Page 4
"Ruts"
My earliest memory is of
Grandma, Aunt Ji, and Aunt
Ipasta talking on the front porch
in Willston, North Dakota. At the
time, I was only 15 years old,
hardly old enough to think about
my family history. However, by
the time I was 20, my curiosity as
to my ancestory became deep
and over-powering.
I remember the old bags
rocking and talking about the
generations before them. The
farthest-back person that they
ever mentioned was "the
Highlander, "named Kenn-Kay_
Upon recognition that "the
Highlander" came from
Scotland, I flew to Edinburgh,
known as Dunedin to the Gaelic.
It was the Gaelic country where
the Highlanders are found.
After searching through the
archives of Dunedin, I found my
great-great-great-great-gran
dfather's clan name. "The
Highlander" was of the Kenn-
Kay (spelled Kinky) clan. Yet I
had no idea as to his first name,
nor the reason for his disap
pearance.
The records showed that the
Kinky Clan was found in the most
northern part of the highlands
known as the Grampions (famous
for its glens). The clan was found
in a region between Glen Camp
bell and Dung Hill.
Because of its isolation from
the modern world, the people of
the Kinky Clan have retained all
of their old rituals and traditions.
My team of Gaelic interpreters
and myself interrupted their
Highland Fling. Apparently, this
traditional folk dance is very Kinky told stories of generations
important to the younger clan- ago. He was getting to the year
members, but it was postponed 1764 when he mentioned the
because of our special visit. family of Abit Kinky. Abit had
We sought out the wise man of four sons, but lost one during the
the clan. He was called Krudely Fling season. The boy was
and was 96 years old. Krudely collecting some bamboo chutes
•
• .
Behrend Collegian
~ ;<. M
.v ~~=
Smiling faces enhance team spirit.
and hard heather thorns to make
the traditional Weidhdivisare, a
Gaelic word simply meaning
`devise! When the old man said
the boys name, I developed goose
bumps all over my body. This lost
"Highlander," Kinda Kinky, was
4 10100
-
*,:` AIMIP
January 10, 1980
my greatest ancestor.
By Bill Oodie
-And Brad Palmer
Based on Alex Haley's
Roots
iii CIE
oft
:~~; ~~~