Scottish bagpipes: From Caledonia to Carson City, what’s behind the kilt?

CARSON CITY, NV – A land of lochs, a monster, mountains and glens, Scotland conjures images of fertile, green valleys, littered with castles and dotted with sheep. Across the country where bloody battles have been fought since 85 A.D., when Scotland was known as Caledonia, mist still swirls, and the tunes of the bagpipe echo. The music has traveled hundreds of years and thousands of miles to now resound in the hills and dales of Nevada, and clues to what’s behind the woven kilts endure.

The bagpipe is believed to have originated in Samaria thousands of years ago, spreading through ancient Persia and India, to Greece and Rome. Historians surmise that Roman conquests likely introduced the instrument to Scotland. Instead of becoming intimidated by the haunting sound, the Scots defended themselves tenaciously, and embraced the bagpipe, claiming it as their national instrument.

To play the bagpipe you must cradle and control a 5-20 lb., tentacled apparatus that needs CPR and data entry simultaneously.

A bagpipe consists of a one-way valve blow pipe into a bag that you must keep full of air. You “play” by squeezing the air out of the bag into three “drones” (pipes coming out of the bag that create the buzzing chords) and into the “cantor” - a nine holed recorder that plays the melody. Nine notes, one octave is possible. Artistry is achieved when the mechanics are memorized, “grace notes” are deftly added, and all players are in tune and synchronized. It takes a lot of practice.

A peek behind the kilt: Since the early 1700s, plaids or tartans have identified different clans (families) in Scotland. Choosing amongst the plants that grew around them, local weavers blended the colors of dandelions, heather, juniper berries, and other plants, to create patterns of lines and checks. A sharp eye at the time, with a knowledge of local flora, could pinpoint the native region of a kilted traveler.

If Nevadans wore kilts today, woven with the hues of local plants, the yellow dye from Sunflowers could identify a Las Vegas clan. People from Pioche might sport green wardrobes, colored from goldenrods. The purple from alder would expose a traveler from the Ruby Mountains near Elko, and Reno residents wearing kilts would be recognized by the blue dye used from black locust.

For more information about Nevada’s biodiversity, or to browse photos, visit heritage.nv.gov.