Shetland's Norse Identity: 'Da Norn is lang gien, but hit’s left a waageng'

Islands are often home to culturally rich and distinctive communities. This is undoubtedly the case with Shetland and the Shetlanders, who, although they have been connected to Scotland since 1469, still maintain their unique regional identity. Arguably the process of scottification has not yet been entirely completed. This identity manifests itself in a number of ways, from the oft heard profession that, ‘I’m not Scottish’ and the commonplace statement about taking the ferry to Scotland, to the distinctive voting patterns in recent referenda. Although a majority of Shetlanders supported Scottish devolution in the 1997 referendum, which reflects a shift in opinion since the previous referendum in 1979, when 73 per cent of Shetland voters rejected a Scottish Assembly, Shetlanders seem less keen on Scottish independence. 63.7% voted No in the Scottish independence referendum in 2014, against 53.4% for the Scottish population as a whole (Jennings 2017:66-68).