It's interesting that this is the conclusion you've come to, Richard. I think we need to be less general, and ensure that we're not conflating the guising of popular custom (which in certain places inclueded blacking up) with blacking up as it specifically refers to the border morris tradition. My own opinion is this: the music, the instruments and the "going niggering", as it specifically is relevant to those dance sides from the border areas around Shropshire and Herefordshire, point to a very specific and strong case for the influence of minstrelsy on their tradition. Which came first, the blacking or the race songs, may never be fully answered, but all I know is that at one point in the not-too-distant past, the two became inextricably linked. I also believe that, in an effort to sweep under the carpet this uncomfortable history, the border morris fraternity has conflated certain old traditions of "smutting" the face with soot, which certainly DID exist, with their own tradition in order to give a more socially acceptable explanation for it.

As I say, I can only speak for my own reading of the available evidence. But I'm also working from an awareness of how other traditions associated with blacking up and race, such as Padstow Darkie Day, have similarly tried to deny their racist roots because they do not want to be compelled to abandon their tradition (and we had a very interesting and lengthy discussion with the curator of the Padstow Museum ealrier this year, who has an extensive archive of overwhelming evidence for the influence of minstrelsy on that particular tradition).

One point I think it is important to reiterate is that I do not believe that the intentions of the overwhelming majority of border morris dancers is to cause offence, nor do I think that blacking up to take part in their tradition makes them racist. Derek has said that it's about perception rather than intent, and some have argues that both need to be present for offence to be caused.

My feeling is this: people who are unfamiliar with border morris and see it for the first time, whether they are people of colour or not, could construe it as being something to do with blacking up in the old, pejorative sense. Now, if the tradition had never, ever had anything to do with "bad" blacking up, its practitioners could turn around to those people and truthfully, hand-on-heart, explain that the tradition had absolutely innocent roots, that it was a form of disguise, etc etc, and there was no reason for anyone to misinterpret or take offence at such a harmless practice. But the fact is, border IS tainted by association with minstrelsy. The dances WERE called "niggering dances", and the music and songs associated with the tradition DID have racist overtones. Whether the blacking up or the "niggering" came first may never be proven, but the taint is there, and it's undeniable.

If sides who practice this tradition are going to black up, I'd much rather they were honest with themselves, and with anyone who might enquire about the tradition. Apart from anything else, I don't like the spread of fakelore, especially in a case like this where it isn't evolving to fill in gaps in our knowledge but to actually cover up uncomfortable truths. And it leads to undesirable situations like morris dancers e-mailing a school to harangue them about who should dance at their fete. If the dancers in question had been fully aware of the history of this tradition, would they have been quite so quick to jump down the throat of that head teacher? I'd like to think not.