Celebrating the Gaelic tree alphabet | A’ comharrachadh Aibidil Crann na Gàidhlig

To mark World Gaelic Week, Dr Mandy Haggith, a lecturer in creative writing and literature at UHI Inverness, shares insights into the Gaelic tree alphabet and a project which brings together forestry and literature students.

The Gaelic tree alphabet is an ancient link between the letters of the Gaelic alphabet and native woodland species. We don’t know how long ago it began but there are records from the 4^th century AD and perhaps it is even older. Each of the 18 letters of the alphabet is associated with a tree or shrub.

A-B-Craobh (A-B-Tree) celebrates this link through tree poetry. The project began in 2011, International Year of Forests, with walks and writing workshops in woods and gardens throughout Scotland. It continued in 2013 when I was poet in residence in the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh. The project has been supported by Scottish Forestry, the Scottish Poetry Library and a rich mixture of woodland organisations including the Woodland Trust, Reforesting Scotland, Trees for Life, Community Woodlands Association and many community woodland groups.

In 2018 the project came to UHI. Since then I have worked with hundreds of students exploring the interdisciplinary borderland between forestry and literature. Forestry students have been learning about tree folklore and writing poetry. Literature and creative writing students have been learning about trees.

My research uses various methods, but mostly poetry, to explore how to help students to escape out of their disciplinary box and learn using a blend of arts and science. I believe that this holistic way of learning is more true to Gaelic culture than being limited to one academic subject. We don’t see silos on the crofts where I live. Why do we have them in universities?

The project has established how important trees are to people and how deep our cultural connections are with trees in our landscape. Students of forestry love to discover Gaelic placenames that can give them clues about where trees and woods have grown in the past and where they can grow in future.

The students are hungry for more interdisciplinary learning. To solve the environmental problems we face we need to use both scientific thinking and cultural wisdom, both our brains and our hearts. Poetry is the perfect vehicle for this, being both intellectual and emotional.

Here is a poem from the project, combining words from many student poems.

Tree Wonder

they say pine trees bring gold

            soft blue haze

            strange circles below

            green between

a blanket bared for the growth race

            as the cycle of life goes round

            so many mysteries

            reach into the earth’s core

hush of the woods

            contagious calm

            resonant

            resinous

willows and their witches

            in wonderland

            waiting to welcome

            the tempted traveller

on the edge, the cusp

            you shine dark emerald

            veins of green

            feeding life into the world

a connection of ground to sky

            a meeting place

            for the earthbound

            and creatures who fly

older than our wars

            you watched us make peace again

            our lives are just a

            glimpse, fade while you linger

Guardian, why do you keep a vow of silence?

            I walk the land

            holding fast the branches

            sunset in my hand

(With thanks to Michaela Fioretti, Imogen Davidson-Smith, Marcas O’Brian, Rachel Orchard, Dougald Allan, Victoria Potts, Rebecca Loebbert, Sarah Tungett, Alicen Geddes, Rebekah Mackinnon, Leah Bliss and other students who chose to remain anonymous).

To find out more about the A-B-Craobh (A-B-Tree) project, visit: Yearning for Learning: how forestry and arts students feel about interdisciplinarity and  Mandy Haggith | A-B-TREE

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A’ comharrachadh Aibidil Crann na Gàidhlig

Gus Seachdain Ghàidhlig na Cruinne a chomharrachadh, tha an Dr Mandy Haggith, òraidiche ann an sgrìobhadh cruthachail agus litreachas na Gàidhlig aig UHI Inbhir Nis, air beagan in-sheallaidh a thoirt seachad air aibidil crann na Gàidhlig agus pròiseact a tha a’ toirt oileanaich coilltearachd agus litreachas còmhla.

S e seann cheangal eadar litrichean na h-aibidil Ghàidhlig agus gnèithean coille dùthchasach a th’ann an aibidil na craobhan Gàidhlig. Chan eil fios againn cuin a thoisich seo, ach tha clàraidhean ann o’ chionn ~400AD. ‘S dòcha gu bheil nas sine. Tha gach litir, 18 dhiubh, ceangailte le craobh no preas.

