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Letter to the editor: St.F.X. Celtic Studies lecturer weighs in on “End of an Era…”

12 An Dùbhlachd 2011

A luchd-stiùraidh na Còlaisde Gàidhlige, is a chairdean còire,

Ged a bhithinn deònach an litir uile seo a sgrìobhadh anns a’ Ghàidhlig, tha fhios nach tuig móran a tha an sàs anns an deasbad seo a’ chànain a tha aig teas-meadhan a’ ghnothaich, agus is mór am beud.

For several days now, I have heard and seen impassioned discussions, in person and “virtually” (on the internet), about Kelly MacArthur’s grievances that “Highland Dance”, the Great Highland Bagpipe, and Pipeband Drumming will be discontinued at the Gaelic College in preference to Gaelic-centred curriculum. I note that many of these comments are coming from people who seem to have little knowledge about Scottish Highland tradition and Gaelic culture, and an imperfect understanding of the historical context and cultural background on these matters. I wish that I could respond to an official comment from the College’s directors, rather than Ms MacArthur’s allegations, but I do not wish to remain silent as the debate rages. As premature as my comments may be, then, I would like to weigh in on what I can infer about the matter as a Gaelic speaker, activist, and scholar of Gaelic Studies, and as a participant in several different folk traditions, not least Gaelic. I will not delve into too much detail on the scholarship, but simply refer to the books and articles written by myself and others which can be obtained by the interested reader.

I feel that the way in which these decisions are framed and explained is extremely important: claims of “authenticity” and “tradition” are extremely contentious and divisive; different people have invested themselves in various kinds of traditions for different reasons and can easily feel betrayed or belittled when their investments are downplayed by others. Performers and participants do not always have an informed understanding of the historical development of music and dance traditions and the relationships between the different agents in such developments, and are seldom provided with reliable information and opportunities to learn about their formation. This debate provides such an opportunity. Few people outside the Gaelic-speaking community now seem aware of the long, problematic relationship between its founder (Reverend A.W.R. MacKenzie) and the local community (although this story is well told in the unpublished 1997 Master’s thesis by Jonathan Dembling, Joe Jimmy Alec Visits the Mod and Escapes Unscathed: The Nova Scotia Gaelic Revivals.). Jonathan MacKinnon was employed from the start to maintain some degree of Gaelic in its initial phases, but it is easily demonstrable that many of the art forms introduced and promoted by the College were alien to the local Gaelic community and not quickly embraced by them. The College soon abandoned its commitment to Gaelic (until its recent revival). “Highland dancing” and bagpipe bands were imported from 20th-century Scotland, having evolved in urban, anglophone environments during the second half of the nineteenth century, well after most of the Gaelic immigrants had left. So, it is incontrovertible that the music and dance forms promoted by the College did not, on the whole, resemble the traditions brought by the original Highland immigrants and practiced in the local communities.

And yet, all tradition was invented, or introduced, by someone at sometime – the key questions, I think, are: How does the community respond to the innovation? How do they adapt and transform it to suit their own aesthetic parameters and cultural needs? How does the innovation interact with other aspects of tradition, weakening or reinforcing them? Does the innovation get embraced and integrated because it genuinely enriches the rest of tradition, or because the society is so compromised and desperate for external validation that it accepts whatever is expected of it?

I have recently been developing research on the history of Scottish Gaelic music and dance,
expanding upon the dance scholarship of the Fletts and George Emmerson by utilizing previously ignored Gaelic sources. Much of this work can be found in my recent book Warriors of the Word: The World of the Scottish Highlands, although I have many new sources in a forthcoming article entitled “‘Dannsair air ùrlar-déile thu’: Gaelic evidence about dance from the mid-17th to late-18th century Highlands.” I would be glad to present any of my findings for any interested audience(s).

The interesting thing is that most of the elements now considered “traditional” in Gaelic
tradition – the fiddle, step-dancing, and the dance music – were fairly late introductions which
were initially resisted by some of the Highland élite. The fiddle, for example, only entered
Highland Scotland from continental Europe in the second half of the seventeenth century; stepdance derives from the high-dances introduced by French, or French-trained, dancing masters in the second half of the eighteenth century – so, in other words, these “essential” aspects of tradition were still fairly new when Highland immigrants came to Nova Scotia.

