Welcome to the Pictish Boar!
A Blog with News, Stories, and fun about Scotland and Bairds
The Pictish Boar is a collaborative blog site featuring regular and guest bloggers about Baird and Scottish heritage. The blog is area of communication, thought, and discussion. It will look at preserving the culture and heritage which includes stories, history, and language while aiding modern communities. Areas of interest will include folklore, archaeology, traditions, the Scottish Gaelic and "Doric" Scots Languages, and current events.
Communication, Thought and Dicussion
This is an area of communication, thought, and discussion. It is not a blog on dogma. Not everyone will agree with historical interpretations and so we encourage anyone to submit a post for inclusion. In regard to historical details, we strive to make the utmost accuracy. Online, there are individuals who always see themselves as the sole arbiters of truth and history. They will quite often state that and live in an unchallenged bubble. Typically, those individuals are wrong. To quote one Scottish Gaelic historian, Dr. Michael Newton:
The Conventional - and obsolete - understanding of history is that it is a search for "truth" as though there can only be a single account of what happened in the past. Most modern historians no longer believes in this simplistic view of a unitary meaning of the past. Instead, it is now generally held to be more credible and productive to consider the many different viewpoints from which events are experienced and perceived and the many contexts in which the happen.
Society is comprised of many different agents. The agendas of these agents might relate to their personal priorities and ambitions, or be aligned to their collective interests, such as their shared religion, cultural identity, etc. In researching and writing history, we can choose from many different perspectives. Assembling a wide a variety of historical sources enables us to consider the many different ways in which people and communities participated in and understood the meaning of past events."
- Newton, Michael, The Everyday life of the Scottish Clans of the Scottish Highlands. Saorsa Media, 2020 pg 6-7.
This quote is a well understood amongst researchers, historians, and academics. Online however, is a different story. This is not squelch discussion but rather to enable. We need to understand who is writing, what biases they may have, and what are the contexts under which they write. The reader should take caution at anyone claiming to have "all of the truth" as such a group or historian does not exist. A great example was shared by Dr. Newton:
"Most of us were taught, for example, the Romans built a glorious empire that fell to an onslaught of barbarian invaders in the fifth century AD. Very professionalsstill think that this is an accurate interpretation of events, however. This story about Rome was created by the English historian Edward Gibbon in his book Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, which he published in 1776, just as the colonies in North America were offering the first large-scale, sustained resistance against the rule of the British empire. Gibbons cautionary tale reflects the anxeties of the British elite as they witnessed the expansion of, and challenges to, their vast dominion. Modern historians refute the simplistic narrative by pointing out that Roman power shifted to the east in the fourth century and lasted for many centuries....."
(Newton 2020, Pg 7)
Dr. Newton is stating that we can discern the intentions and biases of the of "interpreters of history" by reading the stories they tell. We should be even more cautious if those sources claim they are the only truth. This is especially true with Baird history. Even primary sources should be viewed with a critical understanding of who wrote the documents, the context and time period they wrote, how their identity may have influenced the text and the purpose of the text. We should consider if there is an agenda behind the text. A good historian should attempt to "read between the lines".
This being said, we encourage different voices. Comment but be friendly. The first rule is Kilts and Culture Facebook rule of "Don't be a Jerk". If you really disagree or feel that you have a different perspective, reach out to be a guest or even regular blogger.
Stories, History, Language, Culture and Community
The blog is aimed to preserve the culture and heritage which includes stories, history, and language while aiding modern communities. The culture of Scotland and Bairds are diverse. It ranges from the Gaelic speaking highlands to the Doric Scots of the Northeast to the English-speaking borders. In the diaspora, we see not only the Bairds throughout the British isles and Ireland, but across the sea to North America, Australia, and Africa. Baird diasporic traditions hail from diverse areas as the Maoris of New Zealand, the covered wagons and pioneers of the "old west" to the pueblos and cidades of Mexico, Ecuador and Brazil. These threads make the Baird experience and will be explored and examined through this blog to understand our origins and brotherhood as a family and Clan.
While we will look across the waves and back in time, we will also look to our ancestral home in modern days. We will explore the lives of people today as they are the descendants of those ancient Bairds and Scots. We will bring to light initiatives, organizations and opportunities to support people today.
Folklore, Gaelic, Scots, and Current Events
The blog will provide more than the customary tartan with bulleted history. It will look at the causes and folklore of areas. The blog will attempt to uncover lost mythologies and stories. We will investigate people and places. The blog will aim to support the culture of Scotland which include Gaelic and "Doric" Scots. We will review literature and songs of these diverse community. Finally, the blog will keep everyone up to date with Current Events in Scotland and around the world that affect Bairds.
Our Goal
In Short, the Pictish Boar is a collaborative site where we can communicate and discuss while uncovering and preserving our culture and heritage. It is a place to stay up on events. The question is, where do we go next?
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