According to a geneology of my father's family, we have Kenneth MacAlpin as an ancestor! As well, we have a Helen MacDonald of Galloway, who married an Englishman in the 13th century. Could be that the geneologist wanted to give my dad a royal ancestor, but it looks like it might be for real. My mom's family is English and German. All my forebears first came to this land in the 17th century and have been Americans since then. So I am a generic Northern European American, with a sliver of Scottish ancestry. I wear the MacAlpin and MacDonald tartans, and for the rest, I wear non-clan tartans and Utilikilts, which I love.

The weaving and wearing of tartan fabric is an ancient Indo-European tradition. Tartan fabric has been found in the Takla Makan Desert of China, in graves from between 1200 and 700 BCE. According to the author Natasha Sheldon, "...the weave of the cloth (in Takla Makan) has been identified by textile experts as the same as that found on the bodies of salt miners in Austria in 1300BC." The mummies found in the desert appear to be of European-descended people. It appears, therefore, that at some point in the remote past, folks (likely Celtic) from Europe migrated to the middle of China, bringing their weaving skills with them.

In any case, anyone who wants to wear a kilt is entitled to do so. If it makes you happy, do it and enjoy yourself, whether or not you are Scot, Celtic, or from the other side of the planet! Kilts rock!

Ealisaid