Belonging to a clan and/or wearing the strap and buckle does not mean that the clansman has to follow the orders of the Chief, or somehow "water down" his/her own nationality. It simply means that one recognizes that the arms belong to the Chief, and the wearer is showing that he/she shares in the experience of being a MacWhatever. I wear tartan Lockhart, and a Lockhert cap badge. This simply shows that I am recognizing and honoring my ancestry, and acknowledging that my Chief is the Chief of the clan. It doesn't mean that I am less American, or he less Scottish, or if it came to it, that I would follow whatever directions/orders he chose to give. Like Macmillan of Rathdown says, the tartans and badge are symbols that show that the Chief and I share a common ancestry, however far in the past that may be.

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