NH Games - Lecture Series

[kingandrew]

All the proposed topics sound quite interesting to me. I especially think that it will be useful to provide some guidance about traditional Highland dress for ladies, as the male, kilt-focused element usually gets the lion's share of attention.

Andrew

[CollinMacD]

I think I've managed to refine my ideas down to five topics which will be given in a series of seven lectures over three days. Not necessarily in this order:

• The Buchanan Tartans (in recognition of the new Chief being the Guest of Honour).
• Outlander and the Real Tartans of the ’45.
• The Origins and Growth of Clan Tartans
• The Use of Tartan as a Jacobite Symbol.
• The Arisaid and Other Female Highland Dress.

Thoughts?

LOVE IT, as far as the US you hit nail on head. Looking forward to all of them, GREAT JOB>>>>

[Orvis]

With the greatest of respect and I tread very lightly here, also I may add that I have absolutely no idea what Peter could or might say, but what is the problem of debunking myths? Is it that people in the USA cannot handle the truth?

I tend to agree with Jock about myth debunking. As a member of a Jacobite reenactor society that appears at Scottish games in the mid-Atlantic area, we engage in debunking regularly. We have gone to a great deal of trouble to research our topic and we go out in varying types of 1745 Highland dress to show and explain to people what Jacobites really wore, fought with and so forth. Since we portray part of a Jacobite Highland clan (Stewarts of Appin), our portrayals are more of what the Highland Gaels wore, although we emphasize to people that there were non-Highland Scots, Irish and even some English in Prince Charlie's army. We also dress to demonstrate the attire of the various economic classes within a clan, from the gentry on down. As to tartan, we emphasize that there were no clan tartans in 1745, and that most of the modern clan tartans are 19th c. designs. We use non-clan tartans and in my own case, recreated 18th c. tartans (obtained with Figheadair's help) to demonstrate this. We show them how garments, such as the belted plaid, truibhs, philabeg and hose, were constructed. About the only thing we don't recreate is Gaelic, which some of us have studied but do not speak more than a few words of. We occasionally have somebody walk up to us and, after listening to what we have to say, adamantly inform us that his ancestors have worn THIS tartan since Julius Caesar invaded Britain, no doubt about it, and he walks away defiantly. But most people are interested and walk away better educated. So IMHO, any information that dispells myths about tartan and Highland clothing is a good thing.

With regard to Outlander, it has certainly increased the interest in 18th c. Highlanders and Highland dress by many people that we've encountered, and we like to show them how the costume worn in the TV series differed from what was really worn. To that end, my reenactor group annually participates in a "fashion show" in Alexandria VA to display what authentic Highland dress looked like as opposed to the Outlander costumes.

Like others, I wish I lived closer to the New Hampshire games so I could, at last, meet Peter. Maybe by September I will have found a way to get up there from Virginia.

[CollinMacD]

With regard to Jock and Orvis' statements I would like to offer my perspective on this. I am very much a published Historian, woking for and with many famous historical authors and artists. I did US Civil War for over 20 years, and was volunteer in several major battlefields in Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia. I was very well known in the Civil War field, as a lecturer and teacher. I have run across so much misinformation, misconceptions, and just non facts that most of the public believe to be true. What most of us consider to be the basic truths, others have no idea of the facts. Example, I was in a full Union Infantry Uniformed (authentic) on the Manassas (Bull Run) Battlefield in front of the Henry House, on Henry Hill, providing a lecture on the Union Solider of 1861 and his experiences at the 1st Battle of Manassas. A man with his family was well dress, well spoken, obviously educated, wearning a Virginia Tech polo shirt, asked me, not in humor but in all seriousness, was I a Northern or British Soldier? I said do you me Confederate, and he said didn't the North fight the British here for the Revolution War in 1776? I had to explain this was a Civil War event that occurred over 65 years later. He said oh really, ok, then walked away.

So, the basic facts of the basics is not known, regardless of education, as very few of the public actually know or care about American History, do you think they even have a clue on British or Scottish History. Our schools systems really do not teach History as history anymore. A school teacher told me that kids can learn history through video games, TV, and movies, no need to learn from a book. So this is why, TV and movies do provide most of their history lessons, and this is why I applaud Peter's choices of subject matter. Believe it or not, MANY of the people who attend the Scottish Games, are not Scottish, not interested in history, only want to drink and eat and listen to music. Peter is on the mark with this one, and anybody who thinks John Public knows their own history or even their own ancestry background gets it from TV and the movies. Its many people like us who go through the dedication, expense, and time to learn and provide the real story to the public often forget most do not know their history. We just cannot comprehend this, and seemed shock, but we should not be, just think of your brief few minutes with a person who visits and asks you questions, think of the questions and the content, do you really think they know their history? Most of the time no, the pretend to be interested and only want to give you a few minutes before missy or junior is running wild and wants to move on. PEOPLE DO NOT KNOW HISTORY. Peter is offering a service more than most know.

[tripleblessed]

With the greatest of respect and I tread very lightly here, also I may add that I have absolutely no idea what Peter could or might say, but what is the problem of debunking myths? Is it that people in the USA cannot handle the truth?

As Orvis and Collin say, people tend to be unaware of their history, preferring the stories with which they have grown up.
Debunking myth is equally difficult and dangerous on both sides of any water one might choose. Worldwide, walking
through a minefield.

[CollinMacD]

As Orvis and Collin say, people tend to be unaware of their history, preferring the stories with which they have grown up.
Debunking myth is equally difficult and dangerous on both sides of any water one might choose. Worldwide, walking
through a minefield.

Alleluia.....AMEN

[Jock Scot]

I prefer the Admiral Farragut way. " Damn the torpedoes, full steam ahead!"

[CollinMacD]

I prefer the Admiral Farragut way. " Damn the torpedoes, full steam ahead!"

OK sir, we can go that way too...CHEERS.

[OC Richard]

I am afraid that I have no sympathy with that point of view whatsoever.

The reason I pointed out the similarity of tartan myths and military myths is that the same person might feel one way about one and another way about the other, though they are two sides of the same coin.

How do the people who want to openly debunk tartan myths feel about debunking military ones?

[Jock Scot]

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How do the people who want to openly debunk tartan myths feel about debunking military ones?

From my point of view. The more myths of any kind that are debunked the better the world will be.