Wool Waulking Display at the inaugural Outlander Day at Highland Folk Museum

Here's a wee video from our Outlander vaults, which shows the fantastic Wool Waulking ladies at the Highland Folk Museum in Newtonmore, September 2015!
Here they are giving us a wee taste of authentic historical Wool Waulking, which will be so familiar to fans of the Outlander Series!
The Highland Folk Museum, where this footage was shot, was also a Season One location, used in Episode 5 'Rent'! Enjoy!

[@vanleeuwenhoek]

I imagine that most of the organizational acumen of work parties and hunting parties since prehistory was in the rhythm of song that allowed the clockwork coordination of individuals operating within it to achieve some kind of greater machine.

[@willowravenwright5518]

This is wonderful... but in a way, it makes me somewhat sad. These wonderful traditions dying out with these lovely old woman. I hope there are some younger ladies who will teach this to their daughters, and so on, so these will not die out.

[@eilidhf4988]

Actually there is quite a vibrant community celebrating these traditions and keeping them alive. The Gàidhealtachd (Highlands community) extends around the world with people from all cultures and languages and ages. In many ways, it is a contemporary culture.

[@seirbhiseach]

@@eilidhf4988 And yet the more it becomes the worlds the less it becomes ours. We rely on the universal appreciation of such cultural elements to preserve them and become content to not engage in it ourselves or take any kind of ownership of it as our own.

[@tillik1004]

@@seirbhiseach Exactly, it shouldn't be appropriated as "contemporary culture" when it's Scottish culture. No American Indian ceremony or cultural tradition would ever be called "Contemporary culture" or promoted as something everyone should lay claim to.

[@seirbhiseach]

@@tillik1004 Precisely my thoughts. What I cannot understand is how people can so openly encourage other groups to take ownership and even gatekeep their own culture, but whore their culture out to popular culture and mass media for the sake of “representation” and exposing the masses to it. The whole mindset is contradictory no matter how you argue for it because of conflicting views oftentimes held by some that believe that

[@tillik1004]

@@seirbhiseach Some White people are ridiculously disrespectful of their own culture and traditions, it's the internalized form of Anti-Whiteism.

[@Makestuff227]

The old school. Masters of the craft.

[@OutlandishJourneys]

Indeed, they're fantastic! :)

[@mimimonster]

I just learned about this. So interesting!

[@OutlandishJourneys]

Thanks for tuning in! More content coming soon! :)

[@TweetyPAK7]

Beautiful! Hope the traditions are kept alive!

[@donnaknudson7296]

It's like a happy chanting meditation! I could imagine getting into an altered state doing this!

[@Laurala_Lala]

Beautiful video, so fascinating how they did this

[@OutlandishJourneys]

Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for tuning in! :)

[@MorrisonScotch]

Beautiful Ladies, beautiful tune.

[@OutlandishJourneys]

Indeed! They're fantastic! :)

[@sheilamayer3543]

I wish I could have participated in waulking party! Looks like they had fun! It appears to me that they did not actually full the wool; the fabric was dry and so was the table. I think it was a demonstration only, to show what a waulking was like, not to really do the fulling.

[@OutlandishJourneys]

Yes, this was merely a demonstration for the Outlander Day at the Highland Folk Museum...some of these ladies actually featured in the Outlander TV Series! :)

[@sheilamayer3543]

Outlandish Journeys ; Goodness, so some of these ladies are film stars! 😀 It sure looks like fun!

[@AlistairMorton-nn2gx]

@@sheilamayer3543 Well, considering that urine was one of the liquids used for walking the tweed, it might not have been much fun at all and the singing was the only bright spot in an arduous and rather smelly day, lol.

[@martinjenkins8270]

Times have changed and maybe not all for the better

[@elsagrace3893]

I see what they are doing but I don’t understand how it is having any effect on the fabric. Where is the force being applied?

