Luke's main (for @llyfrenfys) | The blog formerly known as llyfrau-enfys / lledr-neidr-lleidr | he/him fe/ei
88 posts
Latest Posts by y-ddraig-arian - Page 2
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE
Cymru Queers for Palestine disrupting and leading the Cardiff Pride Parade, Saturday 22nd June by Hannah Tottle
aderyn-marw for now - might change it again, we'll see
Gonna change my url since it's too similar to my sideblog's url and it can be confusing
Gonna change my url since it's too similar to my sideblog's url and it can be confusing
So I have 20 books on international politics and military history which I don't need. Would any UK folks following me be interested in any of these books for £5 each plus postage (unless you're also in Aberystwyth)?
Topics of books: World Security, Soviet-Afghan War, Suez Crisis, World War II (British, USSR and German), Soviet Union, World War I (Western Front), 20th Century alternate history, psychology of combat and Classical History.
Please reblog so someone who might need these books can see this post. They're all very good for any Interpol undergraduates
Disabled trans author (me) in financial worry zone
Prynhawn da pawb
I'm making this post to keep you all updated with what is happening in my life and where I'm at currently. There's no need for panic just yet, but things are more tenuous than they were before and I hope by explaining what has happened I can keep you all in the loop regarding everything.
So, first things first - I was in A&E last month due to suffering a shock (which I would prefer not to talk about at this time). Suffice to say, this shock was so intense that it caused the knock-on effect of my body entering a state of ketoacidosis caused by involuntary starvation. You can read more about what happened to me in this reblog which I posted earlier.
The ordeal caused me to need to take anti-nausea medication for a while before I ate in order to be able to stomach anything. Thankfully I am able to eat normally again now.
However, I didn't have long to recover from this ordeal before some more bad news came my way. Due to a change in circumstances, I will need to move house at some point this year (ideally as soon as is humanly achievable, which could still be several months) into a smaller flat than the one I'm currently living in. House moves are costly and to make matters worse, more bad news this week.
It looks like I will become unemployed by the end of the month. I'm already looking for some more part-time work, with a few options lined up. But none are guaranteed unless I am successful as a candidate for these jobs.
Which means I'm going to be living on remaining student loan funds in order to pay rent (hence the need to move to a cheaper flat as soon as humanly possible - which could be several months from now. My remaining student loan is *only just* enough to be able to cover this. I'm hopeful I will be able to find part-time employment somewhere - however, the jobs I am applying for don't quite offer enough hours to fully pay for rent as it stands, therefore I'm going to be promoting my patreon for creator support purposes a bit more in order to help me get through this difficult time.
I already can't thank patrons enough for helping me afford a dental mouthguard earlier this year to protect my teeth from my bruxism. If anyone has anything to spare - even in the short term, this will go directly to keeping a roof over my head and food in my fridge. Once I'm able to move house, costs should come right down and hopefully things will be much smoother sailing. But until then, please share this post or donate to my patreon or tip me on tumblr if you are able.
Diolch yn fawr iawn i chi gyd
Luke
Photo of the beach at Aberystwyth I took yesterday for tax:
Disabled trans author (me) in financial worry zone
Prynhawn da pawb
I'm making this post to keep you all updated with what is happening in my life and where I'm at currently. There's no need for panic just yet, but things are more tenuous than they were before and I hope by explaining what has happened I can keep you all in the loop regarding everything.
So, first things first - I was in A&E last month due to suffering a shock (which I would prefer not to talk about at this time). Suffice to say, this shock was so intense that it caused the knock-on effect of my body entering a state of ketoacidosis caused by involuntary starvation. You can read more about what happened to me in this reblog which I posted earlier.
The ordeal caused me to need to take anti-nausea medication for a while before I ate in order to be able to stomach anything. Thankfully I am able to eat normally again now.
However, I didn't have long to recover from this ordeal before some more bad news came my way. Due to a change in circumstances, I will need to move house at some point this year (ideally as soon as is humanly achievable, which could still be several months) into a smaller flat than the one I'm currently living in. House moves are costly and to make matters worse, more bad news this week.
