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Scottish diaspora goes on display
05/04/2002
Home and Away, a touring exhibition exploring early
Scottish emigration to North America, and people's search
for their roots, opened today on New York's famous Ellis
Island.
Tourism and Culture Minister Mike Watson said that
interest in Scotland's rich history and the growing
attraction of genealogy are two areas which can help boost
the number of American visitors to Scotland.
The US, with 500,000 visitors generating over £200
million, is Scotland's single biggest overseas market.
He said:
"National Museums of Scotland is a key player in
Scotland's cultural industry. Facilities like the flagship
Museum of Scotland, the National War Museum of Scotland in
Edinburgh Castle and the Museum of Scottish Country Life
are all significant attractions in Scotland's broad
cultural heritage.
"The Museum of Scotland in particular is a real
attraction to US visitors telling, as it does, the full
story of Scotland through its vast collections.
"I am glad to see NMS reach out beyond Scotland through
exhibitions like the one we see here on Ellis Island. I
also welcome the work they are doing with VisitScotland
aimed at encouraging more visitors to our country.
"Many of the visitors to this exhibition will have
Scottish ancestry. VisitScotland's recently-launched
website -
www.ancestralscotland.com
- is the first of its kind to link into one of the world's
fastest growing hobbies, tracing family trees. The site
doesn't just help the estimated 28 million expatriate Scots
around the world to search out their roots, but encourages
users to visit their origins. It is also markets what
Scotland has to offer - the culture, vibrant cities,
friendly people and outstanding natural beauty.
"I have used this site to trace my own roots and found
it fascinating. I would say to others don't just look into
your family ancestry but bring it to life by visiting your
history."
An emigrant's Kist, the travelling chest in which
emigrants packed their few belongings to travel abroad and
set up new homes, is the centrepiece of a touring
exhibition Home and Away: Highland Departures and Returns
at Ellis Island until June 30, 2002.
The exhibition is being taken to Ellis Island by the
National Museums of Scotland (NMS) as part of their drive
to show Scotland's material culture to North Americans and
to encourage them to visit Scotland.