As is also well known (and explained by the Fletts and Emmerson), these formally choreographed high-dances took two different lines of evolution: in Scotland, they were developed by formal institutions, especially Scottish regiments and Highland Games, into “Highland Dance”; in Atlantic Canada (and not just Cape Breton!), the formal choreography was eventually broken down into basic footwork which became an individual and improvisational art form, which we generally now refer to as “Step-dance.”

It is well established in modern scholarship that nineteenth-century Scotland was rife with the “invention of tradition”, from “ancient” clan tartans to Highland Games. Highland Games were
invented by the British élite in the early nineteenth century to promote a narrow, romanticized role for Gaels as loyal soldiers of the Empire. As a central spectacle in this invented tradition, “Highland Dance” became increasingly co-opted by Highland Games as an athletic competition dissociated from Gaelic culture; it was entirely divested from Gaeldom by the 1920s, when a specific institution with formal rules was devised to allow it to become an international competitive sport. Choreographies were standardized and fossilized, in the name of international competitions, and the dance style came to have little or no place as a vernacular form of communal Gaelic folklife (a problem which continues into the present). It is now dominated by young girls who perform primarily at competitions or occasional formal events. Step-dance, on the other hand, was performed by people of all ages to the songs and music played by and for their own Gaelic-speaking communities. It would be naive to think that a competitive spirit could not also accompany such performances of agility and skill (Smàladh na Coinnle was one such competition), but they were not unduly impacted by excessive external forces.

It can easily be surmised, however, that they were influenced by the music and dance trends
around them – I am certain, for example, that some moves were incorporated into step-dance from the international dance craze known as “The Charleston”. And I expect that Gaels were influenced to a greater or lesser degree by the dance styles of their Francophone and First Nations neighbours.

The point I wish to make here is that step-dance is not somehow inherently “more Gaelic” in its
essence than “Highland Dance” – it simply went through a phase of being embraced and performed by a Gaelic-speaking community. There is no inherent reason why that did not or could not happen to “Highland Dance” as well, given the right conditions. In fact, we could say that about any other expressive art forms: hip-hop, tango, Bulgarian round dances, etc. It is merely by their being adopted by and integrated within the wider body of Gaelic tradition that they become Gaelic art forms.

One of the real issues as I see it is that Gaelic tradition has been mortally compromised by the dominant anglophone culture and that there is a desperate lack of formal institutions to aid in sustaining and developing Gaelic traditions from the inside, and educating people about them. The best example to date of which I am aware is the Traditional Music degree at the RSAMD [Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Dance, known now as Royal Conservatoire of Scotland – ed.], just over a decade old now. It is a shame that nothing equivalent exists in Canada, given the wealth of tradition which existed a short while back, although it seems as though CBU is making strides towards that.

If it is the aim of the Gaelic College to refocus its efforts by prioritizing the core of Highland tradition – the Gaelic language and song tradition – then I applaud the courage and foresight of such a decision. Other aspects of tradition can be added as the extensions to that core, which is what actually happened in historical and cultural terms. There is no other institution doing so in North America, and this is a time when such efforts are desperately needed to turn the tide in Gaelic’s favour. If instruments and dance are to be added, then they should be vernacular forms that are compatible with and integrated into that core – whatever they are.

There is no inherent reason why Highland Dance could not be included in a full program, and I have long wondered what the dance form might look like if it were readopted by Gaels as a vernacular expression of the entire community. There are two complexities that I can foresee in allowing Highland Dance to continue in a re-Gaelicized Gaelic College, however: first, terminology would need to be found in Gaelic and, a check that dances were matched to tunes with Gaelic words; second, and more serious a challenge, Highland Dance has become dominated by people and ideas from outside the Gaelic community with many basic misunderstandings of Gaelic music and dance traditions, especially the contested nature of Highland Dance itself, and may be difficult to educate them from the myths and misrepresentations that have long surrounded the Games in general.

