Galicia and Asturias: Celtic Nations with Celtic Heritage!

Being a Galician descendant it's very annoying for me to accept that the Celtic League and the Celtic Congress conceive the possession of a Celtic Language as 'the principal' element of our Celtic Nationality, subscribing to the present concept of "nation" used in this context to mean a group of people associated with a particular territory who share a common identity, language or culture, and is not synonymous with "country" or "state"; in brief the most common criterion for Celticity, that of having a Celtic language.

Due to this resolution Galicia and Asturias aren’t among the six nations considered as the heartland of the modern Celts, even though their archeological, historical, and ethnic celtic past prove the contrary.

Ironically, it should be noted that within these areas, the majority speak English (in Wales, Scotland, Ireland, and The Isle of Man), Scots (In Scotland), or French (In Brittany). Brittany, Ireland, Scotland and Wales contain areas where a Celtic language is still used in a community (see Gaeltacht on Ireland, Gàidhealtachd, and compare also Breizh-Izel and areas by Welsh language known as Y Fro Gymraeg).Generally these communities are in the west of their respective countries, in upland or island areas, and a very low percent are speaking native languages:

(Gaeilge) Irish
Northern: 10.4%) Republic: 42%
(Cymraeg) Welsh
(Cymry) 20.8%
(Brezhoneg) Bretons
(Breizhiz) 3%
(Gaelg) Manx
(Manninagh) 2.2 %
(Gàidhlig) Scots
(Albannaich) 1.2%
(Kernewek) Cornish
(Kernowyon) 0.1%

I had always conceived language as a vehicle, the means for retelling lore from one generation to another. 

One of the sheer methods for people's identification, but is it language so important as to enable ourselves to detect a Celtic heritage?. 

Hadn't people such as Irish been obliged to study English to emigrate and be employed by English patrons?.

Didn't Welsh people suffer the Welsh Not English penal laws even at school?.

I agree that English is adopted today as an international means of communication between bilingual cultures, in fact it is through English Language that I am now having contact with you and this doesn't make worthless our celtic experiences. And if we play the role of purists, should we label those so called “Celtic Bands” less folk or less Celtic for their employment of lyrics in English .

I agree with the C.L. that we must encourage ourselves and restore our native celtic language (in the case of Galician language it comes out from celtic and non-celtic sources) But...I don't believe that by writing and speaking and thinking in celtic language will lead us all to Keltia... 

It shall do no good for us to speak Celt not knowing ourselves as thoroughly celts.

Galicians preserve a lot of Celtic words in the Galician Language such as: Adobiar ('to mend'), Berro ( 'scream')-,Bico ('kiss’), Callau ('peble'), Camiño ('road') –Rego ('track') –Virar ( ‘turn back’), etc.
Even Pre-celtic words such as: Moroa ('dark hair, hip ')- Bousa ('moimd') carballo ('oak') –pala ('cave') ,etc.

In fact our aims should go further, let us talk about it.

The tight polemic at the Celtic League 1987 A.G.M. recalls me the same one raised upon the definitions of 'Nation' stated by Giuseppe Mazzini, his concept of Nation associated to the ethnic and historic relations, which stand out a nation as people amongst others, as Mazzini wished. 

But its also necessary for that people to crown their image with the knowledge of identity and the wish to play it's role. We should stress here our objectives add ideals, subjective, creative, and voluntary elements.

As a comment to the above, the Celtic heritage of Galicia' s history, and of her folklore, are plainly revealed, though they don't make way to alter her present linguistic status into a celtic-speaking nation.

Since that..., what argument can we bring up to justify our unusual idealism?.

We dont neglect the weight of numbers, but once consummated, english, french, or romanic pressure, the results are parallel.

We cannot leave aside to wonder why Galician transculturalization (which continued till 11th Century AC with the help of britonic inmigration slightly expanded up to Galician northern coast), must be essentially considered so different from cornish, which extends till the end of XVIIIth Century.

Certainly it's true that cornish remembrance still lasts, some engraved monuments still existent, in brief, the struggle anyhow continues, no one is dead while he fights, even though Cornish is oftenly considered a dead language. Yes, that ' s true; but it's also true that we Galicians, withstand against cornish will and remembrance, with our own. Maybe we will be called crazy at first, but presently we're many, all thinking that the Utopia is pregnant by the future.