Shenachie - the keeper of the oral history of the clan, the storyteller of family genealogy, history, and legend, an historian.
A shenachie was an indispensable member to his clan. He would travel from home to home, share a meal and then all the family would gather around the peat fire to listen as the shenachie shared stories and spun his tales.
Traditions, history, genealogy, religious practices, laws and even myths were transmitted orally from one generation of the clan to the next. It was the job of the Shenachie to make sure this was done with accuracy.
Turnbull Clan Association is now honored to have its very own Shenachie. On January 12, 2010, the officers of TCA duly appointed Norman L. Turnbull of Hawick, Scotland as TCA’s official Turnbull Clan High Shenachie.
Norman Turnbull has been very active in TCA. In addition to many duties he performed in helping with details of The Turning of the Bull
monument weekend, Norman spent many long hours helping to produce the Turnbull 2009 DVD.
The DVD is a two part movie about the Turnbull Clan. The first part tells of the beginning history of the Turnbull Clan and the second captures the historic weekend surrounding the unveiling of the monument depicting William Rule turning the bull, thus saving the life of King Robert the Bruce.
Norman is now collaborating with Betty Turnbull, Bullseye editor, to produce a series of Turnbull Trails articles. These articles will trace the origins of the clan and follow the history of Turnbulls participation in battles, events from the past to the present time that helped shaped a country. The end result will be a Turnbull Trails booklet that consolidates the clan’s history in one place.
TCA president, Rhet Turnbull, told Norman, “Your knowledge and insight will be valuable contributions to the Clan. In honor of your commitment to preserving our Clan heritage, the officers of Turnbull Clan Association have passed a declaration naming you as Turnbull Clan High Shenachie. We know that you will fulfill this duty with dedication and admiration and we look forward to reading the fruits of your labor in the Turnbull Trails.”
Norman says, “This is certainly a great honour. I will do every thing in my power to live up to that position. I am sure I will have many
tales to tell by the time I have c o m p l e t e d my journey through the mists of time.