Wear of Clan Tartan by non-Clan Members

**Mael Coluim** · 28th July 12, 10:31 AM

Originally Posted by Friday

Back to a question I asked in another thread this week, what is a clan? I have the surname of one of the low land Scot families. The family tree has been traced back to Ireland and from there there is fairly good indication that Irish branch came from Scotland. However, it is not clear if they did come over and if they did it is not clear if they were part of the family aligned with the Clan Chief of same name.

I do not belong to any of the Clan associations and the current Clan has no Clan Chief. Can I wear the tartan related to my surname, simply because of my surname or must there be some stronger Clan tie? Can there be a Clan if there is not Clan Chief?

There are no Clans anymore, Friday. There are Clan Socities and Associations that you pay dues to belong to. Some will ask for your pedigree to join but I doubt any will question it closely. A quick read of this thread will show a varied response to your question of entitlement to wear a certain tartan. IMHO your surname that has a tartan associated with is reason enough.

**Kilted Cole** · 28th July 12, 10:45 AM

Originally Posted by Mael Coluim

There are no Clans anymore, Friday. There are Clan Socities and Associations that you pay dues to belong to. Some will ask for your pedigree to join but I doubt any will question it closely. A quick read of this thread will show a varied response to your question of entitlement to wear a certain tartan. IMHO your surname that has a tartan associated with is reason enough.

***

**sailortats** · 28th July 12, 11:04 AM

I whole-heartedly agree with everything Mael said. Having the same name is reason enough to wear that kilt. And don't forget, pics or it didn't happen.

**Jock Scot** · 28th July 12, 11:22 AM

Originally Posted by Mael Coluim

There are no Clans anymore, Friday. There are Clan Socities and Associations that you pay dues to belong to. Some will ask for your pedigree to join but I doubt any will question it closely. A quick read of this thread will show a varied response to your question of entitlement to wear a certain tartan. IMHO your surname that has a tartan associated with is reason enough.

Well maybe. Outwith Scotland these Clan Associations and societies may well be what holds things together. Over here it is generally not the way we do it. We are, what we are and we wear the tartan that we wear and see very little reason to belong to an association, although some do, nevertheless we generally wear our one Clan tartan and that is that. Some of us can even be moderately possessive about it in a generally mild mannered sort of way.

For example should you turn up in Scotland with your kilt, I doubt that any one would ask you for your pedigree to enable you to wear the tartan you are wearing and no one would expect a two hour justification lecture either from the visitor----it does happen---we tend to accept what we see and get on with life. Eyebrows would be raised though if you wore more than one Clan(different)tartan, but again, most Scots would be far too polite to comment.

Perhaps it is because we are closer to the "action" that we don't feel the need to belong to an association and not delve into what tartan one is wearing, I don't know, but that does not mean, even with the Clan system dead and buried long ago, that we are casual about our tartans and social niceties that go with them.

I do get the impression that some outwith Scotland do try to be more Scots than the Scots over all this though and do tend to overthink things a tad. However by doing one's homework about another nation and their culture is always a wise thing to do and is a complement too.

**Friday** · 28th July 12, 12:05 PM

Originally Posted by Mael Coluim

There are no Clans anymore

Who is going to tell this the the guys from Scotland who came to Stone Mountain and walked around with three Eagle feathers in their hats?

**Mael Coluim** · 28th July 12, 12:23 PM

Originally Posted by Friday

Who is going to tell this the the guys from Scotland who came to Stone Mountain and walked around with three Eagle feathers in their hats?

Don't need to tell them what they already know.

What Culloden decided in 1746, the Clearences wiped clean.

**Jock Scot** · 28th July 12, 12:24 PM

Originally Posted by Friday

Who is going to tell this the the guys from Scotland who came to Stone Mountain and walked around with three Eagle feathers in their hats?

You misunderstand. The Clan system is dead as we know, but the historical connections are still very much alive and those connections and the feathers make up part of Scotland's history and culture, as does the clan tartan and the kilt amongst so much else too. So we still have a Clan Chief, with his three fathers and he might live in a castle in the Highlands, or he might live in a modest house in Dallas Texas, or Sydney Australia. His history is his( and ours too in many ways) and he cannot get away from it and most regard it as a duty for future generations to preserve these things, but respect as a person has to be earned just like the rest of us. Funnily enough there are many, outwith Scotland too, that spend quite a lot of time, effort and money in officially gaining(re gaining) the right to wear those feathers. Family history is a powerful thing it seems, but in this day and age three feathers do not make a person any better than anyone else other than they know who and where their ancestors came from and often for many centuries. Is that not worth preserving?

**Mael Coluim** · 28th July 12, 12:42 PM

Nicely said, Jock. Pretty much describes were we are today. Yes, indeed it is worth preserving. IMHO.

**David Thorpe** · 28th July 12, 01:05 PM

Well said, Jock.
My Chief resides in Canada. His late father, also a Canadian, was asked by the Lord Lyon to matriculate his arms after a 200-year dormancy of the Chiefship of our clan.
I don't know how it is with other clans, but our Clan "Association" is an international corporation, headed by our Clan Chief, and is very closely linked to the Clan itself. The Chief's Arms and even the cap badge design are registered trademarks of said corporation.
Please pardon (and I believe you do) we, or at least some of us, of the diaspora about being fiercely protective of our heritage, including the symbols thereof. I believe you are right in assuming that it would not be such an issue if we had all been born and lived our whole lives in the Highlands.