#cymry

[llyfrenfys]

Sooner or later I've gotta make a better post regarding the appropriation of indigenous terminology by proponents of (certain kinds of) Welsh nationalism. But for now here's a very whistle-stop version of that post. I have a degree in Celtic Studies so these topics are very near and dear to my heart.

[Note: I wrote this post originally during a migraine. I'm revisiting the draft while I'm ill but hopefully can fix this up into something somewhat understandable. As always, this is only a very brief description of the history and I strongly reccomend reading about these topics in your own time to develop a deeper understanding of them. These are topics not even well known in Britain, but if you can spend a short time just to read this, you can help to combat misinformation about British (particularly Welsh) history - and that could aid in preventing the misappropriation of history in the long run. Diolch eto for reading!]

Very often, (certain) Welsh nationalists use terminology that positions the Welsh as if they are an 'indigenous' population who have been 'colonised'. They use language (which in this climate) heavily draws upon the language typically used for peoples who are the victims of British colonialism (of which Wales was an active participant). There's multiple issues with this and many of them lie in whether its appropriate to use this language (regardless of its accuracy or not) as a country which was actively involved in the colonisation of much of the world. What I mean in short is that additional language is needed which doesn't step on the toes of endangered cultures and groups directly affected by British colonialism.

Wales not only participated in British colonialism as a whole (alongside Scotland, Ireland* and England) but itself colonised parts of patagonia in Argentina.

I can't think of any similar terminology to 'indigenous' or 'colonised' which would also get the idea which is meant across. 'Native' in certain contexts is permissible, e.g. 'native speaker' in the context of a Welsh speaker. But in other contexts other than langauge, things get tricky when you argue 'nativeness' (this is a topic I will come back to - especially re. Celtic as a language descriptor vs Celtic as a so-called ethnicity). When (certain) Welsh nationalists talk about being 'indigenous' , being 'native' or 'colonised' what is meant by that?

(Map of the expansion of the Bronze Age Bell Beaker culture circa 2400 BC in Britain and Ireland) - from this map

What makes a Welsh person 'indigenous' to this island that doesn't immediately disqualify other peoples who also have a deep history here? Historically, the island of Britain has been lived on by many, many peoples.

In the Bronze Age you had the arrival of the Bell Beaker people. Then in the Iron-Age, you had tribes speaking (mostly) Brittonic. I say mostly, because we have direct evidence that in the Iron Age Gaulish speaking tribes also moved to parts of Britain but later became integrated with the rest of the population (which, I will add, were not a united peoples but a scattering of different groups who often went to war against each other). Then the Romans invaded Britain (and much of Western Europe) and over time integrated into the local population. So now Britain is Romano-British. Eventually the Western Roman Empire collapses and Britain enters into the sub-Roman Britain phase of its existence. Kingdoms begin to form, with the population speaking Brittonic and British-Latin. So you have different kingdoms in (what would become Wales) and in (what would become Northern England and Southern Scotland) you have more Brittonic-speaking kingdoms.

These kingdoms were also not a united peoples. They shared a language - but it's like claiming that Ancient Greeks were a united people simply because they all spoke Greek. Sparta, Athens, Cornith etc. were independent of each other and the same is true of the kingdoms of the Hen Ogledd (the Old North) and the kingdoms of Wales. They all had a common language but also went to war with each other sometimes. Eventually, the Brittonic language began to diverge into different languages. Namely, Old Welsh and Cumbric (the language spoken in what is today Cumbria, Lancashire, Northumberland and Southern Scotland). The two languages were still very closely related but had diverged by a certain point.

At the same time this is happening, Anglo-Saxons begin to arrive in what is now Kent. They form kingdoms and the Britons living there are either displaced or become absorbed into the Anglo-Saxon populace. Then the Norse rock up and conduct viking raids around the coast before finally settling in parts of the country and forming their own territories.

