Knowing where we come from

This past weekend I attended a fun gathering in Kalispell known as the Flathead Celtic Festival or Highland Games. The festival celebrates the history and contributions made by the Celtic people who originated from the countries of Scotland, Ireland, parts of France and the general area around Great Britain. These are the peoples who originally spoke the ancient language of Gaelic before the English language was forced upon them.

If you are familiar with the television series Outlander where Jamie Frasier is constantly battling the English Red Coats, this festival is to celebrate that culture and the games and activities with the descendants of some of the real Scottish Highlanders.

The athletic events emphasize both strength and technique and are performed by both men and women in the traditional Scottish clothing of kilts. Some of the games are the Caber toss which involves picking up a long heavy pole and tossing it end over end. There is also the Bremmer stone toss which involves tossing a heavy stone for distance with one hand. Another is the hammer throw which probably started by throwing a sledgehammer for distance. A favorite is the Sheath Toss which involves the use of a modified pitchfork to toss a 20-pound bundle of hay in a burlap bag over a high bar.

Besides the games, there was a continuing series of entertainments such as Irish Dancing, and traditional Scottish and Irish musical groups and a bagpipe band. There were also multiple food venders, and plenty of things to buy if you so desire.

One other feature is a series of Clan tents where information on the various Scottish clans can be found. These are clans like Campbell, Davison, MacDonald, MacKenzie, or my own Clan MacKay. I must have talked to a dozen people who knew that they had a Scottish ancestor but didn’t really know where they had come from. With the maps and books we were able to find their clan and see if it had originated from the ancient Irish, or maybe Normandy in France, or even the Vikings.

I am of the opinion that if your ancestors have been in America for at least a hundred years, then you will have Scotts in your family tree. I was talking to one person who said, “I have Irish in my family,” without thinking it slipped out “don’t we all.”

Since the gathering was held on September 11, it was dedicated to the first responders of the Trade Center attack of 20 years ago. This was a patriotic group and nobody “took a knee during the Star-Spangled Banner.”

One lady asked me, “Why do you do this? you’re not getting paid and you’re not selling anything?” The answer is that it just makes me feel good to talk to people who are interested in their history. I think we all need to know where we came from.

It’s time to put away the Tartan kilt, the sporran, the knee socks and the dagger that goes in the socks, till the next Highland Gathering in Libby next July, Hamilton in August, and Kalispel in September.

Robert Cheshire, Noxon