I was blessed recently with time to attend the Oklahoma Highland Gathering in Choctaw, Oklahoma. I have always identified with my Scottish heritage. Being a burly man with a red beard and often wearing a flatcap, I take pride in looking the part. I remember many evenings with my late grandmother excitedly listening to stories from past generations of my family. I have always had a passion for stories and the art of storytelling. I credit some of my elders with that gift. Now, to add to my passion for my Scottish heritage, my wife is equally passionate about her Welsh-Irish heritage. This makes our two lovely children about as Celtic as they can possibly be. But, enough about my family...for the moment at least. Let me take you with us on a trip to the Oklahoma Highland Gathering.
Each year, in a small town in central Oklahoma, the United Scottish Clans of Oklahoma converge for an event called the Highland Gathering. Representatives of more than 20 Scottish clans come together to celebrate Celtic culture, history, and traditions. It's a sight to see! From the parade of the clans across the competition grounds to light their ceremonial torches together, symbolizing the laying down of any disputes amongst the clans in order to celebrate and compete in peace. To the marching pipers that perform traditional as well as modern melodies throughout the event. To the Highland Dancers performing historic dances and teaching their stories and meanings. To the Highland Games...traditional competition with feats of skill and strength passed down through hundreds of years of Scottish history. As a man that comes from a family line associated with the Scottish Macintyre clan, I've never felt so connected to my ancestors as I did over this amazing weekend. It was truly an awakening in my spirit that I can hardly begin to describe.
We arrived on the Friday afternoon and set up our vender booth. My family has a crafts business with handmade jewelry, scarves, and resin art. Ember's Love has been a passion project of my wife's for many years, and is soon to be launching a website of its own. I have been setting up with her to represent Rictus Nostalgia with 3D printed art and TTRPG minis and accessories. It's been wonderful to make new friends on the road and to meet some of my readers. I love that what we're doing on here is resonating with people that find us....Once our booth was setup we changed into our Highland outfits and began our adventure. We walked around, meeting many other vendors from Oklahoma as well as a very kind tartan clothing salesman from Macedonia and a very sweet mead brewer that had moved from Scotland to the US to be with the man she fell in love with. We chatted with leatherworkers and blacksmiths, jewelers and crafters, falconers and clan representatives. It was incredible. Then, as the sun began to sink behind the tall trees and the shadows began to stretch far along the ground, the sound of distant bagpipes drifted through the air. The announcement of the opening ceremonies rang out and everyone made their way to the competition grounds. We watched as representatives of 22 clans lined up along the edge of the field and were called, one by one, to sound their clan's motto or battle cry and enter the field. The ceremony and reverence was only broken by occasional jokes and friendly taunts between the clans. All in good spirit, and all returned in kind. Regardless of tartan or family name, all were welcomed as family. All the clans joined around a bonfire and, in unison, lit their torches from that shared flame. With this symbolic gesture, the Highland Gathering was officially declared open!
The second and third days were full of good spirits, storytelling, comradery, and the constant sound of Celtic bands, and pipers filling the air. We sampled drinks from Scotland! Irn-Bru, a citrus soda from Scotland. And Rusty Kiltpin, the flagship ale of the Angry Scotsman Brewing Company. We dined on meat pies and scotch eggs (both I highly recommend if you get the chance). But most of all, we enjoyed everything amongst new friends. I was thrilled to hear myths and legends from Scotland's history from the various musicians and the Okie Skye Highland Dancers. One that particularly stuck with me was the traditional Seann Triubhas dance. This performance is meant to commemorate the repeal of King George II's ban on wearing kilts. The dance starts off slowly with lots of leg shaking, meant to look like Scottish men trying to shake off the legs of the pants they were now forced to wear. Then, ending with much faster and nimble movements to represent the joy and freedom of being allowed to once again wear the traditional kilts. It was a beautiful and artistic way to protest an insulting ruling by King George II.
Now, for the main event of the gathering: The Highland Games. The Oklahoma Highland Gathering hosts official IHGF (International Highland Games Federation) Highland Games. These games have ancient roots in Scotland's history. In times that England outlawed training with military equipment in order to keep Scotland subservient to England, the Scots chose to train in their own way with farm implements, timbers, and stones. These restrictions lead to the now iconic competitions of tug of war, caber toss, hammer throw, stone put, sheaf toss, stone lift, and weight over bar. Some of the highlights of the events I saw were the caber toss, an event where a competitor runs carrying a 16-20ft pole weighing up to 150lbs. The goal is to toss the caber end over end, and have it land as straight as possible in relation to the thrower. Next, the hammer throw. The hammer throw consists of a 22lb ball on the end of a wooden shaft. The thrower plants their feet, whirls the hammer around above their head then throws the hammer as far as possible downfield. This event differs from Olympic hammer throw in that the Scottish event has the thrower anchor their feet in place and throw a hammer mounted on a hard handle, while the Olympian throwers spin on their tows to achieve much higher rotational speeds with a ball on the end of a cable. Finally, the weight over bar event. The competitors use one hand to throw a 56lb kettlebell style weight overhead and over a bar. The current world record for bar height is 20ft 3in set by Dan Williams in 2014. To put it plainly, the strength and technique needed to compete in these events is incredible. If you ever get the opportunity to attend a Highland Games competition, I very much encourage you to give it a shot. Or, if you want more explanation about these events, check out the official Scotland Highland Games Sports page at:
As my adventures at the Highland Gathering came to an end, I could barely keep track of all the great memories I made with my family, my new friends, and the new members of the RictusNostalgia family. I'd like to give a special shoutout to some of our favorite vendors and new friends we made during the event. There were many more, but these four stood out!
First, DL Smith Leather was our neighboring booth. What a fantastic man and talented craftsman. His attention to details and skills working with leather are on a whole other level.
I proudly wear one of his handmade sporrans with my kilt now. Check him out at:
The wonderful blacksmiths of the Saltfork Craftsmen Blacksmith's Association. Skills that blew my mind and the kindest men you could ever meet! These guys were a fount of knowledge about metalworking and brought so much charm and joy to the event. Check them out at:
PS, we love our drinking horns from them, and hope our new friend continues to love the Squirrel he got from us.
Roger from Scotsman Grooming was a treat to talk to, and his handcrafted beard oil and beard comb have already become my favorite part of my morning routine. I'm already seeing great results in my skin and beard since I started using his products. Check him out at:
Use promo code "save10" for 10% off on Scotsman Grooming! Thanks Roger!!
And finally, the headliner band of the gathering, Waxie Dargles! A rocking Celtic band out of Stillwater Oklahoma. They brought so much energy every time they took the stage. We couldn't get enough of their energetic take on traditional Irish and Scottish drinking songs!
So, to wrap up this tale of adventure, let me tell you this. Scottish pride is strong in Oklahoma. If you want to experience the embrace and joy in our Scottish heritage, and to be more acquainted with some Scottish traditions come visit the Oklahoma Highland Gathering next year. Or, attend the "Battle for Oklahoma", a Highland Games competition between Oklahoma City and Tulsa. But, believe me, there is so much more to Scotland than Braveheart and Highlander...Come experience the Highland Gathering 2025 in Choctaw, OK. And be sure to come by and say hi to us while you're there. Until then, Stay Strong! Stay Proud! and Per Ardua!
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