300 or more years propaganda,brainwashing Scots to believe that Gaels are inferior, many Scots are not willing to accept Scotland's Celtic origins,but neither are they willing to accept an English identity. Scotland could begin to resolve its cognitive dissonance and cultural trauma were Scots willing to confront these issues and learn to appreiciate their own indigenous traditions, accepting Gaelic on equal terms with Lallans and English.

This could start to heal the divisions which have torn Scotland and helped to keep it powerless. It would bring esteem to the rich culture available within Scotland, a wealth which many people around the world would envy. It would renew the vigour of Scottish culture from within , and reinforce the sense of place and identity which has only recently been disrupted from its ancient roots in the Scottish landscape. It would change Scotland from being an `also-ran' on the periphery of an English cultural world to being at the centre of a Gaelic/Scottish cultural world.All of this together could help give Scotland the self confidence necessary to seize control of its own future and reclaim its right to be a proud European nation among peers.

Gaelic culture is one of many of the world's indiginous cultures.Understanding Gaelic culture gives us an insight into what it means to be native to a particular place and, by understanding another culture,we can better understand our own.Culture and languages is not just about looking back to our past, but also about choosing the visions and values that determine our direction for the future. The question is, simply put,will Scotland ignore the traditions and values of its own native peoples and defer to those who have conquered it in the past, or will Scotland appreiciate and honour its own native culture enough to carry it forward as the basis for future generations?

In these days of global crises, we desperately need to understand culture so that we can shape it and mould it to better suit human needs and earthly resources.Native Americans have expressed the urgent need to re-intergrate human,community and environmental values in culture,especially through the binding agent of language.

While the experience of oppression by an empire is by no means unique to Gaels,Ireland and Scotland were often the test bed for colonial policies which were subsequently applied in British colonies. When we begin to understand some of the loss which humankind as a whole experienced in the Age of Imperialism, we have reason to treasure and nuture what remains of the diversity and richness of the worlds many native cultures.

More from "Gaelic in Scottish History and Culture"....Michael Newton

dubscot

excellent piece!

carol · Re: Gaidhlig,Why does it matter?

Babygael

Moran Taing fowks! Its my personal mantra, if you will!

Carol,check yer PM.

Gaidhlig,Why does it matter?

Re: Gaidhlig,Why does it matter?