A Newbie Question

[Mel1721L]

I'm English born with Welsh and Irish ancestry on my mothers side of the family. I go for Welsh or fashion tartans, such as "Spirit of the Celt." Those are relatively inexpensive and a good place to start. It's pointless getting a really expensive kilt if you then decide it's not for you.

I've been toying with the idea of a plain black kilt, there are loads on EBay, but there is a more expensive version that has a tartan pattern woven into the plain black fabric. Also there are utility kilts, an American invention.

I also live in Spain, where no one wears a kilt and most certainly don't understand why I'm wearing a kilt. It does get a bit tedious after a while and recently during the holiday season, I wore the hated shorts for a while, just so I could go somewhere without the looks and questions. I always feel I have to explain myself because as soon as I open my mouth, its obvious I'm not Scottish, I explain its a Welsh tartan in the same English accent though and no one says "You don't sound Welsh." My reply would be "Neither does Prince Charles."

[rescout]

The beauty of the USA is that we are such a mixed lot, nobody minds if you want to celebrate an ancestry by choice rather than blood. Want to go to the Czech Festival? Greek Festival? Oktoberfest? Frequent the Irish Pub? Just go for it!

That goes for wearing a kilt.

And, historically, I believe during the time of the wearing of the "Great Kilt" there was no rigid rules for which plaid you wore. You wore whatever you liked and could afford.

[Thekiltedmohawk]

The beauty of the USA is that we are such a mixed lot, nobody minds if you want to celebrate an ancestry by choice rather than blood. Want to go to the Czech Festival? Greek Festival? Oktoberfest? Frequent the Irish Pub? Just go for it!

That goes for wearing a kilt.

Well said. I'm looking forward to fun Oktoberfest! Granted, I have a lot of the german blood in me, but still!

[416 Rigby]

Welcome, Bluethunder. I think you'll find wearing the kilt to be an interesting experience. Sure, there will be the occasional idiot who shoots off his mouth with something stupid, but by and large people react quite positively.

As for the use of "cousin", I can't say I've ever heard it used anywhere I've lived in the USA. "Uncle", however, is frequently used as a term of respect as mentioned in earlier posts.

Jock, among those of us who are military veterans, "brother" is extremely common, especially among guys who served together. A hug or arm around the shoulder of old friends who haven't seen each other in a long time is also very common. I recently met with a couple of old pals I served with on the hangar deck many years ago:

[SPS tools]

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Jock, among those of us who are military veterans, "brother" is extremely common, especially among guys who served together. ...

Among VietNam veterans, often identified by our ball caps, the usual greeting is, "Welcome home, brother." Even if I've never laid eyes on the person before. This greeting was started by the VietNam Veterans' Association in response to the hostile greetings we received upon our return stateside. It acknowledges our shared experience of an unpopular war.

In the States the term is also used to indicate the kinship of skin color, though usually spelled "brotha".

[Taskr]

Bluethunder90
I agree you've asked an interesting question, and leaves one to wonder if all of the people donning some part or all of a wardrobe not of their culture of origin have made the same considerations. Or perhaps they have simply made a fashion choice. The urban cowboy, the Sherpa hat wearer, or the people wearing all manner of style and design amalgamated from African, European and Asian cultures. While a family tartan is distinct perhaps the kilt is, or is becoming, not only Scottish but ubiquitous within fashion and style. So why not the non-Scot wear a garment that is comfortable and handsome? Seems perfectly sensible.
The tartan; that provides for much advice, opinion and conjecture as this forum and others will attest - and perhaps that forms your major concern. A MacDonald or MacLeod or MacWhomever might have their nose out of joint should they behold you in their family tartan. Or they might compliment you for having such excellent appreciation of a truly fine tartan. I suppose wearing a Service tartan if you've never served might be awkward to explain - but if it is not restricted and you're proud to wear it in a show of pride and support ...well, that's where personal choices and their motivations make each person unique.
It's a kilt. It's clothing that is being produced well beyond the borders of Scotland for a broad range of persons appreciating the comfort and style. Your decision on the tartan or weave of your first, if the grace and tone of your question is any measure, will be a good one.

[Bluethunder90]

In North America and Caribbean there was significant intermingling between Scots and other ethnic groups. Plantation owners in the islands and in the South are just one example. Many Scots in the Appalachians married Native Americans as well.

As for the slave owners, I have several friends who have Scottish blood in this way and have researched, explored and embraced this part of their heritage in spite of what we would consider a involuntary start.

History can be a messy business.

History can indeed be a messy business, and considering that I, and all my family, hail from the deep South, your statement about how friends of your have come about their Scottish heritage, could very well be true about my ancestors as well.

[Bluethunder90]

The beauty of the USA is that we are such a mixed lot, nobody minds if you want to celebrate an ancestry by choice rather than blood. Want to go to the Czech Festival? Greek Festival? Oktoberfest? Frequent the Irish Pub? Just go for it!

That goes for wearing a kilt.

And, historically, I believe during the time of the wearing of the "Great Kilt" there was no rigid rules for which plaid you wore. You wore whatever you liked and could afford.

I've never thought about it that way, but that is the absolute truth about Americans. We really are a mixed lot, and I think that's a great thing. We tend to share out cultural ancestry with everyone, and encourage everyone to take part.

[OC Richard]

Yes there's the "self-identification" thing, when somebody is asked to tick off a box about their ethnicity.

My wife's family is predominately Irish and Swedish, but there's Scottish and German and French in there too. Her brother married a Hawaiian woman of Filipino ancestry; what ethnicity are their two boys?

At one boy's school they did an "International Culture Day" thing where kids were to bring things representative of "their culture" and he brought Swedish food.

A local piper who is half Thai and half Mexican/Native American married a drummer who is African-American. (Yes I know it's shocking, a piper marrying a drummer!) What ethnicity are their beautiful daughters? Does anyone care? Not really.

I read somewhere that Hawai'i is the first state where you can tick off "mixed" due to so many locals being of so many ethnicities that deciding on only one (or three or four) has become divorced from the reality.

Anyhow it's a common thing here for people who are perhaps only 1/4 or even 1/8 or 1/16 Irish to self-identify as being "Irish" (their preponderance of British blood is often ignored).

Here's a Times article about Americans switching their self-identification

http://time.com/3087649/census-race-ethnicity-report/

I will point out the absurd confusing, in the above census, of the concepts of "race" and language. To what extent "race" exists as an actual physical reality, it has nothing to do with what language somebody speaks. Spanish is a language; "Hispanic" refers to what language somebody speaks, and has nowt to do with "race".

Polls need to be clear and keep these two concepts separate.

[ctbuchanan]

History can indeed be a messy business, and considering that I, and all my family, hail from the deep South, your statement about how friends of your have come about their Scottish heritage, could very well be true about my ancestors as well.

A dna screen would probably answer that question for you.

CTBuchanan