Hawaiian Scottish Festival

By Sandy C. McKee, Hawaiian Bureau Chief       Sandy's Bio     Print article     Email article to a friend

On April 1, 2007, I attended the 26th Annual Hawaiian Scottish Festival at Kapi’olani Park in Honolulu. I came to see how the various Celtic organizations and Scottish clans got together to put on such an interesting and entertainment-packed two-day event. The event is coordinated each year by the Hawaiian Scottish Association (www.scotshawaii.org). The Festival features Highland games, Scottish music and dance, a gathering of Clans from around Hawai’i and the Mainland, demonstrations of swordplay and fencing, vendors specializing in Highland clothes, Celtic jewelry, musical instruments, and housewares, and food vendors offering traditional Scottish dishes.

I was fortunate to find a free parking space near the event. As I got out of my car, I could hear the lilting sounds of the Maui Celtic Pipes and Drums (www.mauiceltic.com) led by Pipe Major John Grant. I stood for a few moments and listened to the bagpipes. Bagpipes: you either love ‘em or hate ‘em. I happen to love them, and the world stands still for me whenever I hear them played.

Later I was to hear the Celtic Pipes and Drums of Hawai’i (http://lava.net/~cpdh), whose all-volunteer band members wear the Black Watch tartan which was worn by peacekeeping units in Scotland 250 years ago. This group represents both the Honolulu Police Department and the Honolulu Fire Department, and plays more than 60 performances each year, according to base drummer Sita Seery.

As I walked into the event, my curiosity was aroused by a group of women who looked to be engaged in some type of sporting event. However, instead of a ball or a discus, they were throwing---I’m not kidding you---frying pans and rolling pins! This was too fascinating to pass by. I stopped and watched in awe. Jackie Phillips of the Hawaiian Scottish Association noticed the incredulous look on my face and came over to explain that these were the Housewife Games. The women competed to see who could throw the rolling pins and frying pans the greatest distance. One of the prizes was a beautiful pineapple cutting board. The equipment used is not ordinary cookware. They are specially made, with the rolling pin having handles of different sizes to accommodate both large and small hands; and, with the frying pan being made of a fiberglass material.

I watched the pans fly across the field. "The husband really should be out there to aim at," quipped Jackie. That would be interesting! Then, Jackie told me about another game that was to be played, one that tested for accuracy in aim. It was throwing haggis into the center of a frying pan. "Get out!" I said, wondering if this day could get any more intriguing.

I should mention that, not being entirely of sound mind, I took a gaggle of children with me to the Festival. As we walked along, my seven-year old son said, "Mom, I know what the Scottish delicacy is." "What’s that?" I asked, impressed already that he knew the word "delicacy." "It’s sheep stomach and guts," he said. "Very good, son," I said. "That’s called ‘haggis.’ Did you study about Scotland in school?" "No," he said, "I saw it on ‘Scooby-Doo and the Loch Ness Monster.’" Who said television wasn’t educational?

Next, my attention was attracted by some men in medieval costumes striking an anvil with a hammer. I went closer and found that they were practicing the art of coin-striking. As I understood it (I’m not an expert, mind you), a die is placed on the anvil and then topped with a blank piece of metal and another die. Then, they are struck with a heavy hammer and ‘BLING!’ a coin is made. The markings on the coin consist of angular shapes, straight lines, and crescents. I saw coins made with the marks of Richard I (Richard the Lionhearted) and dated to the thirteenth century.

The Society for Creative Anachronism (www.sca.org), a nonprofit educational organization which researches and recreates the customs and lost arts of the Middle Ages, conducted not only the coin-striking activity, but also a show of medieval fighting styles and other arts. I learned that the Hawai’i chapter is the Barony of Western Seas and each member has a ‘persona’ or chosen character they emulate. The coin I took home as a souvenir was struck by Thomas Ravenwood of Western Seas.

I moved on to visit with Jim Marsh of The Caledonian Society of Hawai’i (www.scotsinhawaii.org), another of the Festival’s sponsoring organizations. The premier event for this group is the annual Burns Supper to commemorate the birthday on January 25th of Scotland’s national poet Robert Burns. In addition to the Scottish Festival, the Caledonian Society conducts various other activities throughout the year including Scottish Film Night, Soup Supper & Ceilidh, Clan Night, and Chieftain’s Night. I asked Jim how this group differed from the other Celtic organizations and he said, in his opinion, the Caledonians were "of the people," meaning from the warrior or fighting class. He was quick to point out that they cooperate with the other groups, though, as they all have the same goal of preserving and teaching about Scottish heritage.

I finished up my tour of the Clan Tent with a quick rendezvous with Cesci Pérez de Wang, the President of SASH, the Saint Andrew Society of Hawai’i (www.saintandrewsocietyofhawaii.com). The primary purpose of this nonprofit group is to establish and administer a fund to provide educational scholarships for students of the Scottish and Celtic traditional arts, including music, dance, history, and culture. SASH hosts a number of interesting events throughout the year, including The Blue Shamrock Kilted Golf Classic Golf Tournament (with the New World Celts) which will be held this year on May 6, 2007 at the Pearl Country Club in Aiea, Hawai’i. I don’t play golf, but I do have plans to join Cesci and SASH at the 6th Annual Scotch & Scones event on June 23, 2007 and at the 4th Annual ‘Dressed to Kilt!" dinner and Scottish play on August 25, 2007.

I spoke with Cesci about the various Scottish and Celtic organizations in Hawai’i and how they work so well together while maintaining their individual characteristics. I found out that there is a lot of networking among the group members and a spirit of cooperation and camaraderie. One dream that Cesci has, which I’m sure is shared by other groups such as the New World Celts (www.newworldcelts.org), is the establishment of a Celtic Cultural Center. A permanent center would provide a base for the preservation and perpetuation of Celtic culture in Hawai’i. Cesci invites anyone who is interested in contributing to this effort to contact her via email at saintandrewsociety@hawaii.rr.com. A Celtic Cultural Center would take a lot of planning, fund-raising, and hard work. But, from what I’ve seen of the Scots (and the Irish) in Hawai’i, they have the smarts and the determination to make it happen.

As I left the Scottish Festival (too early, alas, but the gaggle of kids grew weary), the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society (www.scottishdance.org) was taking the stage. I was transported across a continent and two oceans as I recalled these words:

"My heart’s in the Highlands, my heart is not here;
My heart’s in the Highlands a-chasing the deer."
--- from "My Heart’s in the Highlands" by Robert Burns

With aloha, me lads and lasses,
Sandy C. McKee

Contact Sandy at SandyM@TheNationalNetWorker.com or TNNW Blog.

 

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