A Great Letter, I think . . .

**The Celtic Gypsy** · 5th October 07, 10:38 AM

What an excellent explanation in regards for tartans and kilts. Comes down to "Does it really matter as long as there respect for the tartan and the kilt." I have no Scottish ancestry what so ever. I have always loved things Scottish and see nothing wrong with expressing that love in wearing something with some tartan i find appealing to me..

**Thistle Stop** · 30th March 08, 09:34 PM

Wow, I haven't been around on X Marks for awhile, so I'm just seeing all the super-kind comments made about my letter! I'm very touched that so many of you even took the time to read all that! Thanks very much! I won't reproduce the letter I was responding to (though it's tempting!), since I don't have permission from the writer to do so. I did share it with Brian Wilton (of the STA), privately, as between friends -- he then asked to put my side of the exchange in the STA newsletter and I said OK to that. I never got a response from the original letter-writer, which doesn't surprise me! Obviously, he really got up my nose with his chauvinistic attitude toward tartan-wearing and "Scottishness", so I just gave him both barrels. Actually, the opinion he expressed about people born in other countries not having a right to refer to themselves as "Scottish" in any regard (whether Scottish-American, Scottish-Canadian, or what-have-you) is not uncommon in Scotland, though certainly not everyone there thinks that way about it. I've encountered other Scots who feel that all of us of Scottish ancestry are sort of one big family, "all Jock Tamson's bairns", as they say. Of course, where anybody "comes from" depends upon what moment in time one is looking at -- most modern Scots have ancestors that came to Scotland from Ireland, or Scandinavia, and the geneticists say we all came from Africa or the Near East back in the dawn of Mankind. Our genes are totally portable, and so is culture, language, etc. But I don't suppose the arguments about all this will cease anytime soon! Cheers to everyone who posted, for all your kindness!

Cyndi

**jmercier** · 30th March 08, 10:13 PM

Cyndi, thank you for taking the time to write that letter, on behalf of all of us around the world of Scottish descent. The furthest back I'm able to trace my ancestors anywhere is to the Biggars of Scotland. They're not a member of any sept, they don't have a family tartan (as most Scottish families don't in reality) being predominantly lowlanders. Yet I enjoy wearing the kilt and celebrating my heritage at highland games and other events.

It does not truly matter that I'm a quarter French-Canadian, a quarter German, a quarter Scotch-Irish, and the other quarter some muddled mix of Penobscot (hey they're scots too of the Penob family... aren't they?

) Brittish, and who knows what. As was said by Davie Ross when he was introducing the band Albannach at the New Hampshire Highland Games last year, most Scottish Americans may be 3, 4, or 5 generations American, but before that they were another 30 generations Scottish too.

-Justin

**Doc** · 30th March 08, 10:33 PM

Welcome back!

**SFCRick** · 31st March 08, 02:02 AM

good job

**Chase** · 31st March 08, 08:54 AM

I'm none of the above, but I enjoyed the read...Although I'll be the first to admit, I would be more inclined to buy a ticket to Scotland, fly over, introduce myself, give him a "wake-up slap", fly back, and pop open an ice cold Kokanee.

**Macman** · 31st March 08, 09:22 AM

I really liked that letter when I read it, and nice to hear from you, Cyndi!

**ozone** · 31st March 08, 09:34 AM

Three Cheers for Cyndi for her thoughtful response. As a welsh-tartan-wearing person, I found many points in her letter that rang true with my own experience in regard to honoring the ancestors and whatnot.

Also, her point about the fact that most of us probably wouldn't be wearing tartan anything if it hadn't been for the mid-19th century ENGLISH lords reviving the tradition is well put. That jibes well with my and my wife's experience when speaking with various scots during our trip there in 2003.

Plus, you never know where your ancestor-searching might take you. My uncle, in from Holland, just recently found out at a bridge tournament that the folks sitting across from him and his wife were the children of some jewish survivors of WWII who had been saved by my grandfather's connections in the underground. THEY told him that Landman (his last name) is most likely descended from a GERMAN JEWISH family (Landmann) from around Essen in Germany from the 1500's....they had looked it up apparently.

SO, now i am apparently of Welsh, Dutch, German, English, Jewish descent....now how's that for confusing the issue?!? Anyone got a good tartan pattern for that?!?

**Cawdorian** · 31st March 08, 10:04 AM

Cyndi, thanks for your thoughtful and energetic response to the letter. I found It to be very inspiring. It put forth several ideas I had never thought about and does a great job of putting our Scottish heritage in the proper perspective.

I especially like the statement from Davie Ross, "most Scottish Americans are 3, 4 or 5 generations American, but before that they were another 30 generations (or more) Scottish too."

**Galician** · 31st March 08, 11:21 AM

Originally Posted by ozone

Plus, you never know where your ancestor-searching might take you. My uncle, in from Holland, just recently found out at a bridge tournament that the folks sitting across from him and his wife were the children of some jewish survivors of WWII who had been saved by my grandfather's connections in the underground. THEY told him that Landman (his last name) is most likely descended from a GERMAN JEWISH family (Landmann) from around Essen in Germany from the 1500's....they had looked it up apparently.

SO, now i am apparently of Welsh, Dutch, German, English, Jewish descent....now how's that for confusing the issue?!? Anyone got a good tartan pattern for that?!?

Sounds like you need to read the threads (again?) on a Jewish tartan.