MUSIC
Not surprisingly, given where Shetland is, the local music has a mixture of Scots and Norwegian influences. But there are Irish, German and even North American sounds in it too. The result is the unique cosmopolitan Shetland fiddle tradition, and all its imaginative modern spin-offs.
Shetlanders first played on a two-stringed instrument called a “gue”, similar to the violin or fiddle, which probably derived from the old Norse instrument called the “gigla”. When returning sailors brought home the first fiddles, Shetlanders took the instrument to their hearts. By 1808 it was said one in ten islanders could play it, and almost every croft house had a fiddle hanging in the living room.
Shetland’s music now has an international audience. Shetland’s young musicians aren’t only interested in traditional music: their talents show through classical, jazz, blues and rock too.
There are regular music festivals, events and sessions on the islands. The Shetland Folk Festival and Shetland Accordion and Fiddle Festival are renowned for their outstanding standard of musicianship.
CRAFTS
As in other island communities, many of Shetland’s crafts grew out of the daily business of island life, making the most of limited materials. Weaving, boat building and knitting were all important trading skills in the past.
Contemporary Shetland crafts have their roots in traditional skills, fine-tuned over centuries. Artists and craftspeople still use local raw materials, particularly wool, wood, stone and skins, to make functional and decorative items inspired by Shetland’s dramatic scenery, heritage and culture.
Producers offer a unique range of woodcraft, knitwear and textiles, fancy goods, fashion and home accessories, gifts, and fine art. The diverse collection ranges from the islands’ traditional designs of knitwear and woodcrafts, which have been handed down through generations, to the more modern and highly original designs and craft items.
GENEALOGY
Shetland has exported its famous products for centuries: wool, lamb, knitwear, fish, ponies and, in more recent years, oil. But one of the most important is people.
Over the centuries, many thousands of islanders have emigrated. As a result, there are far more Shetlanders in the world beyond Shetland than the 22,000 of them still on ‘The Auld Rock’. Some left because of 19th century poverty and oppression, many went overseas on naval service and never came back, while others sailed away for adventure or the lure of a better life on the UK mainland or in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the USA.
If your family is of Shetland descent, tracing and investigating your ancestors can be reasonably straightforward, thanks to the Shetland Family History Society.
Genealogy is easier these days, using computerised records and well-organised local archives, but to really experience where you come from you ought to travel to Shetland to meet long-lost relatives and visit houses, schools and crofting townships where your forebears once lived and worked.