So now Britain has several groups living on the island (keeping in mind even before settlement from the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse that the British kingdoms were already composed of different groups themselves). Northern Scotland was also having a time re: Picts, Gaels and Britons - but we'll gloss over that for brevity. Also, Ireland was also raiding the Welsh coast at this time too.

Then the Normans rock up and in 1066 William the Conqueror, well, conquers. More history happens after this point but I will try and keep this as brief and as non-messy as I can.

So, to recap:

One of the earliest cultures in Britain was the Bell Beaker people in the Bronze Age. They had their lands settled by the Iron Age Britons ('Celts'). Then the Romans came and the 'Celts' became Romano-Britons. After the Western Roman Empire collapses the remaining population forms kingdoms with distinct political identities. These kingdoms eventually find themselves fighting the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse. Then the Normans turn up and so on and so forth.

So- which group is the original native group to Britain? (Trick question - this question cannot be satisfactorily answered in favour of one group without leaning into claims of historicity which the other groups can also claim).

Which brings me to modern Welsh identity and those who came before.

Something I see in Welsh nationalist groups is a claim to the legacy (or even claims of direct descendance from) the Iron Age Britons (commonly called Celts for shorthand, but as I said before I'm gonna get back to that point). And this narrative is what the "Welsh people are native to Britain" argument is based off of.

It may seem like #praxis to argue the Welsh people are the true inhabitants of Britain and the English are evil invaders. But you have to make *several* logical leaps to get to that point if you're genuinely arguing that point.

For starters, many more people than just the Britons (read: Romano Britons/early Brittonic kingdoms) have called Britain home since the Early Middle Ages. For example, there's the settlement of Scotland by the Gaels, the Irish settlement of certain parts of costal Wales. You have (much later) Roma and traveller groups, Jewish diaspora and many more diverse cultures and peoples existing in Britain at this time. The Romano-British population, which developed into the Early Middle Ages kingdoms of Wales and the Hen Ogledd, was also multicultural. Many black Romans started families with white Britons. By the sub-Roman period, Britain was ethnically and culturally diverse.

But those who argue in favour of a such thing as 'Celtic ethnicity' in order to support the idea Britons (and only Britons) were native to these islands typically imagine that history as white. White Brits, white Romans, white Gaels. When we know this isn't true. Did you know that the Northernmost Ancient Egyptian temple in the world is in Yorkshire because Roman Egyptians in the military brought their religion with them? Mary Beard did a fantastic documentary about a Roman Soldier from modern day Syria who was stationed at Hadrian's Wall who started a family with a British woman. Point is, that some people like to imagine a purely white Britain that they can pine for. And I'm afraid it simply isn't true. The version of history many white supremacists look to simply didn't exist.

I'll quickly bring up one last point before I draw this to a close. And it's about Celtic as a linguistic term vs Celtic as a so-called ethnicity. You see, any first year Celtic Student would tell you that there is no such thing as 'Celts'. Crazy, I know from people studying *Celtic* studies. But hear me out - there is good reasoning why (beyond language groups) Celtic is not a good term for describing an ethnic group. Much of it relates to what I've already mentioned, but we categorise Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Mann, Cornwall and Brittany as Celtic not because of the ethnicity of the people living there (which I've mentioned is pretty diverse) but because they are all places where Celtic languages are spoken. It wasn't until Edward Llwyd (d. 1709) that the term Celtic was coined to describe these languages. Up until that point, nobody was thinking of Irish and Welsh as related because the languages do not sound like they have a common origin. By extension, people didn't think of the Welsh and Irish as being the same peoples (or Celtic) either. Its only in the modern day there is a sense of Celtic identity. The Iron Age Britons were not going around calling themselves Celts. There was no common Celtic identity. But very often people argue Celticness based on a pseudohistory which insists on a false and misleading interpretation of history. Whether or not Celticness exists now is a different matter entirely. But it sure does not rest upon race or ethnicity as a qualifier. This is quite foundational stuff to first year and above Celtic Scholars, but is not generally well known outside of academia because the misinformation is quite strong. So if you read is far, diolch mawr and please share this with anyone you think might be interested in it. Any amount of knowledge of these things would greatly improve understanding of what it means to be Welsh and what it means to speak a Celtic language.

