By Lewis MacKinnon*

Gaelic Council editorial, May, 2003

In this the fourth edition of Mac-talla and the third edition of Mac-talla published by way of the cooperative effort of shunpiking magazine and C˜mhairle Na Gˆidhlig, Alba Nuadh, you will find the passion, creativity, conscience and aspirations of Gaels, those who firmly believe that Gaelic language and culture have an important place in the Nova Scotia of today.

The real question is, why? Why does it matter that this publication continues each year? In the Nova Scotia context, why is it important? In the broader international sense who cares? Isn’t the world, at least the mainstream western media, dominated by the medium of English? Why does Gaelic matter? Why does any minority language matter?

The answer lies somewhere in the largely undeveloped and as of yet unattained objective of self-determination of peoples. The "global community" is rapidly becoming more of a "community" and less "global". In essence, communities with unique identities, languages, cultures, traditions, and political institutions are re-defining themselves and re-establishing their claim to legitimacy. From a Gaelic language and cultural perspective, one need only look at what is happening in Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Cornwall, and the Isle of Man – the so-called Celtic fringe – to appreciate the devolution of political power from the centre, i.e., England, to the rest of the United Kingdom. In short, these former "countries" are now reclaiming their sense of independence and autonomy long since lost to conquerors and colonizers and their foreign systems and institutions.

The Gaelic Development Steering Group, an ad hoc body formed to work towards developing a Gaelic language and cultural strategy in Nova Scotia, facilitated a community consultation process in November-December 2002. Ten meetings were held across the province. Over 400 people participated. And although the question of creating an independent Gaelic "state" or "country" was not raised or discussed, the mood in these meetings was one of self-evaluation and self-determination. That in essence, there is a Gaelic community in Nova Scotia, albeit changed from that of the past, but yet still here É heart beating, blood flowing. A community that is not willing to be defined by a broader national and international cosmopolitan medium. A community that is now determining how its linguistic and cultural uniqueness can best be developed, affirmed and reflected in the broader community context, both locally and internationally.

There is no "cookie cutter" model available to the Gaelic community in Nova Scotia that can ensure language and cultural development success. However, there are many lessons and resources contained in the experiences of the Celtic countries already mentioned, the achievements and struggles of other peoples and most particularly our own. To bring this about, we must be extremely broad-minded. What is certain is that a process has begun. In what direction it will go must be determined by the active participation and will of the Gaelic community.

This Mac-talla then, focuses on self-determination from various perspectives. It demonstrates that many are joining in the process of self-evaluation and self-determination with the perspective of equality for all. That Gaelic does matter because it is the linguistic medium and cultural vehicle of a "nation" (note the small "n") – that is: a people. A people that has begun to examine the difficult questions as to how we got here, who are we, where are we going, and most importantly what will we do? A people seeking renewal.