"ENTITLEMENTS"

[Sir Robert]

MAC Said:

Someone strolls into the museum and comes up to me at the front desk:
MR. ADAMS: My name is Adams. Do I belong to a clan? What is my tartan?
ME: Well, the name Adams is counted as a sept (or associated family) of the clan Gordon. [pulling out a set of swatch books and flipping it open]. This is the Gordon tartan. Since you are part of the clan, this would be your tartan.
MR. ADAMS: Hey, so that is my tartan! Neat! What are these other Gordon tartans?
ME: Well this is the standard Gordon clan tartan. You can get that in the modern, ancient, or weathered colors [I explain the difference, but that's too long to go into here]. Then you have the dress Gordon, the Old Gordon, and the Red Gordon.
MR. ADAMS: So how do I know which one is mine?
ME: They are all Clan Gordon tartans. They all represent your clan. So you can wear any of them you like.

Did you catch that? Nothing I said there was wrong, per se. But the man is asking me what is "my" tartan, which one "can I wear?" And I am telling him, this is "your" tartan, you "can" wear this one. The implicit message there is that all the other tartans are not yours and you cannot wear them.

I never said that outright, and I never would tell someone, no you can't wear that tartan. But if this person already had the idea that you are only entitled to wear certain tartans, nothing I said here would have corrected that. Indeed, unless this man and I had the time for a lengthy conversation on tartans (which he may not even be interested in), his assumption would go uncorrected.

And I have conversations like this several times every day!
Aye,
Matt

I respectfully dissagree, the Scotti were Patralinial and the Picts were Matralinial, we as modern Scots, being decended from both, then properly inheirit from both sides. English and Irish law be damned. Our entitlements as our inheiritance to the tartan should not be allowed to be dictated to us by outsiders. Instead we Scots should recognize that we are all blood kin to each other, all of us decended from kings (thus Nobel) and all of us are entitled to all tartains by enheiritance.

If a man or woman wishes to show fealty to my clan by wearing MY TARTAN than they are my brother or my sister and are welcome to do so. Just as American Citizenship is by location of your birth or by blood or by oath of aleageance. So too Scottishness, and the right to tartan.

[M. A. C. Newsome]

I think you are taking my sample conversation out of context, Robert. I'm in no way suggesting that people are only "entitled" to wear certain tartans. In fact, my point was the opposite. There is no such thing as being "entitled" to wear any tartan. You can literally choose to wear whatever tartan your heart desires, and if you don't like any of the available ones you are welcome to make us your own!

All I was illustrating with that conversation was that, in common speech, we do little to debunk that myth, and we all need to be a bit better about it. It's easy to see why people have the ideas that they do about "the right to wear the tartan" and the "need to wear the right tartan."

Scotti and Pictish anscestors really have little if nothing to do with wearing the tartans that came about some thousand years later.

Matt

[Celticman]

I respectfully dissagree, the Scotti were Patralinial and the Picts were Matralinial, we as modern Scots, being decended from both, then properly inheirit from both sides. English and Irish law be damned. Our entitlements as our inheiritance to the tartan should not be allowed to be dictated to us by outsiders. Instead we Scots should recognize that we are all blood kin to each other, all of us decended from kings (thus Nobel) and all of us are entitled to all tartains by enheiritance.

If a man or woman wishes to show fealty to my clan by wearing MY TARTAN than they are my brother or my sister and are welcome to do so. Just as American Citizenship is by location of your birth or by blood or by oath of aleageance. So too Scottishness, and the right to tartan.

I am not sure what I think about the wearing of a particular tartan. It seems to me that the tradition of clans having their own tartan, though in historical times, is a rather recent addition to the many other traditions of Scottish culture, should be respected. Myself, being a Leslie, do not wish to wear the tartan of the Cameron's. However, at the same time is it not true that, at some point, I am sure there is some Cameron blood running in my veins? Now, does having Cameron blood in me not entitle me to wear the Cameron tartan? I'm sure it does, but I wear the Leslie tartan to honor my father and his father and on down the line (which, to me, is the real significance of tartan).

One of the first things that struck me as I began to learn of Scottish culture is that our community provides a great system of honor and respect for ourselves and those who came before us. I think the sample conversation Matt had with "Mr. Adams" is a classic illustration of someone who is unsure of where to begin but has been told, by movies like Braveheart, and other "Hollywood" sources, that tartan is the single item that is most used to identify a persons affiliation. Notice, that in Braveheart, all of the Wallace clan wore the Wallace tartan and the MacGregors were immediately identified, in the dark, no less, by their tartan, and all of this story is taking place in the 1300's. Braveheart has been a great catalyst for people to get in touch with their heritage, but along with the increase in new people to the fold comes the challenges of debunking the myths.

[Doc Hudson]

I am not sure what I think about the wearing of a particular tartan. It seems to me that the tradition of clans having their own tartan, though in historical times, is a rather recent addition to the many other traditions of Scottish culture, should be respected. Myself, being a Leslie, do not wish to wear the tartan of the Cameron's. However, at the same time is it not true that, at some point, I am sure there is some Cameron blood running in my veins? Now, does having Cameron blood in me not entitle me to wear the Cameron tartan? I'm sure it does, but I wear the Leslie tartan to honor my father and his father and on down the line (which, to me, is the real significance of tartan).

