Long weaving story, a cup of tea or a slow drink needed
.. or skip to the next entry ... Your choice.
Good question. I am unsure if there is a quick answer. It is more of a piece of this and a piece of that and ends up being a "feeling" or possibly better understood as a "woman's intuition".
As a young one I was told very often all my ancestors were from Scotland. They came to Canada to find a new life. I remember sitting at my grandparents house and listening to my grandfather speak, not understanding a word of it. I was very young at this point in time. I do remember the parents stating: the kids don't understand, he is speaking "Scottish", was the word they used.
Later on in life I always wanted to marry a Scotsman and keep the bloodline pure <-- yes a very young me was thinking and saying this.
Time went on.....
About 5 years ago I started checking more and more into my family roots.
I have learned that my family comes from Scotland, England and Ireland transplanted to Scotland during the potato famine. Probably if I look further there may be some Welsh in there somewhere.
Is this a good thing or a bad thing... Does it matter? No, it just is. My heart was broken. I was not a pure blood Scotsman.
.. That is fine. My ancestors come from the "Isles". I often say they (my very ancient ancestors) came from caves. You see, I am short and stalky, which makes living in caves easier. Tall people would hit their heads or have to dig the ceilings higher. I digress.
I took several trips to South West United States and visited Anasazi sites. These are the ancestors of the Native American people. Their cities are called Pueblos. Their homes were built on the sides of cliff's. You actually either climb up or down the side of the hill to get to them. It can be a bit scary to get there but well worth the adrenaline rush. Others were into the earth, called Kivas, or they fashioned the red clay into bricks for walls. All of the ceilings were high. To me this indicates tall people.
Then I went on a trip to Ireland. I visited my first Cairn. I was the only one that did not have to duck. I walked straight in, no bending over or crawling.
Field stone walls, ivy/vegetation covered, seem to be everywhere. Many of them not too much higher than myself. Why build a wall higher than you can reach, see over, climb over? <-- practical side to me, what can I say I am curious.
The signs were all written in two languages, Gàidlig and English. We sat in the pubs with others singing and telling stories. Loved this experience. Not all of it in English. It was fantastic and felt very natural. We learned some traditional Irish songs while there. These ones were in English.
I am studying Celtic and Tribal traditions of spirituality. They are very similar if not the same. As a part of this we drum and sing, not always in English. Several of our songs are in Mik' Mak, Ojibwa and Iroquois. The "feeling" does not come out in English. These are languages that are being revived the best they can. At one point the Native people were beaten out of their language and forced into using English. (I am trusting not to have opened the can of worms). It has been an honour to learn these songs. They are held in an oral tradition and not written down, filmed or recorded.
This year we are heading to the Tor. I heard to check more into my roots and visit Scotland. Mom wants me to visit Gretna Green and see where her parents lived. She did not get the chance. I am going a bit further and visiting where my grandparent's parents, and their parents were raised.
I have a huge curiosity of ancient sites. Heading over and not visiting them does not feel right. The places where my ancestors lived were amongst these areas. This means what I would call a "road trip".
Actually understanding more is not complete without understanding the history of the people, to me. To you... I cannot say
, we each have our own path in life. Understanding the people, means understanding how they communicate, the language of the land. The language of the land being the history, culture, verbal and non-verbal aspects.
Will a full grasp be had in one trip? No. Will I get a better feeling for it? Yes. Will I continue to learn the language after the trip? Yes, it's a part of me.
I have found one of the websites of oral tradition recorded for those moving forward. I am trusting others will follow.