Watch For The Role Of Clanship and Kinship In America!
Wandering Scots: A Scottish American Book Club | No Comments
One of the continuing themes that Wandering Scots Book Club will be exploring through all of our book selections is the continuing role of ‘clanship’ or kinship as Scots moved about the North American continent interacting with the diverse cultures that would melt together to become America. There are some stunning examples of the strong and vital role of clan connections in the early development of the Pacific Northwest. “A striking example of the Scots’ 
reliance on networking is the MacTavish family. Simon MacTavish recruited numerous extended family members to the North West Company and ensured that he himself was succeeded by a nephew, William MacGillivray. It may have been nepotism, but it was effective.” from Frontier Scots by Dr. Jenni Calder @ p. 14.
So, if it interests you, keep an eye out for the role and effect of clan and kinship connections as you begin to read our first book Bone Rattler. They are everywhere in this book and certainly not limited to the Scots characters.
As an additional refinement of that thought, lets look at how these clanship/kinship roles and connections were passed from one generation to the next on the early western North American frontier. We might learn something of applicability today!
Enjoy the frontier!
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