<
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-the-new-tartan-pattern-created-to-honor-women-accused-of-witchcraft-in-scotland-between-1563-and-1736-180986172/>
"Between 1563 and 1736, thousands of individuals were executed under Scotland’s
Witchcraft Act. Designed to enforce godliness in the newly Protestant
country, the law condemned anyone who appeared to be conspiring with the devil,
though women were the most common targets.
Now, a new Scottish tartan is memorializing the victims of the
Witchcraft
Act. The black, gray, red and pink pattern was officially registered with the
Scottish Register of Tartans in February and will soon be incorporated into
kilts and other garments.
The tartan was created by Claire Mitchell and Zoe Venditozzi, who founded the
Witches of Scotland campaign in 2020. The two women and their supporters are
seeking a pardon, an apology and a national memorial in honor of all those
accused and convicted of witchcraft during the law’s 173-year reign.
So far, they’ve achieved at least one of their goals. In 2022, Scotland’s first
minister, Nicola Sturgeon, issued a formal apology to the Scots who were
persecuted under the law. The Church of Scotland also apologized for its
historic role in the witch hunts.
Initially, Mitchell and Venditozzi wanted to build a physical monument to
memorialize the victims of the
Witchcraft Act. They studied similar memorials
in other countries, including the Salem Witch Trials Memorial in Massachusetts
and Steilneset Memorial in northern Norway.
But they couldn’t determine where to put such a monument in Scotland, and they
weren’t sure how they would pay for it, either. Then, while attending the
opening of the “Tartan” exhibition at the V&A Dundee, they got an idea. Why not
create a tartan to honor those persecuted for witchcraft?"
Via Susan ****
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
