As these volumes are now rather expensive to get hold of (I’ll admit, neither adorn my bookcase), it was with some excitement I learned of a new history of morris in the making. I had a chat with author Michael Heaney about his morris career, what we can expect from his new book, The Ancient English Morris Dance, and thoughts on the future of morris. As for the knotted handkerchief itself, it’s more than it appears to be. Really, it’s a puppet designed to look and act like a handkerchief. Describing the thought process behind it, one commentator noted, “The inside reinforcements must not affect its movement, and must be well hidden in every position.” 1 Is there anything from the history of morris to suggest that interest comes in cycles, and that we might be on the cusp of another revival? Boss Morris’ appearance at the Brits and interest in folklore generally suggests that we might already be in the middle of another one… Ryan, Maurice (1996). Another Ireland: An Introduction to Ireland's Ethnic-religious Minority Communities. Stranmillis College. p.138. ISBN 978-0-903009-25-6. Recreation for Ingenious Head-peeces (1650); the first depiction to show a dancer holding handkerchiefs

From the late 18th century white handkerchiefs were waved, generally by women (men usually waved their hats), to demonstrate approval at public events such as processions or political rallies. [2] [3] They built sets at a small scale, creating a stylized world where space is compressed even for the live actors. As Pinkava said, they “tried to reconcile the large-scale world with the miniature.” Otherwise, the puppets risked looking too tiny, adrift in human-sized places. The Three-point Fold is first folded into a triangle, then the corners are folded up and across to make three points. We set our cut-off date at 1750, on the presumption that after that morris was much closer to what we see today. I was wrong! Michael Heaney Sikhism started when a young Punjabi, Nanak Chand, who was born in 1469, set out to draw together the Hindus and the Muslims. He believed that there was much in common between the two faiths and that the misery and the wars which had so hurt the Punjab over the centuries could be avoided if the two peoples could be brought together. Accompanied by a Muslim musician and a Hindu peasant, Nanak preached his message of the brotherhood of man throughout the Punjab and as far afield as Assam and Ceylon. His crusade was against the fanaticism and intolerance of the Muslim faith as much as against the meaningless rituals and discriminations against castes and sex which were marring the Hindu religion.While English folk music has been explored and written about on many occasions, our folk dances have had less academic attention. Aside from John Forrest’s The History of Morris Dancing 1458-1750 (2000) and Dr John Cutting’s History and the Morris Dance: A Look at Morris Dancing from Its Earliest Days Until 1850 (2006), there has been little attempt to chart the history and development of morris dancing. And with these works ending their analyses in the mid-18th and -19th Centuries respectively, there is even less written about morris up to the present day.

Thanks for speaking to us, Michael. Firstly, let’s establish your morris credentials. I understand you are a dancer yourself? Where and when did your morris career begin? While handkerchiefs had, and continue to have, many uses, there is one particular use that is often overlooked. The ability to tie a knot.

David Scott Katsan (2006). The Oxford Encyclopedia of British Literature, Volume 1. Oxford University Press. p.141. ISBN 9780195169218. In the times of ancient Greece and Rome, handkerchiefs were often used the way they are today. [ citation needed] Look up handkerchief in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. A linen handkerchief A lace handkerchief Morris dancers with handkerchiefs in Oxford