Tartan Obligation

[Riverkilt]

Haven't done my taxes yet, but I'm hopeful for a refund...which has me reviewing my wish list for the next Kathy Lare hand sewn kilt.

No decisions yet, but did come up with sort of a philosophical question.

I know anyone can wear most any tartan they want to and like.

But what if your clan tartan, or district tartan for your family, is a tartan you don't particularly like? Is there any obligation felt to go ahead and get a kilt in your clan tartan - just because it is your clan tartan - even if you don't much like the tartan design.

Not gonna name any clan tartans...just staying with the idea.

Seems to me that if your name is a name that has a tartan there would be a stonger obligation felt than if it was a great great grandfather's clan tartan...

Like, I would like to honor my Maternal Grandfather, but his name doesn't have an associated tartan and the district his family is probably from has a tartan I don't much like...

Getting caught up in, "I wanna, but not with that one."

I know I have no obligation...but I know but I don't know but I know....follow?

Or with district tartans. I have an Isle of Skye which I think is beautiful...but I'd also like to honor my family's time in Nova Scotia/ Cape Breton Island....but I'm not sure I like either of those tartans well enough...sorry...guess I named some. On my mother's side its the same with the Quebec tartan...

Not meaning to offend anyone, its just me. Maybe its being dissappointed that some of the clans and districts I'd like to honor devised tartans I'm not attracted to enough to buy a kilt in the tartan.

Sort of a Catch - 22. I wanna, but not with that one...

Frustrating...

Ron

[beloitpiper]

If you don't like it, don't get it! Simple as that! I'm sure your wish list is long enough to put off buying a family tartan that you don't like!

Fortunately, I've never had this problem, as Gordon is the most beautiful tartan ever woven!

[Gryphon noir]

I know how you feel. My mother's family came from the Aberdeen area. I got curious one day and found that Aberdeen has a tartan.......words fail me....I guess it's all a matter of taste [As the farmer said when he kissed the cow]

[McGurk]

Dont forget that there may be several tartans under that name! I myself dont much like the MacFarlane tartan, but the MacFarlane hunting is one of the best tartans I've seen!

Dont waste money on a kilt you dont want, find as many tartans as you can with a connection to yourself, and pick the one you like the best.

[Beertigger]

There are a few familial tartans I could wear, but I'm not gonna.

Shudder.

I really don't care what the name of the pattern is, I'll just wear what I like. I've got a Weathered Mackenzie that I love. I have absolutely no idea if there's a Mackenzie in the family or not. Who cares?

I won't, however, wear a certain greenish-blackish tartan on St. Patrick's Day, but that's a different issue entirely.

[Jock Scot]

I think I know where you are coming from,Ron.I have been hampered with the "convention" that I should only wear the tartan of only one clan for all of my life,60 plus years, and that is what I have done.Happily, I may add,I like the one I wear.I have the choice of about a dozen or so other clan tartans to choose from and still remain loyal to my clan,but I don't like them.What people ,who think like me, do if they do not like their respective clan tartan I really do not know.

There are some,not many,tartans that I really like and if I were a "colonial"(sorry!)type who has been brought up with a healthy dis-regard to conventions or even rules then I would very happily go out and wear them.I am afraid that whilst this traditional old Scot is still breathing I am doomed (and proud) to have worn the same tartan for all my years.

[BoldHighlander]

There are some,not many,tartans that I really like and if I were a "colonial"(sorry!)type who has been brought up with a healthy dis-regard to conventions or even rules then I would very happily go out and wear them.I am afraid that whilst this traditional old Scot is still breathing I am doomed (and proud) to have worn the same tartan for all my years.

I'm one of those "colonial's" who's a traditionalists at heart when it comes to family tartans, though I also believe Ron, you should wear what you like, not because you feel obligated to.

I'm one of those who's also lucky that he likes his clan tartan, in this case Modern Mackay (in the larger sett as reproduced by House of Edgar). I also like most (but not all) of the District tartans of my Scobee's (Perthshire) and have on my wish list two different district tartans, however as with Mackay, there are a couple tartans I would not wear.

