Tartan Police!

[starbkjrus]

I'm going to weigh in here although I still consider myself a "newbie". Much well considered advice does indeed say to "wear what you want but be aware and respectful of the history". I tend to search for tartans that I have a connection to.....not for fear of someone accusing me of "misuse" of their tartan but for the fact that this whole thing with me is driven by a search for my roots. I'm Irish, Scots-Irish, Scotish and English with a documented family history of over eight hundred and fifty years.

What tartans am I "entitled" to wear?? Well let's see.....
Carolina District Tartan -- Official tartan of the state that I grew up in and where my family has resided for over 300 years AND is associated with the Stewarts.
ANY Stewart Tartan -- I am a Stewart and my family has been associated wtih the Stewarts for generations. The American version of the Clan Stewart society (to the chagrin of some) has even acknowledged that Royal Stewart should be reserved for the current British Royal Family BUT if you like the tartan please wear it with respect. (In other words Clan Stewart is not fond of the Windsors and says [in a US colloquialism] to "go for it"
Also, there is a Virginia District Tartan (official or not) that since I live in Virginia I'm "entitled" to wear it.
My Partner is a Candian (Ontario to be exact) so that adds two tartans ( or more) if you try to decipher the TWO tartans that are reputed to be the "official" Ontario tartans. Let me see...Ontario, Maple Leaf, other provinces we've visited and love.

To make a long story short (ok, old joke but......TOO LATE) If you look at tartans available and look at your family roots and place of origin AND talk to existing clan societies there are not too many (Thompson may be an exception for example -- no offense) clan societies that object to others wearing their tartans as long as you have respect for what it means.

We are ALL related one way or the other and family is a mixed bag these days. The idea is to respect and honor our ancestors and to remind ourselves of the lessons learned in past generations while not repeating the mistakes that have been made.

Someone on this board has a Gaelic signature that translates to "We will not be fooled again". I think that applies to much more than the Scotish / English conflicts of the past aeon.

Ok, sorry I got WAY off on this one....to make a long story short if you have an English/Irish/Scotish heritage and live in the western world you have a LARGE selection of tartans you are "entitled" to wear.

Gee I shouldn't post when I'm on vacation