Lastly,

all of that begs us to ask the question:

What does it mean to claim nativeness in a Western European context?

More under the cut

What does it mean to claim nativeness in a Western European context? Especially in a Western Europe post-colonialism.

It means, to me, to claim what isn't our right to claim. To argue and make our points with language that isn't ours and isn't designed to be ours. That this language of indigeneity may sound appealing, but is it improper to use this terminology when our country was directly responsible for the atrocities in which this very language became relevant?

What do we do in response to the misinterpretation of our culture instead of relying on language of indigeneity? These are the questions I want to leave you with and invite you to share your thoughts on. How do we build a Wales which advocates for itself without relying upon inaccurate language which betrays a reliance upon the ahistorical to make its point?

What kind of Wales do we want to live in?

[disgruntled-welshgirl]

Nice to see Cymry on tumblr

The Welsh Viking is pretty cool! 

[solarg0blin]

Thinking about Ianto Jones' shrine in Cardiff.

Ianto Jones, a fictional character from a spin-off show that aired 2006-2011. It's all fancy and official.

No one can beat the Welsh at being Completely Normal™ about Guys From Shows. No one.

[lesbiansandgayssupporttheminers]

This is good stuff. We should also take "the duchy" back.

Fuck the king.

[transitofmercury]

ALSO BEHIND EVERY GOOD SHIP: some degree of ability to pull off an Anastasia AU.

if I can see “conman accidentally returns the real princess to her family” somewhere in there, I’m on board (and let’s not forget how Atti got himself sent to Britain, that boy is not above a con)

[littlewelshnerd]

Incredibly niche post alert but I can’t stop thinking about Yma o Hyd as a queer anthem

Idk one of the drag queens at pride on Saturday said something about us still being here despite the bullshit and it stuck.

[creatrixcymraes]

Just read an infuriating article (nation.cymru) from some fella complaining that the resurgence of interest in Mari Lwyd is "cultural appropriation" and comparing Welsh people to Native Americans and I am just BEGGING for Y Cymry to pull their privileged white heads out of their asses and realise that folk tales and customs are meant to be shared

[llyfrenfys]

is cymry a neutral version of cymro/cymraes?

Cymry is technically the plural of cymro/cymraes, but in the absence of a neutral singular it'll suffice!

Can't think of any other vowel which'd work well at the end - cymrw, cymra, cymre, cymrei all sound a bit off to my ears.

[atapi]

i just got hit with a $600+ vet bill for my cat. might be more depending on what the vet finds. i am open to doing drawing requests for kofi donations

ko-fi.com/cymries

examples of what i can draw depend on the amount but range from the following images (depends on donation amount)

[furrgroup]

A cool treat on a hot day. (Commissioner's OCs, Cymry and Amelia)

[pherryt]

The Scouts Path

Fandom: Valdemar Ship: Skif/Wintermoon (With background Elspeth/Darkwind, mentioned past one sided Skif/Elspeth, mentioned past Skif/Nyara) Rating: M Wordcount: Chapter 1 - 1857 - Cymry POV Chapter 2 - 2655 - Skif POV Chapter 3 - 1483 - Wintermoon POV Chapter 4 - 3343 - Skif POV Chapter 5 - 1408 - Wintermoon POV Chapter 6 - 1049 - Skif POV Chapter 7 - 1962 - Wintermoon POV Chapter 8 - 1335 - Skif POV Chapter 9 - 1405 - Wintermoon POV Chapter 10 - 1220 - Skif POV Chapter 11 - 1606 - Wintermoon POV Chapter 12 (Final) - 1112 - Skif POV Total Wordcount Posted: 20,435 Summary: What if Skif fell for the Hawkbrother Scout helping him find Nyara? What if Wintermoon found himself falling for an Outlander, despite all his reasons not to? And what if Nyara was just fine with all of that?

