Highlanders left Scotland with few possessions. But they took what could
be more valued - language, music, traditions of story telling and poetry,
and memories.
Treasured
personal items with a special link with home are more likely to survive
than ordinary objects. A Gaelic bible, a set of bagpipes or a plaid
are powerful reminders. Sometimes things that were commonplace at home
have a much greater importance in new surroundings.
There was often a strong need to retain a Scottish identity. Some transplanted
Highland communities promoted clan gatherings and Highland games, which
helped to keep alive traditional dress and entertainment. But, affected
by life in the new country, these often survived in different forms
from those in Scotland.
The most popular countries for emigration were Canada, America, Australia
and New Zealand.
America
Canada
Australia
New Zealand
Click
on the appropriate flag to learn about the influence the Highland
Clearances had on each of these particular countries.
Clip 1 transcript:
A description of the psychological impact of the Highland Clearances
by Sorley Maclean:
"The separation and exile was much greater in the world
of the 18th and 19th centuries than now because of the much
greater distances and severe traveling conditions. For most
of those who left, there was no return, and their religious
beliefs meant that they set their hopes not on seeing loved
ones again in this world but in the next."
Clip
2 transcript:
Sorley MacLean speaks about the Highland Clearances and the
loss of the Gaelic population in the islands of Lewis, Skye
and Mull:
"Obviously the clearances had a marked effect on us - as
we called it in Skye 'The lifting of the people'. There are
many people still in Lewis. There are quite a few people in
Skye, but there were other islands like Mull which lost almost
their entire population."
