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The people living on the islands of South Uist, Benbecula and Eriskay have always been the principal guardians of their unique heritage, environment, and perhaps above all, their culture. But now in the 21st century they have taken a much bigger step and become the principal guardians of the land.
For generations they have carved out a living from the sparse resources surrounding them. The island and the islanders suffered badly from clearances in the 19th century as a result of the policies of Colonel Gordon of Cluny, who bought South Uist, along with the neighbouring Benbecula and Eriskay, from the MacDonalds of Clanranald in 1838. Between 1841 and 1861 the population fell from 7300 to 5300 as townships were cleared for sheep.
But the one thing which the people of the Uists have clung to and expressed with authority across the world is their richness of language, music, song and poetry.
As a people with a common history and shared common values, it goes without saying that the people of the Uists are resilient, resourceful and hospitable.
It was, therefore, no surprise when in the spring of 2003 a series of informal gatherings was held involving various members of the community, including some of the owners of the South Uist Estates. The purpose of these gatherings was to ‘gaze into the crystal ball’, to try and address the question of the economic development of South Uist Estates in the light of the then impending Land Reform Act.
The chronic problems of the decline in population within the Estate were all too evident, and the participants in these gatherings were eager to come up with options which would help drive the economic and social regeneration of the area.
The group were clear on one thing: that they did not want to see the break up of the South Uist Estates. There
