Culture

The cultural identity of any society is constantly under pressure of change. Cultural identity has many faces this feature captures many of these faces and places them in a time window, which supported them. Find out about homespun entertainment created by farm/ rural workers who practiced their musical skill after work. They kept the oral tradition alive by passing songs from one generation to the next. The pattern of articulation in rural society was one, which was accepted by all parties. At time this acceptance was through autocratic means and at other times and instances was democratically accepted.

  1. The bothy system and Cotter house. How the bothy life was for the single men employed. What were the terms of employment and obligations of the cotter men?
  2. Bothy music and entertainment. Experience the entertainment generated by the talented men and women who could entertain through the oral tradition. The instruments were the melodeon, the mouth organ, the whistle; the Jews harp the voice and the Kist.
  3. The influence of the laird. The estate system. The laird had absolute power over his tenants and the estate was governed through the acceptance of the estate rules.
  4. The feeing system for the kitchie deem and the employee. Local feeing (employment) markets were common within rural settings when up to 5,000 people would be at such an event. These events were held twice per year just before the two term dates. See how employment took place within each district.
  5. The causes and effects of demographic changes. There is nothing-new about population shifts and incommers to a community. The impact of the quarrying, papermill and the itinerate causal workers who travelled the country looking for work.
  6. The history of Scot Skinner the famous fiddler and composer. Find out about the man his music and his life's work.
  7. The local Bobby (Policeman). What was the role of the local policeman in the containment of crime and what were the criminal tendencies at that time.
  8. The Gordon Highlanders the regions regiment. Find out the regiment's history and meet some of its members. This regiment is the local regiment of the North East of Scotland. See how the save the Gordons campaign was handled.
  9. The growth in the demand for housing stock, and industrial premises. When did the housing boom start and why who were the leaders in this development meet Stewart Milne now one of Scotland's major house builders.
  10. The Doric dialect of the North East. One of the cultural icons of the North East of Scotland is its rich Doric dialect. This dialect is part of the Scots language and the users clearly articulate its use. It has been around for many generations and its use can be captured through this unique research into everyday life and work.
  11. The music and art festivals of the region. How the cultural identity is being preserved through events which are major tourist attractions. This video footage can be utilised as commodities of tourism retail showing our inherited cultural uniqueness.
  12. The Packman, a past rural trading process. Find out about the role the packman played in bringing goods to the rural community prior to the motorised traders. The last packman who walked the north east was in 1954.
  13. The impact of higher purchase on consumer behaviour. What this financial concept did for the local economy and when.
  14. Money before decimalisation. The pound shillings and pence currency.
  15. The stone circles of the region. Grampian region has one of the world's most prolific spread of stone circles. Find out about the people who erected them. Speculate as to the meanings and role that they were designed to facilitate. Become involved in the folk lure associated with them and make your own mind up as to the belief of our ancestors.
  16. Aberdeen's famous people. Meet some of Aberdeen's famous people and find out what made them famous.
  17. Photographs, fashions and postcards. What can be gathered from the past through everyday items of consumer demand. Why fashion was of a particular type and why the fashion changed. E.g. The whaling industry was intimately involved in ladies fashion goods through the provision of bones for their corsets. Once these fashion goods were no longer in fashion the ripple effect was significant. Marvel at the people who had the insight to capture personalised postcards.
  18. Musical contributions. Meet the early musicians who travelled the country halls to entertain the dancers prior to amplification and motorised transport. The cinema was also a venue for the musician's talents in accompanying the silent movies.
  19. The tinker and the travelling people of the region. Find out about the proud origins of the travelling people from Stanley Robertson one of the last travellers to walk the district. What were their talents and contribution to society? When did their contribution become threatened and what was the outcome. How then has modern day interest in them developed and what is done to capture their past.
  20. Celebration of the national Bard. The Burns supper and the Burns influence from a North East's perspective.
  21. Aikie Brae horse fair. This was the premier horse fair of the North East with up to 15,000 horses being traded. Identify the significance of the horse as a source of draught power, speed and status within all sectors of the economy prior to the motor vehicle being dominant. Why then has this event become a tourist event today? Why are people interested in many aspects of their past, could be a challenge to the so called consumer society of today. Is there a craving for the simple life style?
  22. The civic history of Aberdeen city. Find out about the city of Aberdeen's civic past.
  23. Local government process. Get an insiders view of local government reorganisation prior to the event from the convener of Aberdeenshire Council from Convener Middleton.
  24. The role of the Lord provost of Aberdeen. Meet the provost James Wyness and see for yourself the inside story of the role of Provost.
  25. J,C Murray and other local bards. This poet from Alford has made a huge contribution to North East Culture as an exile from his own North East. Could his view of his local area be inspired through the realisation of what all is good about our own area. Perhaps he reinforces the need for us to really appreciate what we have and cherish this in the form of cultural pride.
  26. The Castle culture. Grampian is one of the worlds leading locations for castles. Find out about them today and get an insight into how they articulated long before they were a tourist attraction. The upstairs was certainly much different from conditions down stairs in the staffs quarters. Some of Scotland key rulers used the castles in Grampian as their own.
  27. The impact of the Romans. See how the North East has always had in-comers when the Romans built marching camps and conquered the natives. Be amazed at how they marching routes through Scotland were supplied through a network of boats along the coasts.
  28. The Roman camp at Kintore. Get your hands dirty with the archaeologist on the site of a Roman Camp at Kintore. See for your self how the Romans articulated. See a roman group of soldiers at their camp.
  29. Heritage collections of the North East and the story they tell. See how certain local collectors have amassed their cultural identity over a period of time, which enables us the privilege of gaining an understanding of how our ancestors lived and worked. Sadly there are fewer collections of the north East rural identity surviving. Our cultural identity is now becoming features of collections outwith the area and they will never return to their native locations. This is further evidence of the loss of cultural identity which society inflicts on itself. Each one of these items tell a societal story which is important to remember. This research is one mans attempt to secure cultural identity prior to these collections being sold. Be at the ringside and find out what collectors are willing to pay for a hitherto everyday piece of machinery. E.g. the seat off a horse drawn mower.