[@OutlandishJourneys]

Hi, this was just a basic demonstration to show that process of Wool Waulking...normally the wool would have been soaked in urine and the beating process (in addition to the chemical processes from the urine) would have thickened and softened the wool, as well as making the dyes fast. Luckily for the ladies (and for us spectators! Lol!), there was no urine used...so not a completely true demonstration...but the singing provided some great atmosphere. Thanks for watching and have a great day! :)

[@TheBlondiesNr1]

It's not about force but rather agitation. Think about what happens when you put a wool sweater in the washing mashine. It shrinks, i gets tighter, softer and it gets a "halo". The combination of the soap and water opening up the scales on the fibers and the agitation making them latch on to eachother and stick. If they were doing it for real the fabric would be soaking wet.

[@melodyfleck9368]

I like the song and showing how it's done, but isn't the wool supposed to be wet?

[@jeanrobinson705]

Yes, but if they were doing several demonstrations each day, wetting and waulking the same length of tweed wouldn't be very pleasant.

[@Paiadakine]

What are they doing? Are they softening the cloth when they push it back and forth on the table?

[@lynnevenson7873]

They are fulling it, meaning they are pounding the knitted cloth so it’ll become more dense. Eventually, it’ll be super warm and very nearly wind- and waterproof. Typically, this process is done with soap and water; in the interest of keeping the participants dry and neat :), it’s done dry.

[@susanapol382]

Softening the cloth, bonding together, preserving the tradition...

[@Paiadakine]

@@lynnevenson7873 So the this is a washing process in actuality? Does the cloth then shrink making is more dense and does the soap somehow make more waterproof?

[@davemac5599]

Rip ms Ann Smart, you will be missed and never forgotten, you touched a lot of people lives. I have no words, love you Ann.

[@ЮрийЗагорский-я8х]

Старые традиции хранятся стариками. И старушками...

[@carolyndennis9332]

Did they use urine!?

[@Fransubsss]

Song's name? please u.u

[@thecharliecharmander]

not sure about the first song when they're rolling the cloth, but the second - when they start pounding the cloth - is Mo Nighean Donn ("My Brown-Haired Daughter") and the third/last is Dh'eirich Mi Moch Madainn Cheitein (which is think means "I awoke one May Morning"). There's a lovely rendition of the last one by Kathleen MacInnes :)

[@Fransubsss]

@@thecharliecharmander THANK YOUU ❤️❤️

[@annd.h.1336]

Please tell me they don't use urine anymore

[@keithdonald7429]

Ann D.H. No there just taking the piss

[@rosieaudios6749]

@@keithdonald7429 😂😂😂

[@hiobization]

Ofcourse they use it :*

[@shawnofdanaukota3843]

@@hiobizationUgh that’s disgusting

[@tillik1004]

Do you see any urine in this video or anyone talking about urine?

[@caimaccoinnich9594]

It's so sad that they're all older. Young people can't do it anymore.

[@OutlandishJourneys]

Those ladies are masters at their craft and yes, hopefully some of the younger generation will follow their lead? :)

[@bmolitor615]

Anyone can re-enact, which is what they are doing.

[@isaac_aren]

The one on the right needs to step up her game lol

[@Viewer-12310]

Hmmmm look at the state of dress and bodily appearance of the observers, disgraceful...what has happened to our appearance these times, we’ve definitely deteriorated..should be ashamed of ourselves...we all need to step up our game.

[@mothratemporalradio517]

Casual dress is fine. They are comfortable and look fine. It is probably a fair, not a formal event and they would likely dress differently for a concert. Interestingly enough they are unlikely to be wearing wool.

[@Viewer-12310]

@@mothratemporalradio517 I disagree with you on that..if you watch film from the past people were deffinately dressed better..and body form (weight) wasn't such an issue many years ago..we have no self control when it comes to eating and eating vast amounts of food which we know have consequences for health, but still we do it..and just wear any clothes these days with no care of appearance..no, In my opinion we have regresed in many ways..you may say we live longer but that is only because of medication..in actual fact we are way more unhealthy that previous generations..

[@arinabaranova2485]

Seriously? What is beautiful about stinky and dirty urine soaked wool? It's disgusting!

[@bmolitor615]

@@Viewer-12310 You're a delight. So superior. Keep on sneering.

[@catherinewilliams3850]

@@Viewer-12310 Well said Iagree.