Before and After Project

As Gulliver is not apart of the society of the bird throughout the majority of the show, for her Before and After Project Jayme was tasked to use some form of creativity to show the before as Gulliver's life in the city and the after as her dream life with the birds. To do this, Jayme chose to paint Gulliver's feelings towards the city for her before and then for her after she painted three blooming trees that signify Gulliver's life as she blossoms into what she belongs as, a bird.

Before

After

Character Analysis

Gulliver

(referenced with a relation Gulliver from Gulliver’s travels)

In Gulliver’s Travels, the protagonist can be perceived as intelligent and well-educated but gullible and naive. These traits mirror my character in the Birds. In the show he is Jack’s temp, the lesser dominant in the duo they share.As Gulliver begins to make his own decisions as the show goes on, he/she grows an independent strength that proves worthy of him to stay. His naivete transforms into a hearty hope that developed the longer he lived among the birds. He becomes ready to move forward, transformed from who he once was.

In Yvette Nolan’s adaptation from Aristophanes classic Greek comedy, she heavily focuses on the history of colonization. Colonization is the action or process of establishing control and/or settling among indigenous people of an area. This is the selfish act of appropriating a place or domain for one’s use without thinking of the earlier inhabitants. She makes this the underlying theme of Jack and Gulliver’s story as they leave their cities behind to seek a new life in a land inhabited by birds. They are migrating to this new place to escape the bonds of where they previously were. (birds migrate see what I did there)

What bird would Gulliver be? What is his/her essence?

Yvette Nolan made no mistake in having Gulliver portrayed as a Loon. In the beginning, Gulliver acts as an awkward fish out of water- meak, submissive, clumsy, and a little goofy. Once he’s in the thick of the Birds’ culture (his water) he begins to soar, to find himself and to mature into his true form. A leader. A loon is an inside leader according to the Anishinaabe clans. Loons ride the waves, and in the clan are given the responsibility of settling internal issues within the community. This mantle falls on Gulliver, the inside leader. The land of the Birds reawakened his dreams, hopes, and can now call it his home. The species, Loon, are also known to be quite territorial which reflects how protective Gulliver is of his new home. Only one pair is found on a lake, Gulliver is the only one of his kind and portrays himself as a protector, a leader.

Bird Research

Loon

(note: loons don’t taste good so don’t eat me please thank you)

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/c/common-loon/#close

Location: loons are migratory birds which breed in forested lakes and large ponds in North America as well as parts of Greenland and Iceland. They winter all along North America’s Pacific and Atlantic coasts and in Europe.

Climate Preference: Loon return to forested areas that contain lakes and rivers in the spring, and they spend winter along the Atlantic, Pacific, Gulf coasts.

LINK: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/as-climate-change-looms-bad-news-for-loons/

Food: Their primary diet consists of fresh and saltwater fish. Juveniles of this bird species will surround their diet around crustaceans- especially crayfish and aquatic vertebrates.

Life Span: They are “long-lived” birds. The oldest common loon is said to have lived to 25 years, but their lifespan may be up to 30+.

Family Layout:

Home: Loons nest in quiet, protected, hidden spots on the lakeshore, typically in the lee of the island or in a sheltered back bay. Loons can't walk well on land , so nests are built close to a bank, often with a steep dropoff that allows the bird to enter from underwater.

A group of loons can be called the following: a raft, a waterdance, a cry, and an asylum.

Nest materials: Their nests are primarily made out of vegetation on the edge of an island, bog mat, log, or even a rock , adjacent to deep water. This enables the loon to slip into the water virtually invisible and unnoticed if danger threatens. Their nests are large bulky bowls of vegetation as pictured below:

Different Types (colors): https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Common_Loon/id#

North America is home to 5 types of Loons: The Red-Throated, The Pacific, The Arctic, The Yellow-Billed, and the Common Loon. Male and female loon share the same color plumage- making them nearly impossible to tell apart.