In the end, there are many different places all around the world where the standardized, institutionalized aspects of what is now commonly known as “Highland” music and dance traditions are taught and learnt; there are workshops for these things from California to PEI. There is only one last remaining vestige of a Gaelic-speaking community in North America and it has its own vernacular forms of music and dance which have evolved and endured over the last several generations. They should be valued enough to have their own place in the Scottish Gaelic repertoire, without being squeezed out by artificial pressures antithetical to the cultural standards of the local community.

Tha mi a’ guidhe gach soirbheas agus beannachd dhuibh anns an t-suidheachadh achrannach
seo, agus tha mi an dùil gun toir seo uile fàs air dìleib phrìseil na Gàidhlig.
Is mise le meas

Dr Michael Newton
Roinn na Ceiltis / Department of Celtic Studies
Oilthigh Naoimh Fransaidh Xavier / St Francis Xavier University

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Comments

  1. It's definitely time to put this baby to bed…Does anyone know how terrible this is all starting to sound? It's fast becoming a "racist' issue. Will the unsuspecting and non-academic paying public have to take a DNA test at the GC to prove their authenticy as a Gael, before being admitted through the pearly gates?! The rest of the province is shaking their heads, because as far as they knew, all these things came from the same country – Scotland – don't really matter that they arrived on our shores at different times…they all came from Scotland. I know families that speak Gaelic, step-dance and Highland dance, with men who played in bagpipe bands all in the same house. OK, time to give us all a break. The Gaelic College has heard the outcries loud and clear, and have promised that nothing is going to be cut. Many people will be watching this to make sure. The emphasis is going to be on the Gaelic language, which is what it should be. They want to reclaim their language, again as it should be. However, Highland Dance and Highland Bagpipe will live on at the college as well, as it should be..all will be well

    • 'Hit that puppy right on the head there "Go to Bed." Mommy, please make it stop. The whining is SOOOO annoying.

      • G.T.B. what jhas DNA got to do with Culture,jave you never heard of the Maxwell Brothers? describd by Rudyard Kipling as," coal black Celts fromthe innards of Cape Breton where they speak the homemade Scotch" ?

        This isn't racial,it's CULTURAL,and the Gaelic College ,was supposed to be about Gaelic culture, not Scottish culture. and if you think Scottish and Gaelic are synonymous you need to do some research

        What we're seeing here is also going on in Scotland,the SNP has no interset in Gaelic . during the dozen or ,more years that I used Gaelic at work, the only objections came from Scots . Creid thusa ?

    • No he hasn't hit the point: "The Gaelic College has heard the outcries loud and clear, and have promised that nothing is going to be cut." That is not true, as kelly poined out in her respose to the ceo and Ms Carroll's carefully crafted misinformation letter of December 14.

      Your language (puppies, baby, mommy) leaves much to be desired, and reflects an antipathy toward women. But you probably thought no one would notice that you enjoy putting down women with remarks that suggest their childishness. It only reflecst your own childishness.

  2. Stripping away the tartan frippery,restoring our culture to its rightful place and placing emphasis upon the best, the true and most beautiful aspects of the Gaelic experience should be joyous tidings! It is unreal that you are meeting resistance Michael. Romantic myths die hard. Indeed, the Sobieski Stuart's legacy has a long and insidious reach!

    • That's it Jason – keep fueling the fires. Keep insulting what people have repeatedly said is important and valuable to them. Please continue the insults (e.g., "tartan frippery") — it's highly energizing, but not in the direction you're aiming for.

  3. Dr Newton made 2 mistakes: 1. He confused immigrant (someone coming into a country) with emigrant (someone leaving a country). So they were Highland emigrants, not Highland immigrants. 2. He said "young girls." That's like saying baby puppies. They are "young women" or girls. "Young girls" is redundant. Beside those mistakes, I don't see another one.

    Kelly, we can all see that you're upset. I sympathize with the anger you feel because things are going on behind your back. It's happened to me and just about made my head explode. Frankly, I believe that you should have turned a blind eye to it, because the economics of things would ensure your professional survival.

