Gunns are best thought of as the original, non-related inhabitants of northern, mainland Scotland. They do not have an Orkney Islands origin. Gunns should not be viewed as a Clan as they had no founding ancestor and there was never an historic 'Clan Gunn Chief.' The first Gunn known to history was Coroner Gunn of Caithness who died around 1450. His eldest son started the MacHamish Gunns of Killernan line - many descendants from that line exist all around the world. In other words, the MacHamish line is not extinct as some believe and significant detail on this MacHamish line is included in the text. For a more detailed version of Gunn history see my 'The Gunns: History, Myths and Genealogy'.
Here is a radical, academically based text which demolishes the myths currently masquerading as Gunn 'history'. Gunns are best thought of as the original, non-related inhabitants of northern, mainland Scotland. They do not have an Orkney Islands origin. Gunns should not be viewed as a clan as they had no founding ancestor. There was never an historic 'Clan Gunn Chief'. The first Gunn known to history was Coroner Gunn of Caithness who died around 1450. His eldest son started the MacHamish Gunns of Killernan line - many descendants from that line exist all around the world. Major detail on this MacHamish line is included. This book is an important addition to Scottish Highland history.
Kenn returns to the Highlands of his youth, back to the river which has haunted his dreams since boyhood. Determined to walk all the way back to its source, Kenn embarks on a journey that will lead him deep into the wilderness of his own heart. Profound and moving, Highland River is a stirring tale of what is lost and what endures, and the unexpected ways we can be renewed.
"A gripping account of a fascinating woman and the role she played in the shaping of America."—TONY HILLERMAN AMERICA'S FOUNDING MOTHER In striking counterpoint to the conventional account, Pocahontas is a bold biography that tells the extraordinary story of the beloved Indian maiden from a Native American perspective. Dr. Paula Gunn Allen, the acknowledged founder of Native American literary studies, draws on sources often overlooked by Western historians and offers remarkable new insights into the adventurous life and sacred role of this foremost American heroine. Gunn Allen reveals why so many have revered Pocahontas as the female counterpart to the father of our nation, George Washington. "This first-rate biography of Pocahontas, one of the most important and elusive women in American history, ought to be required reading."—N. SCOTT MOMADAY, author of the Pulitzer Prize—winning House Made of Dawn "A fascinating study of the life and times of one of the most famous and at the same time least-known American women. I urge everyone to read this great eye-opener and monumental work."—ROBERT J. CONLEY, author of Sequoyah "Nothing less than a watershed event in the historiography of the Americas—not to mention one of the wittiest and wisest biographies I have ever read."—THE NEW YORK SUN "Gunn Allen attempts to place Pocahontas firmly in her Algonquin world and tell her story honoring the oral tradition of which Pocahontas was a part."—CLEVELAND PLAIN DEALER "[In] Ms. Allen's spirited revision, [she] insists that Pocahontas cannot be understood except within an Algonquin Indian context."—WALL STREET JOURNAL "[F]ascinating and provocative . . . [Gunn Allen's] book gives powerful insight into the relationship between Native Americans, American colonists, and the British."—TIKKUN
Columbus discovered America. So they say. But what of Leif Ericsson? What of St. Brendan? Who inscribed that anguished message on the Kensington Rune Stone? And who was The Westford Knight? We are sure that Columbus made it to San Salvador – and back. And the Icelandic Saga shores up faith in Leif Ericsson’s voyage to North America, although scholarly opinion of the Vinland map seems to change every 10 years or so. St. Brendan’s adventure has been pretty generally dismissed as mere myth- as if myth could not be rooted in truth. And the case of the Kensington Rune Stone continues to generate controversy, despite an impressive accumulation of evidence, both environmental and linguistic. And then there is the Westford Knight. In 1954, the late Frank Glynn uncovered the figure of a knight in full armor incised on a slab of glacial rock along a roadside in Westford, Massachusetts. The Knight’s helmet, sword and shield all date to a specific decade in the evolution of armor and arms. And the emblem on the shield represents the armorial bearings of Clan Gunn, a noble family based in Scotland’s County Caithness. The figure is, in fact, a classic military effigy, a type of monument commonly found in ancient gravesites in Scotland and in the north of England. So what was the Knight doing here? Facts cited in this little book suggest that The Westford Knight sailed westward with his high-born kinsman, Henry Sinclair, baron of Rosslyn and Earl of Orkney, in the service of The Lady King. The author presents the evidence: THESE STONES BEAR WITNESS. The verdict is for the reader to decide.
Authoritative and original, Dreams of the Hmong Kingdom is among the first works of its kind, exploring the influence that French colonialism and Hmong leadership had on the Hmong people's political and social aspirations.
Known as the Barbarian, Magnar MacAlpin is a fierce ruler for those under his command. As leader of the Wolves of Clan Sutherland, his loyalty and obedience lies with Scotland. However, the king's last demand is not something Magnar will tolerate. After Elspeth Gunn's brother the Chieftain of Castle Steinn is murdered, she flees with her nephew, and finds safety amongst a band of men who are rumored to be part wolf. When the king forces her to wed a heathen Northman, she fears losing her heart and soul not only to the man, but the beast as well. In order to restore peace to a shattered clan, Magnar and Elspeth travel a treacherous path that challenges their beliefs. When evil seeks to destroy ancient traditions, will Magnar be compelled to restrain his wolf or allow him free to protect those he loves?