Temperament: Loons are extremely territorial and generally only one pair is found on a lake. Though common loons may look harmless, the territorial bird will fiercely attack any interlopers to their freshwater habitat. They aren’t uniquely savage, they just protect as any other bird would do.

Andy- check this bizarre article I found: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2020/05/why-loon-stabbed-bald-eagle-heart/

Symbolism (does it mean something in other cultures?): The common loon has been featured predominantly in Native American cultures. In Sioux and Lakota legends it plays a role in recreating the Post-Diluvian world. The spirit of the North, Northern Tribes, shows the loon to symbolize the wildness of the North. “It symbolizes a wildness that many of us, trapped in an ever more-urbanized society , long for from the depths of our souls.”

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/spirit-of-the-north-the-common-loon/#:~:text=The%20loon%20symbolizes%20the%20wildness,recreating%20the%20post%2Ddiluvian%20world.

In the script, Gulliver dresses as a loon. Common loons are agile that participate in “fast underwater chases”. Eagle calls him, “little loon”. Loons are, after the eagle, the commonly most celebrated bird in America. “There are many Native American legends about common loons. And to this day the Inuit legally hunt over 4,500 a year for subsistence. Loon populations are currently stable, but a number of threats loom, including human encroachment and pollution.” - National Geographic

Loons are known to symbolize tranquility, serenity, and the reawakening of old hopes, wishes and dreams. They rely on water and water is a symbol for dreams and multiple layers/levels of consciousness. Loons teach us to follow our hopes, wishes, and dreams wherever they may lead us. *bird land* They are named the “Loon” after their clumsy appearance as they walk on land. Loon means: silly or foolish person.

The Anishnaabe have 7 clans: Crane, Loon, Bear, Fish, Marten, Dear, and Bird.

https://www.saulttribe.com/history-a-culture/our-culture/102-dodems

https://ojibwe.lib.umn.edu/main-entry/doodem-nad

Loons and Cranes are said to be “leaders” see the above links. The clan, Eagle, was added later.

An Anishnaabe Reader, relayed that, “Loon Clan: When you look at a loon out on the water, you can see it riding the waves, and diving into the water to see what is happening underneath. Because of this behavior the Loon is known as the ‘Inside Chief’, and Loons are responsible for settling internal issues within the community.” (Pages 24-26)

https://onlc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/An-Anishinaabe-Reader.pdf

Ornithologist Arthur Cleveland Bent observed: "The woodland lakes would be solitudes, indeed, did they lack the finishing touch to make the picture complete – the weird and mournful cry of the loon, as he calls to his mate or greets some new arrival. Who has ever paddled a canoe, or cast a fly, or pitched a tent in the north woods and has not stopped to listen to this wail of the wilderness? And what would the wilderness be without it?"

Loon Calls: https://abcbirds.org/bird/common-loon/

Lineage Research

Jayme's personal lineage:

Scottish on both sides: 43% and 55% -Supposedly, I’m related to a handmaid who dressed the queen of a certain scottish castle and it was passed down through my family.

While my roots are predominantly Scottish, I continue with the European ancestry with Northwestern Europe, England, Ireland, Germanic Europe, Norway, and Wales.

It is also said that my dad’s side is related to a knight, Sir Robert Lawrence and Lawrence of Arabia, Thomas Edward Lawrence. .

Continued Analysis on Lineage

History: The Romans first invaded Britain in 55 BC but did not launch a real and lasting invasion until AD 43. Some 30 years later they reached Scotland, when Julius Agricola launched his campaign in the north in the AD 70's. By both land and sea, it took only seven years for him to take control of much of Scotland.

Location: Scotland

Historically, they emerged from an amalgamation of two Celtic-speaking peoples, the Picts and Gaels, who founded the Kingdom of Scotland (or Alba) in the 9th century. Later, the neighbouring Celtic-speaking Cumbrians, as well as Germanic-speaking Anglo-Saxons and Norse, were incorporated into the Scottish nation.

