Native American/First Nations tartans?

[dfmacliam]

I have been wondering, is anyone familiar with any tartans that are associated with Native Americans/ First Nations? I am aware of my Mohawk ties and their traditional alliance with the British, which will include the Highland regiments.

The Iroquois, who the Mohawk are part of, also wore a kilt, of sorts, traditionally.. so it would be interesting to see if a tartan has been developed, in either a traditional color scheme or in a generic Native theme. Today, you will find a solid black kilt like wrap worn by the men.. in the past, it could have also been made of deerhide.

I would be interested in seeing tartans, thoughts, ideas, and general information on tartans, history, alliances, ect. on this subject. So those of you with Native ties, reenactors, history buffs, and anyone else.. lets see what we can come up with.

I am English born, and my maternal side is Irish, my paternal side (which I was never close) is of the Mohawk, Irish, and Scots decent from New York, on the border area of Cattaraugus Reservation (Seneca, but also Iroquois)... where my grandmother is actually from.

Mods, please move this thread, if a more suitable location is available....Thanks

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

Since the kilt, especially in representative tartans, is a wholly Scottish thing, it would seem to me to be in the height of poor taste to inflict it on another culture. I can see no justification, at all, for creating an "I'm an Indian" tartan, and in fact, I would view it as not only insensitive, but as highly disresectful of the people and cultures it is supposed to "honour".

If such a thing is considered "necessary" to reinforce a sense of tribal identity I expect that the tribal councils would have adopted the white man's ways years ago and created their own tartans...

[Noel Christian Riddell]

My paternal lineage is a straight line to Scotland -but I have NDN blood on both sides as well. Cherokee and Shawnee blood run in my veins. An Ojibwe friend once told me, 'Indian blood is like gold - no matter how thinly it is spun it still shines'.

I'm unaware of any First Nations tartans although I am 100% certain the NE tribes wore various tartans due to intense trading, occasional plunder, various intrigues with this army and that during the wars and skirmishes which marked the middle phase of Euro-colonization of the North American continent.

A fitting tribute to the Mohawk aspect of your ancestry may be to add a tribal badge in place of a traditional kilt pin. I know some amazing artisans who could produce for you a stunning beaded sporran.

[DougC]

I think the Iroquios did, to a certain extent, adopt (or adapted to) the European ways. If I recall my history, they had a written language after the settlers and dressed in ways approaching the ways the settlers did (I almosted used invaders--chose not too). But, anything resembling a kilt was probably a more modest loin cloth. I recall that the Iriquois saw the writting on the wall after having dealt with Europeans for so many years. But, yeah, I would expect the tribal chiefs would have acted if they felt that would have been important to the Nation. But, I'm not a member--I'm only a very small part Chipewa--not one the Iriquos league.

[cavscout]

http://www.tartanregister.gov.uk/tar...s.aspx?ref=627

Designed by Phil Smith in 1995, this was the winning design of 12 entries for a tartan to be presented to the Cherokee tribe (Echota and Chickamauga are alternative names the tribe uses) by Scottish Heritage USA at Grandfather Mountain Games 1996.

[macwilkin]

While not necessarily "Native American" tartans, there were and are Native Americans with Scottish ancestry. The McIntoshs of the Creek Nation and John Ross, the Cherokee Chief during the Trail of Tears come to mind at the moment.

There is a well-known picture, for example, of the Principal Chief of the Creeks, Dode McIntosh, wearing full native regalia in Scotland. His son, Chinnubie (sic?) McIntosh, was one of the designers of the Tulsa tartan in the late 1970s.

T.

[longhuntr74]

A fitting tribute to the Mohawk aspect of your ancestry may be to add a tribal badge in place of a traditional kilt pin. I know some amazing artisans who could produce for you a stunning beaded sporran.

He brings up an interesting point...I'm envisioning a beautiful quillworked sporran or possibly one in velvet and beadwork akin to the 19th century styles. I know exactly what you are speaking about when you refer to the Iroquois wearing a kilt-like garment...they did indeed. The very old book "League of the Iroquois" has a kilted Iroquois man on the front of it...but it should be noted that, if memory serves, this drawing is from the 19th century. It is possible, perhaps likely, that this is influence taken from the Scottish Regiments. I haven't researched it, so please don't go blasting me out of the water...just thinking out loud here.

[M. A. C. Newsome]

I know a lot of folks with mixed Scottish and Native American anscestry, and when they wear the kilt they always wear their Scottish tartan -- even if they mix elements of their Native American culture and tradition into their clothing in other ways.

[DougC]

I'm for a beaded sporran!

[ShaunMaxwell]

Add Chief Bowles of the Cherokees to the list... Born of a Scots father and a Cherokee mother. Bowles was killed at the Battle of the Neches in 1839.