It looks like I will become unemployed by the end of the month. I'm already looking for some more part-time work, with a few options lined up. But none are guaranteed unless I am successful as a candidate for these jobs.
Which means I'm going to be living on remaining student loan funds in order to pay rent (hence the need to move to a cheaper flat as soon as humanly possible - which could be several months from now. My remaining student loan is *only just* enough to be able to cover this. I'm hopeful I will be able to find part-time employment somewhere - however, the jobs I am applying for don't quite offer enough hours to fully pay for rent as it stands, therefore I'm going to be promoting my patreon for creator support purposes a bit more in order to help me get through this difficult time.
I already can't thank patrons enough for helping me afford a dental mouthguard earlier this year to protect my teeth from my bruxism. If anyone has anything to spare - even in the short term, this will go directly to keeping a roof over my head and food in my fridge. Once I'm able to move house, costs should come right down and hopefully things will be much smoother sailing. But until then, please share this post or donate to my patreon or tip me on tumblr if you are able.
Diolch yn fawr iawn i chi gyd
Luke
Photo of the beach at Aberystwyth I took yesterday for tax:
“this is just facebook poking but with paws” okay AND???? get booped idiot
Do you know any free and/or online resources to learn Welsh?
Hello @runin-reads Just getting round to this ask now but there's a few things I know of which might help. Followers feel free to add on any more as well!
Resources:
Free Welsh coursebooks from DysguCymraeg available to download on their website
Free collection of Welsh dictionaries available to view on The Internet Archive
Cysill and Cysgeir are free to download here. Cysill is a Welsh grammar checker that checks for correct spelling, mutations etc. Cysgeir is a Welsh dictionary app. Both were developed by Bangor University and are free to download on Windows.
Gweiadur is a free online Welsh dictionary which not only has a comprehensive guide to Welsh words, but also provides example sentences, idioms and conjugation tables.
Followers add on any more if you can think of any!
Y llyfr heddiw yw 'Don't Ask About My Genitals' gan Owen Exie Hurcum, a gyhoeddwyd yn 2022.
Mae'r llyfr hwn yn torri tir newydd mewn cyhoeddi anneuaidd. Disgrifiodd Hurcum ei mhlentyndod* fel person dirywedd a rhyweddgwiar (dan yr ymbarél anneuaidd). Yn benodol y anneuffobia a thrawsffobia mewn cymdeithas. Er enghraifft, y cwestiwn trawsffobig "Pa organau cenhedlu sydd gennyt ti**?" yw'r ysbrydoliaeth teitl y llyfr.
Darllenais rywfaint o'r llyfr hwn, ond nid wyf wedi ei orffen eto.
[*Rhagenwau Hurcum yw ei/nhw (they/them yn Saesneg), felly mae'r treiglad trwynol yn dangos ei fod yn niwtral (ddim yn wrywaidd nac yn fenywaidd).
**Nid oes unrhyw drawsffobwyr neu anneufobwyr yn gofyn y cwestiwn hwn gyda pharch, felly ysgrifennais 'ti' ac nid 'chi'.]
Ydych chi wedi darllen y llyfr hwn?
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Today's book is 'Don't Ask About My Genitals' by Owen Exie Hurcum, published in 2022.
This book breaks new ground in non-binary publishing. In it, Hurcum described their childhood as an agender and genderqueer person (under the non-binary umbrella). With a focus on exorsexism(1) and transphobia in society. For example, the transphobic question "What genitals do you have?" serves as the inspiration for the book's title.
I read some of this book, but I haven't finished it yet.
[*Hurcum's pronouns are they/them, so the nasal mutation in the Welsh shows that the ei pronoun is neutral (neither masculine nor feminine ei).
**No transphobes or exorsexists ask this question respectfully, so I wrote 'ti' and not 'chi'.
(1) exorsexism = one of many terms for anti-nonbinary predjudice].
Have you read this book?
Y llyfr heddiw yw 'Geiriadur Termau' gan Jac L. Williams, a gyhoeddwyd yn 1973.
