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ABOUT CELTIC NATION
Why the name Celtic Nation?
While it is true that the different pre-modern Insular (island) and Continental tribes
speaking Celtic family languages may never have considered
themselves a nation or even "Celtic", today there is a modern Pan-Celtic
movement that realizes the survival of existing Celtic cultures and their
languages is dependent upon a "group" effort of those living in the surviving
six cultures
 along
with those of us in the Celtic Diaspora (people settled far from their ancestral
homelands) to help the Celtic language group and related cultures survive and
grow. One of
Celtic Nation's
goal is to help energize support for these ideals among the Diaspora here in the
States. How do we do that? By respecting Celtic culture and
traditions while speaking out against cultural misappropriation. By helping to
keep Celtic family
languages alive against the onslaught of Imperial cultures. By helping to open
the eyes of our fellow Anglo-philes to the riches of Celtic cultures, mythos,
and traditions and help create a yearning to explore and learn with respectfulness.
Why a Pan-Celtic approach? In addition to the
obvious "strength in numbers" argument, it is our opinion, because of the gaps
in some disciplines of Celtic culture, it is necessary to study and incorporate knowledge
gained from the varying disciplines from among all of the existing Celtic
language family speaking cultures, as well as pre-modern Celtic cultures, to
help fill in gaps of understanding in some of those disciplines.
For example, Gaul has much evidence of Celtic
religion, with its 100's of named deities in inscriptions, the classical authors
who wrote about it, the temples and altars that have been discovered, etc.
But Gaulish mythology in the oral traditions supporting this religion has not
survived. In Ireland, on the other hand, there is a wealth of mythology,
but little practical evidence of its direct relationship to a practiced
pre-Christian religion. A Pan-Celtic
approach allows us to use the mythology of one Celtic culture to better
understand the archaeological evidence in another.
* "Celtic Nation" is not responsible for web content of
off-site links. Listing of links is for a public service only and does not
infer reciprocal endorsements by either "Celtic Nation" or the linked sites in
question.
Last Updated:
04/20/10
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CELTIC NATION
