THCD, Not THCD

[Nathan]

On the other hand, it's difficult to find anything about Traditional Highland Dress which has a known inventor. There are many things which we know at what date they were introduced into the Army, but invariably these things had existed for many years in civilian dress before that date and/or there are multiple unprovable creation stories.

We know who invented the Glengarry bonnet but that didn't stop it from entering the tradition and, it could be argued, is still very much a part of traditional highland piper's dress.

[OC Richard]

Yes there are multiple creations stories about the Glengarry, one being that an officer in the 79th foot invented it in the 1840s for their pipers. It the Glengarry type cap being widely worn in the 1820s dispels that myth easily. The Glengarry Fencibles story is more likely, for sure, though some say that the cap he's wearing in that painting isn't a Glengarry... we can't know for sure.

In any case the Glengarry is merely a different "blocking" of the traditional Scottish bonnet, the origin of which is unknown, as is the origin of the kilt, the sporran, the dirk, the all-steel pistol, the claymore, the ghillie shoes, and everything else, which is my point.

About tartans, we know the origin of very few if any of the old "clan tartans". I've read through Peter MacDonald's The 1819 Key Pattern book and nearly all the tartans therein seem to have unknown origins. The fact that a tartan was woven by Wilson doesn't prove that they themselves designed it (perhaps Peter could enlighten us on this).

Even with the military tartans only the creation of the tartan for The Gordon Highlanders is documented AFAIK.

Of course the Allen Brothers invented dozens of tartans; these can't be considered "traditional" by my definition, as can Isle Of Skye or any other tartan with a known designer.

[MacKenzie]

My how we do split hairs, exponentially, here.

But it's always informative.

Is tradition origin related or style/mode related?

Curious.

[Tobus]

Is tradition origin related or style/mode related?

Despite what some would wish it to be, tradition is defined solely by usage and acceptance. That's it. Nothing more. Styles and fashions are invented all the time out of thin air, but they do not become traditions until they have been established over a period of time. And they disappear all the time too. The existence of a tradition cannot revolve around any other criteria other than the fact that people are doing it routinely and perhaps even ritualistically.

I typically dislike the internet chat board defense mechanism of invoking Webster in cases like this, but here we go:

Full Definition of TRADITION

1
a : an inherited, established, or customary pattern of thought, action, or behavior (as a religious practice or a social custom)
b : a belief or story or a body of beliefs or stories relating to the past that are commonly accepted as historical though not verifiable

2
: the handing down of information, beliefs, and customs by word of mouth or by example from one generation to another without written instruction

3
: cultural continuity in social attitudes, customs, and institutions

4
: characteristic manner, method, or style <in the best liberal tradition>

So it seems to me that as long as something is established, accepted, and customary, it's a tradition. Regardless of whether it's perfectly clear who started it or whether its origins are unknown.

[Nathan]

I agree with Tobus. A case in point being that I think a Barbour jacket is now considered traditional country wear and, given the similar demographic of those who wear kilts and those who pursue country recreation in the UK, it has de facto become traditional kilt wear given the appropriate weather. My undertanding is that it has all but displaced the Inverness cape among traditional civilian kilt wearers.

We know that the Barbour jacket was invented by Barbour.

[ThistleDown]

I wonder, Nathan, if the Barbour is traditional. It certainly is widely worn in the Highlands, but I'm not sure it has yet reached the stage where it can be called traditional civilian Highland dress. It might fall into the same class as the fore-and-aft: acceptable when worn with Highland dress, but not traditionally worn with Highland dress.

[Liam]

I agree with Tobus. A case in point being that I think a Barbour jacket is now considered traditional country wear and, given the similar demographic of those who wear kilts and those who pursue country recreation in the UK, it has de facto become traditional kilt wear given the appropriate weather. My undertanding is that it has all but displaced the Inverness cape among traditional civilian kilt wearers.

We know that the Barbour jacket was invented by Barbour.

Nathan... I'm glad you agree that what becomes Traditional Highland attire can actually originate outside of the Highlands.
Cheers...

[Nathan]

Nathan... I'm glad you agree that what becomes Traditional Highland attire can actually originate outside of the Highlands.
Cheers...

Indeed it can, Liam. Take for example the eagle feather used to symbolize rank with Traditional Highland Civilian Dress. There is no evidence of this existing prior to contact with the North American aboriginals. That said, something only becomes Traditional Highland Civilian Dress when Highland Civilians adopt it. I don't know why this concept bothers you or why you've chosen to raise it continually with me. I wasn't the first on this forum to articulate it nor is it a controversial claim. It is a simple descriptive fact. If something is really popular to wear with a kilt in, say, South Africa but is rarely seen or perhaps maligned as a poor choice in the Highlands of Scotland, what claim would it have to be traditional Highland civilian dress? I'm merely repeating the notion that in order for something to be considered the traditional dress of a people it has to be adopted and accepted by that people.

I'm a diaspora Highland Scot and I am very connected to the culture of my home island of Cape Breton. Notwithstanding the fact that the dominant culture on the Island is diaspora Highland Gaels, if we do something that diverges from Scotland, it becomes our traditional culture, not theirs.

N