Searching for Scotland in Invercargill
My peculiar cultural journey in Southland, Aotearoa New Zealand
When I visited Dunedin on Aotearoa New Zealand’s South Island last year, I thought I had gone about as far south as possible in my exploration of the country. The dots on Google Maps below Dunedin were tiny or non-existent, so I figured there was nothing more to see. Part of what drew me to Dunedin was its Scottish influence, starting with its name, the Gaelic version of Edinburgh, a sign of the many Scottish immigrants that arrived in the 19th century during British colonization. But when I was exploring last year, the locals told me if I really wanted to see the Scottish culture in Aotearoa, I needed to go further south. So this year, thanks to my strange obsession with the Scots, I started my tour of Aotearoa in Invercargill, situated on the southern coast of the South Island.
The suggestion I received bears some truth; I ended up staying with a Scottish couple who moved to Invercargill from Glasgow, Scotland several years ago. They find it a welcome change. The thing is, culture and heritage are sensitive topics in Aotearoa and since arriving I have come to abandon my interest in discovering what would amount to some sort of Scottish theme park. Thank goodness that is not what is here anyway. Imagine going to New York because of an interest in Yorkshire culture!
On my first full day in Invercargill, I discovered Arts Murihiku, a local arts centre, was hosting a free writing workshop with a local writer. Few things could be more up my alley, so of course I went. It was a delight to start my visit by meeting fellow artists and writers, I learned a lot from the workshop leader too! It was here that I also learned about Dan Davin, the writer from Invercargill who was known for the short stories about Southland he published, among other works. I also learned that an illustrator visiting from Auckland would be giving a talk and sharing their sketch books at Arts Murihiku later that evening, so I made a plan to return.
In-between the two events, I made my way to the town’s two art galleries and its secondhand bookshop. Of the two galleries, I was most impressed by Art Attic Gallery. As the name implies, it is located in an attic atop a furniture shop in the town centre. They had a show on featuring dozens of artists from the region. It was a very eclectic mix that was fun to explore. Like most places, there is great creative talent here and it was nice to see a public, welcoming space sharing their work. Visitors were asked to vote on the artwork for awards that would be announced at the end of the show; I loved the categories that got specific about technique, color, intimacy and work that just had an indescribable draw.
At the bookshop, I asked the question I ask whenever I walk into any bookshop: “Where are the books by people from around here?†Thankfully, this one happened to have a section with just what I was looking for. There was a great selection of local books, but of course I had no idea who any of the writers were. Not wanting to pick a book completely randomly, I was fortunate that one title stood out to me: William Pember Reeves’ ‘The long white cloud.’ The synchronicity was too strong to ignore: I had booked tickets to see a performance at the local repertory theatre later in my visit by the same name. Not only that, it was on my previous visit to Aotearoa that I had discovered New Zealander Janet Frame’s ‘Owls Do Cry’ and then happened to be in Wellington when an adaptation of the book was being performed.
While not from Invercargill, Reeves was born on the South Island and went on to become New Zealand’s colonial representative in London at the turn of the 20th century. I am looking forward to reading his book and expanding my understanding of Aotearoa New Zealand history. Having previously read ‘The Penguin History of New Zealand’ by Michael King, it will be an interesting point of comparison. I don’t think I have anywhere close to even an elementary understanding of this country’s unique history, but the more I learn the more intrigued I am by how the story differs from other colonized places.
The Maori arrived on these islands about three thousand years before the British and other colonial forces arrived. Learning about Maori and their culture is about as difficult as learning about the Coast Salish who inhabited in my home region of the Pacific Northwest long before colonizers arrived. In both places, the history is written more by the colonizers than the colonized and the divide between the two remains stark and steeped in resentment. How typically white American of me to show up and be interested in Scottish culture here, thinking doing so was any different than an interest in colonial history. Why didn’t I come here with an interest in Maori culture?
Thankfully, flashes and glimmers of Maori culture have shown up throughout my visit so far. Unfamiliar words and place names here and there, stories about the nearby islands that remain under Maori rule, respect by the government for allowing cultural hunting practices to continue. Only a few things, but enough to draw my interest. If I want to learn more about Scottish culture and history, I ought to focus on Scotland. While here in Aotearoa, I have a wonderful opportunity to learn about Maori culture and history. So now, re-oriented, I am trying to learn as much as I can. It’s not easy, not in-yer-face, not part of the primary pop culture media narrative here; it has to be sought out. The wee glimmers are what I’m on the lookout for. Today I had the pleasure of hearing someone sing in Maori and it brought me to tears, reinforcing my belief that there is something strong, vibrant and powerful hidden beneath the colonial veneer of this place and I look forward to learning more as my journey continues.
