Away There is some that likes it [America] and some don't, and some does well, and some does not... Letter from James McCowan, Richmond, Virginia, 1818

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.

The first meeting of Bendigo Caledonian Society, Victoria, 1860. © National Library of Australia 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. Tartan and bagpipes were clearly Scottish, but many aspects changed.

The Scots overseas came face to face with native peoples. Many Scots played a part in removing these people from their land, displaced people themselves displacing others, but often there was inter-marriage. Today many native peoples are reasserting their identity with the land. How does this affect those who came as settlers? It may make it more important to seek out their original homeland. Cairn built from stones brought from Scotland, at Mosman, New South Wales.

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