Language: The ancestral Common Brittonic language was probably spoken in southern Scotland in Roman times. The main legacy of these languages has been Scotland's toponymy, names such as Aberdeen, Tranent and Ochiltree. Minority: Scots (30%), Scottish Gaelic (1%)Main: English (99%)

Way of Living: “Before the Romans came to Britain the land was lived in by a people called the Celts. They lived in groups of people called tribes and these tribes were ruled over by a chieftain. Hundreds of years before the Celts had moved from their lands by the Danube River looking for more land across Europe.”

https://www.scotsman.com/whats-on/arts-and-entertainment/who-were-nine-tribes-ancient-scotland-865992

As of right now, I can’t find what tribe I directly descended from, but I’m looking into it.

Higher Power: Unfortunately, very little is known about religion in Scotland before the arrival of Christianity. It is generally presumed to have resembled some sort of Celtic polytheism, and there is evidence of worship of spirits and wells.

Celtic mythology, The Iron Age Celts, were polytheistic and some of the most famous Gods and Goddesses or their religion was as follows: Arawn, Brigid, Cerunnos, Cerridwen, Danu, Herne, Lugh, Rhiannon, and Taranis.

The Celts of Gaul believed in a life after death, and so they buried food, ornaments, and weapons with the dead. Druids, the early Celtic priesthood, taught the doctrine of the transmigration of souls and discussed the nature and power of their gods.

Transmigration of Souls - The passage of a soul after death into another body; metempsychosis.

Small History Lesson from Wiki: “Prior to Roman times, prehistoric Scotland entered the Neolithic Era about 4000 BC, the Bronze Age about 2000 BC, and the Iron Age around 700 BC.

The Gaelic kingdom of Dál Riata was founded on the west coast of Scotland in the 6th century. In the following century, Irish missionaries introduced the previously pagan Picts to Celtic Christianity. Following England's Gregorian mission, the Pictish king Nechtan chose to abolish most Celtic practices in favour of the Roman rite, restricting Gaelic influence on his kingdom and avoiding war with Anglian Northumbria.^[1] Towards the end of the 8th century, the Viking invasions began, forcing the Picts and Gaels to cease their historic hostility to each other and to unite in the 9th century, forming the Kingdom of Scotland.

The Kingdom of Scotland was united under the House of Alpin, whose members fought among each other during frequent disputed successions. The last Alpin king, Malcolm II, died without a male issue in the early 11th century and the kingdom passed through his daughter's son to the House of Dunkeld or Canmore. The last Dunkeld king, Alexander III, died in 1286. He left only his infant granddaughter Margaret, Maid of Norway as heir, who died herself four years later. England, under Edward I, would take advantage of this questioned succession to launch a series of conquests, resulting in the Wars of Scottish Independence, as Scotland passed back and forth between the House of Balliol and the House of Bruce. Scotland's ultimate victory confirmed Scotland as a fully independent and sovereign kingdom.”

Weapons: Multiple Scottish weapons were influenced by Roman design, but before this they had the use of stone axes. These date back to the earliest times in Scotland. Flint axes with sharpened edges would have been used for a variety of purposes such as hunting and tree felling.

(Tree Felling: Felling is the process of cutting down trees, an element of the task of logging. The person cutting the trees is a feller.)

It is likely that these axes evolved for use in battle. Some of these axes/weapons would have been used for ceremonial purposes and highly prized. They can be found in early periods throughout Scotland.

An Axe head would have required several days to shape with the limited techniques and material available. A hole would be drilled, a handle is drilled through the hammer and the stone shaped by grinding and chipping.

Present Day Compare/Contrast:

Scotland is now primarily speaking English instead of Gaelic, practicing Christinaity like most of Europe after the Romans instead of their old polytheoistic religion, and they no longer live in tribes.

https://www.scotland.org/

http://www.mairimcfadyen.scot/blog/2015/8/2/how-scotlands-environment-has-shaped-scotlands-culture

https://www.nature.scot/landscapes-and-habitats/about-scotlands-landscapes/why-our-landscapes-are-important