Mae'r llyfr hwn yn bwysig iawn ar gyfer terminoleg LGBT+ yn yr iaith Gymraeg. Crëwyd y geiriadur ar gyfer addysg Gymraeg mewn amrywiol bynciau, er enghraifft: Daearyddiaeth, Mathemateg, Bioleg, Ffiseg, Addysg Gorfforol ayyb. Ar gyfer rhai o'r pynciau, crëwyd termau newydd fel 'lesbiad' a 'deuryw', 'lesbian' a 'bisexual' yn Saesneg.
Flwyddyn yn ôl, roedd y geiriau hyn yn 50 oed.
Ydych chi wedi darllen y llyfr hwn?
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Today's book is 'Geiriadur Termau' by Jac L. Williams, published in 1973.
This book is very important for LGBT+ terminology in the Welsh language. The dictionary was created for Welsh education in various subjects, for example: Geography, Mathematics, Biology, Physics, Physical Education etc. For some of the subjects, new terms were created such as 'lesbiad' and 'deuryw', 'lesbian' and 'bisexual' in English.
A year ago, these words were 50 years old.
Have you read this book?
Y llyfr heddiw yw 'A Little Gay History' gan R.B. Parkinson, a gyhoeddwyd yn 2013.
Mae'r llyfr hwn yn gasgliad o enghreifftiau o hanes LHDT+. O'r Oes Efydd yn Ewrop i Edo Japan - mae'r llyfr hwn yn dangos cariad hoyw a rhywedd amrywiol yn hanes y byd.
Prynais y llyfr hwn o'r hyfryd Gayberystwyth Books - siop lyfrau hoyw a lleol yn Aberystwyth!
Ydych chi wedi darllen y llyfr hwn?
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Today's book is 'A Little Gay History' by R.B. Parkinson, published in 2013.
This book is a collection of examples of LGBT+ history. From Bronze Age Europe to Edo Japan - this book shows gay and gender diverse love within world history.
I bought this book from the lovely Gayberystwyth Books - a local gay bookshop in Aberystwyth!
Have you read this book?
Y llyfr heddiw yw 'Queer Sex' gan Juno Roche, a gyhoeddwyd yn 2018.
Mae'r llyfr hwn yn gasgliad o gyfweliadau rhwng Roche a phobl drawsryweddol eraill. Testun y cyfweliadau yw 'rhyw cwiar' - y ffyrdd o gael rhyw pan yn drawsryweddol. Mae pob cyfweliad yn y llyfr yn ddiddorol iawn!
Ydych chi wedi darllen y llyfr hwn?
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Today's book is 'Queer Sex' by Juno Roche, published in 2018.
This book is a collection of interviews between Roche and other transgender people. The topic of the interviews is 'queer sex' - the ways of having sex when transgender. Each interview in the book is very interesting!
Have you read this book?
Y llyfr heddiw yw 'GENDERqUEER' a olygwyd gan Joan Nestle, Clare Howell a Riki Wilchins, a gyhoeddwyd yn 2002.
Mae'r llyfr hwn yn casgliad o draethodau rhyweddgwiar. Defnyddiwyd rhyweddgwiar yn y 1990au a'r 2000au i olygu unrhyw un yn croesi normau rhywedd - cydryweddol neu drawsryweddol, bwtsh neu ffem, wrywaidd neu fenywaidd, deuaidd neu anneuaidd - y ddau ac y naill na'r llall. Yn ddiweddar, mae'r term wedi dod yn olygu dim ond anneuaidd, ond mae'r term mewn gwirionedd yn ymbarél mawr. Mae'r traethodau'n ddisgrifio trawsnewid menyw i ddyn, rhyw lesbiaidd, menywod bwtsh, rhyw hoyw cyntaf, dysfforia rhywedd ac yn y blaen.
Dyma'r llyfr yn bwysig iawn imi - rwy'n ddyn traws ac yn rhyweddgwiar fy hun!
Ydych chi wedi darllen y llyfr hwn?