Not sure the family tartan you speak of, but as some here have stated you may find more than one colour (modern / ancient / weathered etc) and one may "speak to you."

But in the end don't feel obligated to wear something you do not like.

Happy hunting!

[Howard Clark]

I very much feel the same way about the Clark tartan, same sett as clergy and quite similar colors (the same from some weavers), and I do not want anyone to be confused in that way. My Father-in-law is a minister, and my wife is on the pulpit supply list and preaches fairly often, and there are those who would like to see me try that role, but I am not one of them.

I have thought about having Matt make me a kilt from another different Clark tartan that he was kind enough to point out as not being like the clergy tartan. But, it is a custom weave, as I recall.

As a colonial with no real heartfelt obligations to any particular tartan I wouldn't wear it if you don't like it. I was/am careful to choose those which are literally correct (Smith, it's what I AM, but not my name, and since it was a surname evolved from trade, and I am in that trade,well you see where I am going). I do not have totally solid evidence of Scottish ancestry, but the family names that are most meaningful to me both are MacPherson septs, so that works for me too. And I have a Leslie tartan kilt, because the fabric was MoD surplus on e-bay and affordable.

[macwilkin]

Or with district tartans. I have an Isle of Skye which I think is beautiful...but I'd also like to honor my family's time in Nova Scotia/ Cape Breton Island....but I'm not sure I like either of those tartans well enough...sorry...guess I named some. On my mother's side its the same with the Quebec tartan...

How could anyone not like the Nova Scotia tartan? Not only is it beautiful, but it's also the first district tartan designed outside of the UK.

Ah, well...different horses for courses, I suppose.

Why don't you order a swatch of it, Ron, and see it "in person". My wife's NS sash is a thing to behold.

T.

[M. A. C. Newsome]

When I'm giving people advise about how to choose a tartan to wear, I usually start out with "All things being equal, if there is a tartan associatied with the surname you bear, that is the most obvious choice." Now, a lot is assumed in that "all things being equal" clause. There are all manner of considerations that may effect the decision.

One of them is the issue you raise -- do I even like the tartan? People's reaction to tartans can range from "Oh my goodness, I LOVE that design," to "It's ok, I suppose I like it fine enough," to "Oh, what a hideous tartan, I'd never be caught dead wearing that!" And, believe it or not, people's tastes change over time. Ten years ago, when I first started working in the museum, my favorite tartans tended to be your standard blue/green tartans with maybe a little color, like Hunting MacLeod. I remember just loving that one.

Today, though, after starting at tartan nearly every day for a decade, I tend to like the more unusual or unique designs more. I love Aberdeen, for instance, because not only is it so very different from most tartans you see today, it is also very much in keeping with the style of the eighteenth century, when it was originally designed.

Sometimes you may start out not likeing a particular tartan, but it will grow on you over time.

In any case, I don't think anyone should feel forced to wear a tartan if they just really don't like it. Your goal may be to honor your heritage or your anscestors, but if you are going to cringe and gawk every time you put the kilt on, is that really the way you want to honor them?

The good news is that most clans have multiple tartans from which to choose. For instance, MacFarlane has a red, green, and black and white tartan. Scott has a red, green, brown, and black and white tartan. You may not like the Buchanan tartan, but the Buchanan Hunting might be more up your alley.

Even in a case where a clan has only one tartan, such as Armstrong, you can obtain that tartan in a variety of color schemes, such as modern, ancient, weathered, muted, etc. I know many who do not like the modern Buchanan but love the weathered Buchanan or the reproduction Buchanan.

Lastly, it is not unheard of to have a length of custom tartan run in a personal variation of a recognized clan tartan. I use as an example on of our museum employees, who is a MacGregor. He doesn't like the standard red & green MacGregor tartan. He wanted to have a kilt that was primarily black. So we had woven for him a length of kilt cloth of the MacGregor tartan where the main color was switched from red to black.

Technically speaking this is not a "clan tartan" because he changed it. It's a "personal tartan." However, the basic form of the tartan is still the MacGregor design and he wears it both as a personal tartan and to honor his clan anscestry.

In other words, there are lots of options!
M