During a recent road trip around Scotland I observed from afar as Australia debated constitutional recognition for its first people, while in Edinburgh I watched hordes of tourists sifting through tartan scarfs and woollens in search of a family connection to the country’s rich history.

I’d hoped to find a Drummond tartan, only to be told by a cousin that we were from Irish Drummond stock, not Scots at all.

One day my husband and I took a detour down a narrow road to what he hoped was the seat of his Langwill ancestry – having always been told he descended from aristocracy. He found the reality somewhat more grounding. Regardless, he proudly had me photograph him beside the sign that read Langwell – explaining the spelling had been lost in translation. The connection seemed tenuous, but he claimed it anyway.

The identification of people as Indigenous should not be so complex. Credit:Max Mason-Hubers

People all over the world engage in this search because they are looking for connection and for a sense of recognition. Recognition is at least a two-way street. The Scots' willingness to acknowledge a claim on Scottish ancestry offers social confirmation and connection.