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Today's book is 'GENDERqUEER' edited by Joan Nestle, Clare Howell and Riki Wilchins, published in 2002.
This book is a collection of genderqueer essays. Genderqueer was used in the 1990s and 2000s to mean anyone crossing gender norms - cisgender or transgender, butch or femme, male or female, binary or nonbinary - both, or neither. Lately, the term has come to mean just nonbinary, but the term is actually a huge umbrella. The essays describe female-to-male transition, lesbian sex, butch women, first gay sex, gender dysphoria and so on
. This book is very important to me - I'm a trans man and genderqueer myself!
Have you read this book?
Y llyfr heddiw yw 'Transgender Warriors' gan Leslie Feinberg, a gyhoeddwyd yn 1996.
Roedd y llyfr hwn yn arloesol yn ei amser ar gyfer ei gasgliad o hanes traws. Bu farw Leslie Feinberg yn 2014, ond mae effaith o ei ngwaith sîe* yn enfawr. Mae Feinberg yn ysgrifennu ar y Helyntion Beca ac enghreifftiau eraill groeswisgo mewn hanes (tudalen 75). Mae sî'n arloeswr mewn hanes trawsryweddol yn fy marn i!
Ydych chi wedi darllen y llyfr hwn?
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Today's book is 'Transgender Warriors' by Leslie Feinberg, published in 1996.
This book was groundbreaking in its time for its collection of trans history. Leslie Feinberg died in 2014, but the impact of hir work is huge. Feinberg writes on the Rebecca Riots and other examples of cross-dressing in history (page 75). Zie is a pioneer of transgender history in my opinion!
Have you read this book?
[*Nodyn: Defnyddiodd Feinberg ragenwau zie/hir. Ysgrifennais y rhagenwau hyn fel 'sîe' yn y testun uchod, gyda 'sî'n' fel 'sîe' + yn. Mae 'hî'n' yn gweithio hefyd, ond mae'n edrych ac yn swnio fel y rhagenw benywaidd hi'n, felly defnyddiais 'sî'n'. Gweler hefyd: rhagenwau Cymraeg newydd 'sîe/sîr' yn fy erthygl yma: Rhagenwau Rhyfedd
/
Note: Feinberg used zie/hir pronouns. I wrote these pronouns as 'sîe' in the text above, with 'sî'n' as 'sîe' + yn. 'Hî'n' works as well, but it looks and sounds like the female pronoun hi'n, so I used 'sî'n'. See also: Welsh neopronouns 'sîe/sîr' in my article here: Rhagenwau Rhyfedd**]
Y llyfr heddiw yw 'Trans Britain' a olygwyd gan Christine Burns, a gyhoeddwyd yn 2018.
Mae'r llyfr hwn yn wych iawn ar gyfer astudio hanes pobl draws ym Mhrydain Fawr c. 1910-2018. Dyma lyfr gyda thraethodau gan lawer o bobl - e.e. Christine Burns, Fox Fisher, Jane Fae, Mark Rees, y Parch Christina Beardsley ayyb. Mae pob un yn hynod ddiddorol i ddarllen! Roedd y llyfr yn ddefnyddiol iawn ar gyfer fy ngwaith israddedig hefyd.
Ydych chi wedi darllen y llyfr hwn?
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Today's book is 'Trans Britain' edited by Christine Burns, published in 2018.
This book is brilliant for studying the history of trans people in Great Britain c. 1910-2018. This is a book with many essay contributions - e.g. Christine Burns, Fox Fisher, Jane Fae, Mark Rees, the Rev Christina Beardsley etc. All are fascinating reads! The book was very useful for my undergraduate work also.
Have you read this book?
Mis Hanes LHDT+ 2024 / LGBT+ History Month 2024
Mis Hanes LHDT+ Hapus 2024! Heddiw yw diwrnod olaf y mis, ond dwi'n dathlu’n hwyr gyda fy hoff lyfrau sy'n dylanwadu ar fy ngwaith.
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Happy LGBT+ History Month 2024! Today is the last day of the month, but I'm celebrating late with my favourite books that have influenced my work.
