The Emigrants Statue On Visit To Helmsdale Sutherland North Highlands Of Scotland

Tour Scotland travel video with Scottish music, of The Emigrants Statue on ancestry visit to Helmsdale in Sutherland in the North Highlands. " The Emigrants commemorates the people of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland who, in the face of great adversity, sought freedom, hope and justice beyond these shores. They and their descendants went forth and explored continents, built great countries and cities and gave their enterprise and culture to the world. This is their legacy. Their voices will echo forever thro the empty valleys and glens of their homeland. " The Emigrants Statue is a non-political national and international project. It is not just to commemorate the clearance of people from the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, but also to celebrate the extraordinary contributions that Highlanders and their descendants have made to human progress throughout the world. It is hoped that the statue will always be a focal point, to be visited by the descendants of the cleared people and also by all who are interested in this remarkable story of inhumanity, sorrow, courage and enterprise. It is also hoped that the statue, by commemorating the Clearances, will help heal the rifts of history.. In the summer of 1813, more than 100 people, evicted that spring from homes near Helmsdale left Sutherland for the Red River district of what's now Manitoba. Because they travelled by way of Hudson Bay, where they had to overwinter in bitter cold, their journey took over a year. But in 1814 they reached their destination where they helped establish the community that's become the city of Winnipeg. These Scots were among hundreds of thousands who have emigrated from the Highlands and Islands, settling in countries like Canada, the United States, Australia and New Zealand. From the perspective of such countries our emigrants were a huge gain, and it's right to commemorate, as Helmsdale's fine statue does so eloquently, what they achieved in their adopted homelands. From a Highland standpoint, however, it's impossible to do other than regret the loss of so much human talent. All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

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