Family lore oft mentioned our Scots line but we bear a Bavarian surname. Years ago I was the only Kass'aq (roughly the Yupik Eskimo equivalent of Sassenach) serving on the executive board of an Alaskan native association. I wore my leder bundhosen to an annual meeting. The association president asked what the %@#! I was wearing. With a grin, I replied, “why my native clothing!” Had I known more about my Scots lineage in those days before Internet research and email, I could have had more of a shock effect wearing a kilt to the Alaska native association meeting instead of my lederhosen. You gotta love the Scots diaspora’s effect on the American melting pot.
On a more solemn, respectful, and loving note, my late wife proud of her Yupik Eskimo ancestry was piped across the bar melding our diverse family culture.
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