Scottish roots show in Mich. as independence vote nears
DETROIT — For most of his life, Bob Giles, 70, didn't give much thought to his Scottish ancestry.
But about 20 years ago, the Huntington Woods man's family discovered that he had roots in a small island called Eigg, off the west coast of Scotland. He and his wife visited, forming a bond that led them to help redevelop the island with money raised by Scottish-Americans in metro Detroit.
Giles is among about 300,000 Michigan residents with some Scottish ancestry, one of the biggest populations in the U.S. Across the country, there are 8.6 million people with some roots in Scotland, with 1.7 million of those identifying as purely Scottish, according to the U.S. Census.
Many of them are closely following Thursday's historic referendum in Scotland on independence, a vote that could make it a free country for the first time in 300 years.
The vote has stoked a debate among Scottish-Americans that has rekindled ancestral pride not seen since the 1995 movie Braveheart — with Mel Gibson playing a Scottish leader who fought the English — led to a spike in sales of kilts.
Historically, Scots in the U.S. have seen their identity as both tied to the British and yet separate and distinct, a point of rebellious pride for many. In a straw vote Friday at a Scottish center in Troy, local Scottish-Americans voted 2-1 in favor of independence, with several of the men in attendance wearing kilts.
"If they vote for independence, Scotland becomes a whole new world," said Michael Gordon of Ferndale, who attended Friday's straw vote.
From rapper Eminem to actor Tim Allen to David Buick (founder of Buick Motor Co), Michiganders with Scottish ancestry have been a part of Michigan's history.
One of oldest continuously run benevolent associations in metro Detroit is the St. Andrew's Society, founded in 1849 to help poor Scottish immigrants.
The society is known for organizing the annual Highland Games in Livonia, which is said to be the longest running Scottish sporting event in North America, drawing about 10,000 every year in August for two days of Scottish games, food, dancing and music.
Giles favors independence, saying that his visits to Eigg over the past 20 years show that the Scottish are a proud people who can thrive alone.
On Eigg, "these residents want their independence," Giles said. "They have proven Scots can make it work, and I'm proud that I have a personal connection with them."
Other Scottish-Americans, though, are against independence, saying that Scotland benefits from being part of Great Britain.
"There's too much uncertainty," said Ian Hunter of Bloomfield Hills, chairman of the St. Andrew's Society.
Hunter says some "tend to romanticize the homeland" as a place of kilts, bagpipes and haggis (food made of sheep organs. The emphasis on Scottish traditional culture is sometimes "more for our consumption than for the people of Scotland," he said. "If they want independence, do it, but can they maintain their finances?" Hunter asked.
Scottish pride is evident at the Troy center, with clan names on the walls along with framed photos of 18th century Scottish poet Robert Burns. Also on the walls is a proclamation from the state of Michigan in 2010 announcing that Michigan now has an official tartan, a Scottish cloth.
For Giles and others, Scotland's independence would further enhance their ties.
"I hate to be labeled as one of those Americans telling us how to vote, but I am in favor of ... independence," he said.