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IN THE vast wildernesses of
an emerging nation, they were the few prepared to mix their Scottish
culture and heritage with natives despised as savages by other Europeans.
They married native Americans, learned their language, adopted their
lifestyle and fought for their rights.
The impact of 19th century Scots on the native tribes of the modern United
States is immense and it is common to find native Americans with names
such as MacDonald, MacKenzie and Ross.
In a new book, Twa Tribes, by Tom Bryan, a Canadian historian living in
Scotland, the influence of Scots is examined through the lives of three
men from Nairn, Easter Ross and Dunbartonshire. Alexander Ross, Charles
MacKenzie and Hugo Reid emigrated and while they made fortunes, they
became dedicated to fighting racial injustice. Bryan said:
"Political correctness is normal and desirable today, but they were
pioneers in a distinctly un-PC world."
One of the greatest champions of tolerance was Ross, born in Nairn in
1783. Ross, who died in Manitoba, Canada, in 1856, was a fur trader with
the Hudson’s Bay Company, but in 1824 he joined an expedition to Oregon.
He married Sarah, a princess of the Okanaga, and had a family. His two
daughters married ministers, one of them the Rev George Flett, the first
person of mixed blood to be ordained as a Presbyterian minister in the
western US.
Reid became a naturalised Mexican citizen in what is now California and
married Viceoria, of the Gabrielino tribe. He had arrived as a rancher in
1832, but began to record his observations on the plight of the local
tribes. His letters, which are housed in the Library of Congress, provided
a unique history of the San Fernando, San Gabriel and Los Angeles missions
and were invaluable in winning justice for oppressed peoples.
Mackenzie was born in Easter Ross in 1774. In 1803, he entered the service
of the North West Company and a year later embarked expeditions to the
Missouri natives.
Bryan added:
"MacKenzie was married to his native wife for 50 years.
"The three men represent a unique group, who left an indelible mark on
history."
JIM MCBETH
Tuesday, 17th June 2003
The Scotsman |
