Cherokees attend Highland Games

Cherokee chief opens Highland Games in Scotland

By Harald E.L. Prins & Bunny McBride[W]hat had moved this Scottish nobleman to ask them to attend his clan’s international gathering in Scotland and participate in these Highland Games ceremonies? It turns out, they represent just a fraction of the Cherokees who have Scottish ancestry.

A Scottish connection is by no means unique among North American Indians. Today, there are huge numbers of Natives in Canada and the U.S. descending from Scotsmen who married into dozens of tribal nations. Historically, multitudes of these Scots were driven from their homelands in forced evacuations known as the Highland Clearances. Thousands were exiled war captives. Others joined the British army and were sent to garrisons on the colonial frontier. Whatever the historic causes of their migrations, the result is that many tens of thousands of North American Indians now trace some of their bloodlines to Scotland.

Half a dozen of the principal chiefs of the Cherokee Nation since the late 1700s descend from Scotsmen such as John Adair, Anthony Foreman, Ludovic Grant, Daniel Ross and John Stuart (called “Bushyhead” by his Cherokee in-laws).Comment:  For more on the subject, see Cherokees to Attend Clan Gathering and Indian Stereotypes at Fyvie Festival.