Y llyfr heddiw yw 'Understanding Trans Health' gan Ruth Pearce, a gyhoeddwyd yn 2018
Mae'r llyfr hwn yn hollbwysig i unrhyw un sy'n astudio pobl draws yn y DU yn yr 21ain Ganrif. Yn llawn hanes traws a meddygaeth draws, mae'r llyfr hwn yn disgrifio'r dirwedd feddygol y mae pobl draws a meddygon CHR yn ei hwynebu yn y presennol. Roedd y llyfr yn ddefnyddiol iawn ar gyfer fy ngwaith israddedig y llynedd.
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Today's book is 'Understanding Trans Health by Ruth Pearce', published 2018.
This book is essential for anyone studying trans people in the UK in the 21st Century. Full of trans history and trans medicine, this book describes the medical landscape that trans people and GIC doctors face presently. The book was very useful for my undergraduate work last year.
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Ydych chi wedi darllen y llyfr hwn? / Have you read this book?
I have bitten the Meta bullet and finally made a Facebook for Prosiect Llyfr Enfys. To be fair I was already on Instagram - but I'm aware that not everyone uses Instagram, Tumblr or Mastodon. So I have made a page which you can find here: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61556691514316.
It'd be much appreciated if people could share this with anyone who uses Facebook who might be interested in my project and maybe follow if you'd like to keep up with the project there. I'm nervous to share too much on Facebook because I've faced queerphobia directly relating to my project on there in the past, but I'm hopeful people who will find my project useful will be able to stumble across me somehow. Diolch o galon !
About:
About me: 23 yo trans man doing a postgraduate Mphil in Celtic Studies at Aberystwyth University - also writing an LGBTQ+ Welsh dictionary (see: @llyfrenfys sideblog)
Asks:
Asks welcome about my hobbies, interests and projects. Also in general (within reason).
Interests:
Linguistics, history, politics, Celtic Studies, language learning, watercolour painting, leathercraft, crochet, reenactment, sketching, steampunk, darksynth, retrowave, synth-goth, punk, prog rock, Muse, The Clash, dinosaurs, human prehistory gay and trans history.
Projects:
- Prosiect Llyfr Enfys (Welsh LGBTQ+ Dictionary) see: @llyfrenfys
- Postgraduate degree
Publications:
- Hanes LHDT+ Cymru blogs
- Celtic Students blog
Sideblogs:
- @llyfrau-enfys (main)
- @llyfrenfys (primary project blog)
- @siarad-mewn-tafodau (personal interests blog)
Other social media:
- Instagram: @llyfr_enfys
- Mastodon: @llyfraublaidd@toot.wales
Noswaith dda! I'm still taking a break from most work on Llyfr Enfys for the remainder of the month due to health issues - but I've teamed up with The GNC Network to publish another chapter from my dissertation on their carrd (link in their Instagram bio @transgnc_network_official). Big diolch to The GNC Network for publishing this next chapter. I hope you all enjoy it.
If you haven't seen, I'm offering a $1 tier on my Patreon (link in my bio) to help support me with dental care costs (see last post). So if you enjoy my work, please consider donating so I can afford to keep my teeth!
Happy reading pawb!
Plîs help me not lose my teeth
I never thought I'd have to make one of these, but I'm genuinely really struggling financially right now and will swallow my pride about asking for help.
As some of you may know, the NHS has been slowly gutted by the Tories, meaning that medical interventions which were formerly free/low cost and readily available are no longer available. As a result I'm having to pay £250 out of pocket for a mouth guard to protect my teeth from tooth grinding. I fell out of the NHS system a while ago when I became estranged, so have to go private.
I suffer from a tight tempomandibular joint (the muscles in my jaw) which causes teeth grinding (bruxism) at night. Stress and anxiety also worsen this. It's gotten to the point where it can hurt to talk or eat and the tooth grinding triggers my migraines due to the pressure caused by my jaw. My gums are also very sensitive and thin due to another medical condition and the grinding is making my teeth loose and gums bleed. I have no other option other than getting a mouth guard fitted - the cheapest option of which is £250.