    There is a line that employees cannot cross when it comes to criticizing management. You sprinted over that line quite a while ago. Being a part of a business is not like being a part of a social community. It's like being in the military. There are rules. If I was still in the military and criticized my command, I would be fined a month's salary and/or gone to jail. Full stop. In a civilian organization, you can only be fired. You must be aware of this and how your aggressive criticism has jeopardized your employment at the college. I think that we all admire your courage and fortitude in your sacrifice for what you believe in.

    Having said that, really, would it kill you to try to encourage men/boys to Highland dance and/or to do it non-competitively? Can't harpers learn how to play on wire strung harps instead of nylon strings like Ann Heymann or Simon Chadwick? Can't pipers also learn to play a tune the way it was first intended before the tune being crammed into a regimental, marching style? Yes, the college board should have gone about it a different way, but the way that instructors are responding to this issue makes them seem very small and petty. Angry people frighten calm people; you must know that. The board is just sitting back and watching the instructors self-destruct.

    I think everyone, EVERYONE should calm down a bit. Every person who is commenting on this situation, and I mean everyone (including myself), is beginning to look bad. Maybe we should all take break until after the New Year's holiday.

    • I haven't attacked anyone, and I haven't been negative towards anyone's cultural beliefs. I told the admins when they canceled the competition and were considering cuts to the program, that I was going to appeal to the Board and the public ~ and they said 'that's fine'. DOE knew I was appealing the issue, so there was no going behind anyone's back here. Telling the truth and presenting facts is not criticizing. Asking questions when things have made a 360 is normal. The Foundation (people) own the GC, they deserve to be informed.

      We do encourage men and boys to dance, and have many male students each summer. there is a strong misconception that everyone Highland Dancing is competitive. Most are not.

      I have spoken to several members of the Board, who were not only unaware of what was going on, but thankful I brought these issue to the forefront for proper discussion.

      I spoke directly to the Gaelic Council of Nova Scotia, who have followed every blog, article and newsfeed. They thanked me for being very professional, honest and sticking to the point throughout this whole affair.

      I am going on holiday and waiting now to see what happens with Board decisions in January. Two members of the Board have already asked me to join a couple of committees they are involved with because they think I can handle a situation like this well and level headed.

      Thank you for your opinions.

      • You answered four posts within one hour. You began 4 of 6 paragraphs, above, with "I." The tone of your posts are condescending ("…forefront for proper discussion" implying that previous discussions were improper; you do this slight belittling constantly).

        As an employee, it is grounds for firing if you go around your immediate supervisor in any way at all: post any criticism, verbally publicly criticize, or criticize the organization for whom you work in any public manner. How polite or honest you are when you do this is not important. Surely you must know this. I was complementing you on your courage.

        "Thank you for your opinions" is demeaning and ugly. You can argue your way around it, but it's there nonetheless. Everyone can see this. Whether it is real or only perceived, the impression in the reader's mind is sure. There are slight, snide little twists in everything that you write. If you walk away for two days before responding, they will disappear.

    • Andy – small and petty people do things behind closed doors, misinform others of what they're doing, and work by stealth to put things into place without actually working with people affected to negotiate the changes.

      Calm down? That's rich. My guess is "you ain't seen nothin' yet".

      • You're right. This was done poorly. It could also be that the board thought that the changes were small and no one would care. The general impression of the people around me is that the instructors are freaking out for no reason. They screamed that there were massive changes taking place, but when you look at it closely, the changes are small, so that the instructors look bad. So now I wonder if the real problem isn't the stated problem (that there are curriculum changes) but that it's a political, alpha-female/male power struggle that has nothing to do with the curriculum at all. "My friends and I don't like the new boss; let's get him fired" kind of thing. "You ain't seen nothin' yet"? Please, please show me something.

        Chris-it reminds me of the joke: "How many sopranos does it take to screw in a light bulb?" Answer: Ten. One to change the light bulb and nine to say that they could have done a better job.

      • It's beyond having been "done poorly." The changes are not small; the attempts at misinformation by the ceo and Ms carroll are not a sign of high professionalism or integrity.