Tha seo a comharrachadh a ceangal eadar bàrdachd agus craobhan  ‘A-B-Craobh (A-B-Tree)’. Thòisich am pròiseact ann an 2011, Bliadhna Eadar-nàiseanta nan Coilltean, le coiseachd agus sgrìobhadh ann an coilltean agus gàrraidhean air feadh na h-Alba.  Chum a’ dol e ann an 2013 nuair a bha mi nam bhàrd air mhuinntireas ann a’ Gàrradh na Lusan an Dùn Èideann. Tha Coilltearachd na h-Alba, Leabharlann Bàrdachd na h-Alba agus measgachadh do bhuidhnean beartach coilltearachd a leithid Urras Fearainn Coillteach, Reforesting Scotland, Trees for Life, Comann Fearainn Coillteach  agus mòran de  bhuidhnean coimhearsnachd fearainn coilltean.

Ann an 2018, thàinig a phròiseact gu UHI. O sin a mach, tha mi air obair còmhla ri na ceudan oileanaich anns a’ rùrachadh  eadar-dhiosaplaineach eadar Coilltearachd agus Litreachas. Tha na h-oileanaich Coilltearachd air a bhith ag ionnsachadh mu dheidhinn beul-aithris agus a sgrìobhadh bàrdachd. Tha na h-oileanaich litreachas agus sgrìobhadh cruthachail air a bhith ag ionnsachadh mu dheidhinn craobhan.

Tha an rannsachadh agam  a cleachdadh iomadach dhòighean, ach sa mhòr chuid bàrdachd, a faighinn a-mach ciamar a chuidicheas mi oileanaich a’ teicheadh a bocas dhiosaplaineach agus a ’dh’ionnsaicheas a cleachdadh measgachadh saidheans agus na h-ealain. Tha mi a’ creidsinn gu bheil an dòigh iomlanach seo nas fhaisge air cultar na Gàidhlig agus nach eil ceangailte le aon chuspair acadaimigeach. Chan fhaic sinn saidhlos air na croitean far a bheil mi a’ fuireach. Carson a tha iad againn ann an oilthighean?

Tha am pròiseact A-B-Craobh air a dhearbhadh gu bheil na craobhan cho chudromach do dhaoine agus gu bheil ceanglaichean domhainn ann le na craobhan anns ar cruth-tìre. Chòrd e ri na h-oileanaich coilltèarachd ag ionnsachadh na h-ainmean àite gàidhlig a tha toirt dhaibh tuigse mu dheidhinn far an robh craobhan agus coilltean a fàs anns an ùine a dh’fhalbh agus càite am fàs iad san àm ri teachd.

Tha na h-oileanaich acrach airson barrachd  ionnsachadh eadar—dhiosaplaineach.  Airson na duilgheadasan àrainneachail duilich a tha againn a chàradh – feumaidh sinn eòlas saidheansail agus gliocas cultarail a chleachdadh , ar eanchainn agus ar cridhean. Tha bàrdachd na inneal-giùlain forfichte, ann an dhòigh, innleachdail agus faireachail.

Seo dàn bhon phròiseact, a’ cothlamadh fhaclan bho iomadh dàn le oileanaich.

Tree Wonder

they say pine trees bring gold

            soft blue haze

            strange circles below

            green between

a blanket bared for the growth race

            as the cycle of life goes round

            so many mysteries

            reach into the earth’s core

hush of the woods

            contagious calm

            resonant

            resinous

willows and their witches

            in wonderland

            waiting to welcome

            the tempted traveller

on the edge, the cusp

            you shine dark emerald

            veins of green

            feeding life into the world

a connection of ground to sky

            a meeting place

            for the earthbound

            and creatures who fly

older than our wars

            you watched us make peace again

            our lives are just a

            glimpse, fade while you linger

Guardian, why do you keep a vow of silence?

            I walk the land

            holding fast the branches

            sunset in my hand

(Le taing dha Michaela Fioretti, Imogen Davidson-Smith, Albecca Louett, Marcas O’Brian, Rachel Orchard, Dougald Allan, Victoria Potts, Rebecca Loebbert, Sarah Tungett, Alicen Geddes, Rebekah Mackinnon, Leah Bliss agus oileanaich eile a roghnaich fuireach gun urra).

Gus tuilleadh fhaighinn a-mach mun phròiseact A-B-Craobh, tadhailibh air: Yearning for Learning: how forestry and arts students feel about interdisciplinarity agus  Mandy Haggith | A-B-TREE