Basically a What If based on a reread of the books for the first time in years, seeing it in a new light and thinking there was more chemistry and interaction between Skif and Wintermoon than there ever was of Skif and Nyara.

[elen-benfelen]

welsh remus guide pt.2

Second Lesson

Wales vs Cymru

Wales is the English term for the country, deriving from an old Germanic term with a meaning along the lines of “foreigner” or “other”. Cymru is the Welsh term for the country, meaning something along the lines of “countrymen”.

Not to be confused with Cymry which is pronounced exactly the same but means “welsh people”.

To put in a phrase - The Cymry live in Cymru. Welsh - Cymraeg

The Welsh Language - Yr Iaith Gymraeg

Welsh Man/Person - Cymro

Welsh Woman - Cymraes

Cymro is technically masculine but can serve as a gender neutral term if you don’t want to use the plural Cymry. Welsh, like Spanish and many others, is quite gendered.

A Welsh speaking Welsh person might refer to themselves, especially if they’re first language, as a “Cymry Cymraeg” which sounds silly in English as “Welsh Welsh” lmao. If my Mam were to tell me “Arwen is a Cymry Cymraeg” I would know that Arwen is a Welsh speaker. Alternatively you say the more literal “Siaradwr Cymraeg” (Welsh speaker) or “Dysgwr Cymraeg” (Welsh learner).

Side note: These days, there’s a lot of discussion over how labels influence identity. So there’s lots of debates over going by Cymru in official capacities and such, however dw you are not committing any mistakes or hate crimes by using “Wales” or “Welsh”. You are however, definitely an asshole if you criticise a Welsh person’s decision to personally only use “Cymru” or “Cymraeg”.

Next up is a quick guide to the alphabet/sounds before finally, the main meal: slang and terms of endearment

Note: I am not the collective consciousness of every Welsh person. My experience is not universal - especially when it comes to North Walian things. This is just meant to serve as a general guide. Hope this helps and good luck with your writing!

pt.3

[ashs-nerd-den]

Can someone please explain to Spotify that the Gaelic languages are not the same

Image ID: 2 albums recommended to me by Spotify because I was listening to a rock band as Gaeilge, titled "Cân y Cymry" and "Scotify"

Does Spotify actually think that Gaeilge, Scots, and Cymraeg are the same languages? I don't speak Scots or Cymraeg, the only times that I have ever heard them are in Ms.PunnyPenny's Scots word of the day, and when that Dheanasour fella on Instagram made a joke about being the Welsh winter soldier.

Anyways, I'm making a list of singers and bands that preform as Gaeilge for each genre that I can think of, if you want anyone added to the list, let me know

[mothvalleys]

I know it isn’t for another couple of hours, but dydd gŵyl Dewi hapus!!!!! here are my favourite cymry brothers in some traditional clothing because i love projecting<3 fulls under the cut!

Dw i’n caru cymru iawn, and i am COMMITTED to becoming fluent yn gymraeg. I’ll make it happen. It’s a beautiful language and it’s so important young people make an effort to keep it, along with cymraeg culture, alive!!!! I love this country very much and am very proud to be cymraes :))) Some may say i am Too patriotic but its okay ^^; As i said, have a good day!! whether you’re cymry/celebrating or not. If you’re not though, it’s worth noting you do owe me money :P /silly

[ladybrainrot]

any other welsh hetalia fans out there ?? please fellow cymry i need you in this time of need

[lunaxlee]

Abelot - The Heart of Initerra

Bot Link | Main Bot Link | Series Plot

I highly recommend going to the Main Bot for context first.

Story

Your identity as the Heart of Initerra has been shared across Phibros via Nolin’s gleeful plight towards the sun after you give them strength. Empress Cymry ordered for your capture so that she has the power of the Heart. The Droubet army protects you, and the Knight Captain Abelot becomes your shield.

CONTENT WARNINGS

topics regarding war, mentions of murder. Sexual themes: user eggpreg, oviposition.

If you see a copy of this bot in any other site that is not JanitorAI, or a copy of the bot in JAI itself, please report it and DM me.

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