One of the first things that struck me as I began to learn of Scottish culture is that our community provides a great system of honor and respect for ourselves and those who came before us. I think the sample conversation Matt had with "Mr. Adams" is a classic illustration of someone who is unsure of where to begin but has been told, by movies like Braveheart, and other "Hollywood" sources, that tartan is the single item that is most used to identify a persons affiliation. Notice, that in Braveheart, all of the Wallace clan wore the Wallace tartan and the MacGregors were immediately identified, in the dark, no less, by their tartan, and all of this story is taking place in the 1300's. Braveheart has been a great catalyst for people to get in touch with their heritage, but along with the increase in new people to the fold comes the challenges of debunking the myths.

I on the other hand have no connection with Clan Cameron, but I dearly want, and will eventually get a Cameron of Lochiel Clan Badge, and possibly a kilt in ther tartan.

Why?

Because I dearly love the Clan Motto and the Badge;



UNITE

Now that is a battle cry for all kilt wearers!

[Magnus Sporrano]

I'm one of those American mutts who has no strong ties to any clans, but wears the kilt proudly anyway. So much of our modern kilt wearing traditions were born out of the romantic period of Scottish nostalgia that are perhaps not healthy traditions to have if we want to encourage the general populace to accept the kilt as an every day garment. The true history, though perhaps not as rigorous in rules and restrictions, tells the story of a more practical garment that just about anyone could wear, and in any tartan they wanted.

It seems to me that if we are to bring back the kilt as a daily garment, we ought to be reaching back to the time when it was a daily garment as opposed to the strict traditions put out there when it became a costume for formal occasions.

[macwilkin]

I'm one of those American mutts who has no strong ties to any clans, but wears the kilt proudly anyway. So much of our modern kilt wearing traditions were born out of the romantic period of Scottish nostalgia that are perhaps not healthy traditions to have if we want to encourage the general populace to accept the kilt as an every day garment. The true history, though perhaps not as rigorous in rules and restrictions, tells the story of a more practical garment that just about anyone could wear, and in any tartan they wanted.

It seems to me that if we are to bring back the kilt as a daily garment, we ought to be reaching back to the time when it was a daily garment as opposed to the strict traditions put out there when it became a costume for formal occasions.

There seems to be a recent trend to "bash" traditions & traditionalists, especially when it comes to kilt wearing. Not everyone who wears a kilt chooses to wear it everyday, or in a more casual way. In my opinion, they are just as much "legitimate" kilt wearers as those brave souls who venture out into the world everyday in their kilts. Both individuals are worthy of mutual respect as well as the traditions, even though you may not agree with or practice them.

Generalizations are a dangerous medium to work in. Many of our "traditions" in kilt-wearing come from the Highland Regiments of the British Army, and for years (up until 1939, really), the kilt was not only a ceremonial "uniform", but also worn by serving soldiers in the field, and "field expedient modifications" were quite common. In fact, one could argue that without the traditions & customs of the Highland Regiments, we might not even have the kilt at all, since they were the only place one could "legally" wear a kilt during the Act of Proscription. Regimental traditions (especially in regards to Scottish regiments) inspire troops in the field and maintain morale -- witness the recent conflict in the gulf when the pipers played as the coalition forces went into battle -- some would say it served no purpose in modern warfare, but once again, the pipes made the soldier's back straight as a ramrod, and the enemy cower in fear.

Many traditions (not just in kilt-wearing) are things that were practical in the past & have now become ceremonial to remind us of where we came from. One example that comes to mind is the bugle call "Taps" (the British/Commonwealth" equivalent is "Lights Out") -- the American bugle call "Taps" was (and is) the last call of the day to let the troops know it it is time to "hit the sack". Over time, the call became associated with military funerals and is now part of the ceremony of a military burial service, yet it can still be used for its primary purpose. A tradition with a practical side as well. btw, "Taps" itself comes from the Dutch phrase "Tap-Toe", which became Anglicized as "Tattoo", which refers to a military musician letting the publicans know when to "turn off the taps" and send the soldiers back to barracks -- a practical signal which later became a ceremonial parade such as the Edinbrgh Military Tattoo and others around the world.

One must also recognise the efforts of overseas expat societies in preserving Highland attire. Many Scots adopted the kilt & its traditions as a way of maintaining a link to their homeland which they left in the 19th century. In these instances, the traditions kept a link to the past. Are some traditions "romantic"? Yes, but I think in this "modern" world where utilitarianism and technology abound, a little romance is a good thing now & again.

I am a self-proclaimed "bluff old traditionalist", so I am a bit biased.;) I wear my kilt not as a way to get the general public to accept it, or even adopt it en masse, but as a way to show my pride in my ancestors and the contributions the Scots have made to my nation, as well as to the world in general. I really don't give a fig what the general public thinks one way or the other. In the words of the poem "The Little Red God":

[He] wears the clothes he likes to wear, never dreaming that people stare.

Cheers,

Todd

[Kilts_Knave]

I'm one of those American mutts who has no strong ties to any clans

(Though a lot of Irish families back there)...

Me, too. My question: How do the Irish wearing the kilt fit into all this? What is the history behind this? Matt (I wish I had time to read a book about it but I just don't)? Anyone? Just curious...