The Wild Haggis

[Bigkahuna]

Unless I am very much mistaken, there is, or was a Stuffed Wild Haggis in the collection of the Peabody Museum in Salem Mass.

[skauwt]

a haggis on display in the kelvongrove museum glasgow

[Nighthawk]

That contingent of Highlanders with Custer sounds familar. I think I read about it once. Can you elaborate on it? Thanks!

Sure! I am in a living history group called the Renaissance Scots Living History Association. We were in Billings, Mt for the Yellowstone Highland Games last summer, which occurred on the same weekend as the reenactment of Custer's Last Stand. We all filed into the lounge of the hotel we were staying, in full garb mind you, for breakfast. I was the last one in. There was a little old man and his wife who watched us come in, rather wide eyed I might add. He grabbed my sleeve and asked "Are you guys with the Custer reenactment?" I told him "Yes- it's a little known fact that Custer had a contingent of Highlanders as body guards. They crushed the Indians with stones and cabers!" He asked "Really?!?!" Our clan chief happened to walk up at that point, just in time, and said "No! He's bullpooing you." And he just walked away... I totally had the guy going, too!!

[Bugbear]

Sure! I am in a living history group called the Renaissance Scots Living History Association. We were in Billings, Mt for the Yellowstone Highland Games last summer, which occurred on the same weekend as the reenactment of Custer's Last Stand. We all filed into the lounge of the hotel we were staying, in full garb mind you, for breakfast. I was the last one in. There was a little old man and his wife who watched us come in, rather wide eyed I might add. He grabbed my sleeve and asked "Are you guys with the Custer reenactment?" I told him "Yes- it's a little known fact that Custer had a contingent of Highlanders as body guards. They crushed the Indians with stones and cabers!" He asked "Really?!?!" Our clan chief happened to walk up at that point, just in time, and said "No! He's bullpooing you." And he just walked away... I totally had the guy going, too!!

Shame on you, Hawk, but... there was John Stuart Forbes...
Stings like a butterfly.

[jason10mm]

I call shenanigans. I can easily recall many a night snipe hunting with the Scouts where we would rustle up a wild haggis instead of a snipe, so clearly there are plenty wild haggis roaming free in the Appalacian mountains! Now the snipe, I hear that wiley bird/squirrel/rabbit/snake snipe is easier to find in England!

[Sir William]

Tonight, I have a Scottish Society meeting, so I am kilted at work. I always wear the kilt on those days. As when anytime, I am kilted people ask me what’s with the kilt, today?

Today, being Groundhog Day, I reply don’t you know the Scottish connection to Groundhog Day? No, they say. Well, I reply Pennsylvania was settled by many Scots. In Scotland, for centuries men would go out in to the woods looking for a wild haggis on the first Tuesday of February. They believed if they killed a wild haggis, the winter would end soon and spring would begin.

But for centuries, no wild haggis had been found. In fact it was believed that William Wallace captured the last one. So, when the Scots came to Pennsylvania knowing there were no wild haggis there, decided to change their custom to the groundhog since there were so many of them. They changed the story to seeing his shadow, knowing it was always so overcast they had a better chance of ensuring an earlier spring.

The reply usually is, ‘I never heard that before’. My reply is, yes, I made it up this morning and then tell them the real reason for being kilted. When someone tells that they thought haggis was a meal of sheep entrails and oatmeal, I respond yes, you are right as Scots have not been able to find a wild haggis they used that for a substitute. It’s been great fun!

Excellent!!! I never knew that (tongue planted firmly in cheek) and will have to pass that on to the uninitiated.

And, after seeing the photo of the extinct haggis I NOW know where the "hairy" sporrans originally came from!