So I'm creating a $1 Patreon tier for anyone who can spare it to help me cover the cost of my mouth guard. If you do donate, I really, really cannot thank you enough - losing my teeth is one of my biggest fears and I need to prevent that from happening, so thank you again if you can spare anything! If you would prefer, I also have tumblr tips enabled. If you cannot donate, please consider reblogging!
Diolch mawr for reading and thank you so much to everyone who has supported me - now or in the past.
Bore da Cymblr! Do you know how to describe your sexuality in Welsh?
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Bore da Cymblr! Ydych chi'n gwybod sut i ddisgrifio eich rhywioldeb yn Gymraeg?
Or write in the tags!
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Neu sgwennu yn y tagiau!
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?
Its a tough pill to swallow but we aren't free of British biases just because we are Welsh / speak Welsh. You have to do the work to actively remove these biases from how you approach the world.
Hating England isn't a substitute for freeing yourself of British arrogance. Unfortunately, if you're born on this island, you're gonna pick up some bad habits. And they are not bad habits unique to England either. Nor have they been imported from England. They can be and often are home grown.
Change starts with those of us who recognise our blind spots and actively work to remove them. If we don't, we risk falling into the same pitfalls of arrogance which we decry in our English neighbours.
Mari Lliwgar! (Mari Lwyd but colourful - and gay!)
Some more stills from my video of the Mari Lliwgar in all their glory! Technically this is a male horse's skull (so more of a March than a Mari) but I had a lot of fun putting them together!
Once I have more materials I'll make their getup a little more elaborate than it is now. Hope you enjoy and Nadolig Llawen
Thank you all for another year of Llyfr Enfys (a project to create an LGBT+ Welsh Dictionary). See you in 2024!
Mari Lliwgar! (Mari Lwyd but colourful - and gay!)
Some more stills from my video of the Mari Lliwgar in all their glory! Technically this is a male horse's skull (so more of a March than a Mari) but I had a lot of fun putting them together!
Once I have more materials I'll make their getup a little more elaborate than it is now. Hope you enjoy and Nadolig Llawen
Thank you all for another year of Llyfr Enfys (a project to create an LGBT+ Welsh Dictionary). See you in 2024!
Mari Lwyd mini-project teaser trailer! / Trelar 'teaser' i prosiect-bach Mari Lwyd
20th December / 20 Rhagfyr
Music/Cerddoriaeth: 'Fire' by/gan Vox Poetica
#marilwyd#yfarilwyd#wassail#wassailing#hobbyhorse#foryou#Welsh#Nadolig#nadoligllawen#Cymraeg
(last upload of this went a bit wrong. Thanks tumblr. But here it is again. Hopefully there'll be less issues this time)
[If you enjoyed this please consider leaving a like or sharing this to help a guy out. It will be much appreciated and helps support my project. Diolch!]
Translation of text:
/NEW DISCOVERY IN THE CAMBRIAN MOUNTAINS
/ LOCALS ARE UNSURE... PERHAPS IT IS A WILD MARI LWYD?
/ PEOPLE HAVE BEEN WARNED TO KEEP AWAY... HAVE *YOU* SEEN THE CREATURE YET?
Did they change the font on tumblr mobile for [username] reblogged [username]?
This has just occurred to me -
How would you folks feel about a survey asking for terms which you'd like to see Welsh equivalents for if there aren't already?
Something like a Google Form where you can suggest terms you would like to see translated. E.g. as far as I'm aware there's not yet terminology for detransitioning or retransitioning, for example.
New Dissertation Chapter! Read my newest dissertation chapter just released on the Association of Celtic Students' Blog
Mis Tachwedd Hapus pawb! I am happy to announce the publication of one of my next dissertation chapters on the Association of Celtic Students blog here:
This is my fourth dissertation chapter (the third will be released on my patreon next month) and focuses on the development of Welsh-language LGBTQ+ terminology during the AIDS crisis in the United Kingdom.
Feel free to contact me if you have any questions - either on here or at llyfrenfys@gmail.com.