Caledonian Society of Restigouche presents A Monument honoring our Scottish Heritage
As you know, there is a long list of Scottish heroes that we could have used as the figure for the sculpture. The man that I see is the everyday hero. The man who has been through so much in his life, perhaps the loss of his family, leaving everything familiar behind and starting anew. This is the man who we remember in the names like William Wallace and others whose stories have been told. This man encompasses all men, woman and children who went through much hardship in this new world and how they didn’t just survive, but flourished. When approaching the sculpture from the front, you see a strong determined Scottish farmer looking towards Scotland. His sleeves are rolled up and you can see muscles, hard from years of physical work. In his hand, you see a small rock left behind from the ship’s balsas; a reminder of his homeland. This rock symbolized the land he came from and everything he knew; the one that he wanted to hold on to and keep near to him. This small stone would someday be placed in a cairn for him “Cuiridh mi clach air do chàrn”. The figure is wearing the traditional long kilt with the extra material pinned over his shoulders to keep the fall chill from sneaking in through his sweat stained shirt. Upon approaching this seated figure, you feel questions arising within you. You look towards where he is staring so intently and then, you will also be looking towards Scotland. There are many other questions you might wonder. What is his story? What did he leave behind? What has he been through? What are his dreams? As you move around the figure you will discover there is room for you to sit a while and ponder these questions that I ask when deciding who is this man. On the back of the man, carved into the fabric of the kilt, are relief carvings, showing the observer his narrative; the same tales of countless others that have left their home in search of better things. Through the folds in the fabric we see the images, stories woven that leave you with some of questions answered.
Darren Byers