        The instructors are working to preserve the college, its programs, its history. The instructors don't look bad to me.

        Trying to distract from the central facts with lame jokes and notions of gender politics won't work.

    • Well……….more ignorant remarks………incredibly ignorant remarks……..obviously made by one who does not speak from experience. Instead of suggesting that "Kelly MacArthur"……….and the "rest of us", who have studied, chosen to compete, and teach "Highland Dance", or" The Great Highland Bagpipe", or "Pipe Band Drumming"……..do yourself a favour….PLEASE……..for all of us, who could not possibly understand the difference between "Highland emigrant" and "Highland immigrant"………deal with facts…..present day, and past. Some of the most talented "Highland Dancers" are indeed MEN…..who made a conscious choice….their choice to compete……..and have continued a long standing Celtic Tradition. Are you aware that Pipe Major Terry Lee of the World Champion Simon Fraser University Pipe Band…….was also a Canadian "Highland Dance Champion". Also my Father and his brother attended "Highland Dance" classes to better understand their "Celtic Heritage".

      • My Father and his brother, along with many others did study “Highland Dance, by the way in the early 1900's. It was a conscious choice….that you have no right to judge or demean. The very same holds true for "Kelly MacArthur"……who is speaking from as an extremely experienced, tremendously successful perspective…based on results. In all of her communications she has been extremely respectful. It would be appropriate if she was afforded the same respect she has so graciously given under these ludicrous circumstances. I will close in saying that you are insulting and inaccurate in your comments….most all pipers are taught to play a "tune" as it was written. The "tune” is never adapted to be crammed into a "regimental, marching style.” Why don't you ask a Pipe Major of a Pipe Band…Terry Lee for example? Please follow your own advice…….and just put an end to your ridiculous commentary. It is just disrespectful.

    • Just so there is absolutely no misunderstanding……………..both of my replies, which I have just posted are in response to Andy Hirt.

    • Andy………

      1. Kelly MacArthur is not ANGRY……….as I have stated numerous times, she has remained respectful at all times in her comments, despite the numerous personal attacks. Kelly is PROUD and PASSIONATE and will continue to persevere with a tremendous following of individuals who share her beliefs. Just stop attempting to diminish her as PRIDE, PASSION…..and RESPECT go hand in hand…….never to be confused with ANGER.

      2. The Military protocol has absolutely no place in this "discussion".

  4. I completely believe Gaelic deserves its own home. So, if you believe that the Gaelic College has never 'done what should have been intended', then why pick there? Create your own venue and do whatever you believe will be best for your cultural beliefs. What's stopping you? The Gaelic College has a $300,000 deficit, according to admin, so, you certainly are taking a big chance hoping that a Gaelic exclusive program can suddenly work slammed into a facility which hosted a completely different program for 73 years! HUGE risk just in the financial arena alone. Can you get 100 students to pay $800.00 per week for 5 weeks, to begin a new and never tried Gaelic exclusive program? If you can, then I applaud you. I truly hope that is the case. Seeing as (from what you and others have written here) you were unable to continue the language enough for free in your homes and in the already established venues (such as the GC, Highland Village and Judique Center), I wonder if this is possible?

    There are lots of 'buildings' around. They have no deficits, and are open to something exclusive and new ~ why is this not a solution? That would save all your battle energy to use towards what you really should be using it for ~ supporting your beliefs in the 'right' culture of Cape Breton Island.

    • Actually, isn't that what the Judique Interpretive Center was supposed to do? Why can't that be the center of the Gaelic cause? No one there will argue with you I'm sure, and it's there and ready to go. Why isn't this happening there?

      • Really, is it THAT important to you to prove your point re the name of the Gaelic College, that you are sacrificing good time and energy instead of putting your plan in motion somewhere else and making it work?

        I think maybe you aren't sure what your own battle is? Venue or Language Preservation?

