Groups are widely dispersed across a huge area of land. Though Innu were traditionally nomadic, contemporary communities are largely sedentary, the product of government policies to integrate Indigenous peoples into the globalĮconomy through forced relocation. They are distinct from but closely related to Eastern Cree groups that inhabit the western portion of the Labrador Peninsula. The Innu inhabit a vast boreal territory on the Labrador Peninsula known as Nitassinan. (courtesy Native Land Digital / Native-Land.ca) I throw my warlike shield.(courtesy Harfang/Wikimedia CC BY-SA 3.0) Population and Territory Innu (Montagnais-Naskapi) traditional territory. To kiss the ground before young Malcolm's feet,Īnd to be baited with the rabble's curse.Īnd thou opposed, being of no woman born,
The Scottish Village is located at the east end of the Automobile Building across from the Urchin Street (children's) area. You'll be as welcome as you can be and you will find many gracious and interested folks who will be more than happy to help you with any questions you might have. Look for brightly colored flags, tartans and banners flying. The Scots and their descendants are extremely proud of their long and colorful history so while you are attending the NTIF, make it a point to visit the Clan area. Visit the clan area and meet your family. Today clan family societies are generally formed for educational, literary, social, or beneficial purposes, to further friendships and share the heritage of the clan family to collect and preserve its relics and, in the case of some larger societies, to assist in the maintenance and acquisition of former clan territories in Scotland. That has a very different meaning in Scotland. By the way, never refer to the Tartan as "Plaid". In at least one instance a clan tartan appears in the heraldry of a clan chief and the Lord Lyon considers it to be the "proper" tartan of the clan. Once approved by the Lord Lyon, after recommendation by the Advisory Committee on Tartan, the clan tartan is then recorded in the Lyon Court Books. In some cases, following such recognition from the clan chief, the clan tartan is recorded and registered by the Lord Lyon. Although there are no rules on who can or cannot wear a particular tartan, and it is possible for anyone to create a tartan and name it almost any name they wish, the only person with the authority to make a clan's tartan "official" is the chief. As a result, all bearers of Scottish names share in the rich pageantry and experiences of our common ancestors.Īlmost all Scottish clans have more than one tartan attributed to their surname. We are all one interrelated family the branches of the family are the family names, clan, and septs. It is this brotherhood, beyond rank, sex, religion, success, or failure, which links the Scots together. Also, anyone who offers allegiance to a chief becomes a member of the chief's clan, unless the chief decides not to accept that person's allegiance. Today, anyone who has the chief's surname is automatically considered to be a member of the chief's clan. A chief could add to his clan by adopting other families, and also had the legal right to outlaw anyone from his clan, including members of his own family. Often those living on a chief's lands would over time adopt the clan surname.
Through time, with the constant changes of "clan boundaries", migration or regime changes, clans would be made up of large numbers of members who were unrelated and who bore different surnames. Historically, a clan was made up of everyone who lived on the chief's territory, or on territory of those who owed allegiance to the said chief. The clan names which are in use today have come down from the founders of the royal dynasties of the Picts, the Scots and the Vikings in the Highlands as well as the noble families of the Britons, Flemish, Normans, Angles, and Saxons in the Lowlands and Borders. The word clan is from the Gaelic word clanna meaning "children." Originally each clan was made up of the descendants of one man and his children. The clan system was based on the economics of the times and functioned, for better or worse, much like a family business. As a result some "septs" are allied with more than one clan family. A "sept" moved into a region or moved out of a region and changed allegiances. The clan also included those who married into the clan as well as other unrelated individuals and sMallar families or clans (septs) who joined the larger clan for protection and support. While many of the clansmen were blood relations others might be tenants of the clan lands. The clan system which arose in Scotland around the 11th century was a complex society. Robert Burns, 1793 Clans and Family Societies