      • I don't care what they do with the buildings at the Gaelic College ,as long as the College stops misrepresnting the culture it is charged with preserving .
        One of the few meaningful stats i saw during my tenure on the Board there , was a list of the number of students taking courses ,and most studenst were taking courses in core Gaelic activities, not harp, drumming and Highland Dance. The College's deficit isn't becauuse of Gaelic. The gift shop alone is a gold mine,if they would charge reasonable prices and carry more local goods and music

      • Hello Geoffrey, most of the kilts, vests, ties etc are made on site at the college by the seamstress' who work there,, The on site weaver has many beautiful items of clothing ,woven and sewn by her and yes she speaks Gaelic ,there is pottery , stained glass ,and all kind of local music in the store,and most of it by local artists. Geoffrery I remember well when you ,Mary Jane Lamond and I believe james Watson ,or maybe Lewis Mackinnon were on the board ,you had all been appointed by the government of the day, none of you stayed on very long if I recall , We the foundation on the other hand had to be elected, as it should be ''always election ,never selection '' Also Geoffrey you should know better that anyone that gift shops are never a gold mine ,your family ran one for many years and I always stopped in with vistors from away. and had lovely chats with your Dad.. I believe in my heart of hearts that Highland Dancing ,pipes 'n drums have place at the college and if you can get the registration up for Gaelic iit would be wonderful I hope common sense will prevail for the good of all parties concerned…

      • ah,so you do want Gaelic out of the Gaelic College ,what's the rest of your hidden agenda ?

      • Are you kidding me? Why would I want Gaelic out? I was things to stay in. Don't try to tell lies to make yourself look better.

        My point was that the GC has been promoting Gaelic for a long time, along with other disciplines, and it has WORKED. I want it to stay like it is, and even expand its Gaelic Program ~ but not at the sake of what other people come for.

        My idea was that the program YOU want to install could work at any building, and we could keep the College doing what its doing and still expand the Gaelic without losing things.

        I wrote the article re Highland Dance. Period. My agenda is to keep the HG culture from dying on the Island. I have lived in a cultural environment filled with love, pride and inclusion ~ I had NO idea there was so much hate and contempt brewing underneath all this in other sectors of the culture.

        I have to say I am shocked, and don't appreciate that you are getting so desperate to make your point that you are telling lies about me.

        Stick to what you really want please, and save the hating for others. I love the Gaelic language and have spent my life supporting it. My daughter is a Gaelic major at the College. I don't want it to go anywhere.

        Maybe your paranoid feelings are just that in this whole debate? I haven't heard one person post say anything negative about the language, only about losing the other programs to promote it.

  5. Dr Newton,

    Your erudition is astounding. Everyone is impressed. And nothing you’ve said changes the facts that Kelly MacArthur presented: (1) The Gaelic College is being taken in a new direction, unwanted and unbeknownst by many, (2) without people even on the full Board being aware of it; (3) the changes are not trivial; (4) the full facts are not being communicated to the public by the ceo and chair of the board.

    Hide behind scholarly interpretations of history if you want. The protests of many good people with a stake in the past, present, and future of the Gaelic College are very real and have been generated by decision-making by a select few, behind closed doors, who are now busy miscommunicating to the public what is actually going on, aided by rationalizations such as yours about “correcting historical flaws” and “using the one true history” to focus program decisions. When good people are forced to protect their very legitimate interests for reasons such as these, it is very motivating. So keep it up – each of your posts will add fuel to the fires of an emerging movement to save the Gaelic College from those currently in control of it.

    • I can sympathize with your feelings,but no one is talking about "one true history", but the record of historical evidence ,and the founding documents of the College are quite clear .You can't correct historical wrongs . What we can do is stop repeating them. As Dr. Newton pointed out , "There is only one last remaining vestige of a Gaelic-speaking community in North America and it has its own vernacular forms of music and dance which have evolved and endured over the last several generations. They should be valued enough to have their own place in the Scottish Gaelic repertoire, without being squeezed out by artificial pressures antithetical to the cultural standards of the local community."
      Is it really your opinion that Gaelic doesn't deserve it's own home ?

      • Your rhetoric is getting cold. Ask a question no-one could disagree with — that's clever.

      • There isn't one person here who has said anything of the kind; all the posters have been supportive of gaelic language, arts, culture, and history.

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