Newbe Question alert: Okay to wear other tartan?

[MacWage]

I'll add a few comments here:

Take into consideration, virtually ALL tartans have a SPECIFIC meaning and "baggage" attatched to them. For example, the Royal Stewart is "officially" the tartan of the royal family, but has been opened to all her subjects and those that are thier decendants and those who ally with her. The Black Watch is the tartan of a specific old military unit (the "government" unit during the Jacobite years). It has been used by many, many units since then and is now seen as a "general" tartan. Many I know DO NOT wear these two tartans for the Royal and Government associations they bear. Likewise, Caledonia is a very,very old pattern and was used in the 18th and probably the 17th century. It is used to represent Scotland as a whole today. Each and almost every tartan has similar associations.

Sometimes, a tartan has more than one association. One of these is the same Black Watch mentioned above. A good article on this is:
http://albanach.org/tartanname.htm
One on Black Watch is here:
http://albanach.org/blackwatch.htm

While one is free to wear (almost) any tartan, each has one or more meaning and to wear that tartan ties the wearer to the meaning. In some cases, it is to make a claim that one has no right to (such as the Balmoral tartan, which is understood to be limited to the royal family itself-> so to wear it bears the claim of being royalty). I analogize it to sports colors. In both sides of the Atlantic, football (in US-> NFL or college and in Europe-> football/soccer) provides a good example. Each team has a set of colors, a livery associated with THAT team. While free to wear whatever colors you want, to wear these colors is to associate yourself with that team. So:
Anywhere in the US, to wear:
orange and a white paw-> Clemson University
Green and Yellow-> Green Bay Packers (NFL) or Oakland A's (MLB)
Purple and yellow-> Minnisota Vikings
Black, Light Blue, and silver or white-> Carolina Panthers
(You get the idea)
This is accentuated with logos added to the colors.

A few weeks ago (the day of the Atlanta Falcons/Carolina Panthers football game), I wore a Falcons jersey and a Black Watch kilt on the battery in Charleston, South Carolina (Panther country). It seemed more people noticed the jersey more than the kilt!!! I stood out as a Falcons fan and got pro and con comments on the team (with only 1 mention of the kilt at all!!), no negative "skirt comments" ("Trust a Falcons fan to wear a skirt"-> never heard). The colors tied me to the team (and, thereby, all the other Falcons fans)

A Tartan is similar.
MacLeod ties to the MacLeods
MacNeil to the MacNeils
Wallace to Wallace
USA Bicenntenial/St Andrews-> US citizen/supporter
Carolina-> North and South Carolina
(again-> you get the idea)

Therefore, while one is "free" to wear whatever tartan he/she wishes, one is identified with the meaning of that tartan, and they become a representative of that tartan. It is best to know what that tartan is, what it means, and be able to discuss it at least somewhat. Imagine:
A person who wears a Packers jersey and is asked "How about those Packers?"
Person-> "The who?"
Questioner-> "The team your wearing."
Person-> "Oh,I just saw it and liked the colors."
Most likely this will result in a look of disgust, if not downright anger.

Moral: Wear what you like, but know what you wear and have a good reason for it. The best reason-> My ????? was a Mac????

PS-> I am an Atlanta Falcons fan, as that is where I was born and raised. By second favorite team (by only a small margin)-> Panthers, for I have lived here since the team can into being.

[turpin]

MacWage

That was a very interesting and informative post. I learned a lot. Thank you.

[Riverkilt]

About half my tartan kilts are my various clan tartans - because I want to honor the heritage of my clans...EVEN my maternal clans...there were plenty of men in my maternal clans too.

The other half of my tartan kilts either honor a region of my heritage, or are tartans I happen to like the color of and have no blood tie to, or are fashion tartans. I love the freedom to choose what tartans I like for what reasons I chose.

A couple years ago a self-appointed member of the tartan police ambushed me at the Clan Donald tent at the Mesa, AZ Highland Games and told me I couldn't wear Macdonald Lord of the Isles Hunting because that was reserved for Prince Charles. Well, the mills sell a LOT of that tartan anyway and I've had a necktie in that tartan for nearly 30 years. Wound up writing Clan Donald officers for clarification and of course was told the guy was looney tunes and yes anyone is welcome to wear that tartan. This year at the same games I asked after him with the intent of having a manly discussion with him. I was told he was no longer welcome at the Clan tent because of his delusions and rude behaviors.

Like any other field of interest and passion kilts and clans seem to attract self-appointed "experts" who are in fact dead wrong.

Kilt away in any tartan you choose. I expect if its a tartan we're not supposed to be wearing our kiltmakers won't be able to buy the fabric.

Was up on Second Mesa on the Hopi reservation today for fall dances in the plaza of Sichomovi Village. There, seated and watching the most elegant Hopi dancers was a Hopi grandma with a Royal Stewart tartan blanket in her lap to keep her warm. Sadly, no photos allowed in the Hopi Villages. But if a Hopi Grandma can sport a Royal Stewart tartan, anybody can.

Me, I had on my Cameron Black and Red hand sewn kilt and got lots of positive comments. Even climbed a ladder and back down kilted and modestly to watch the dances in the plaza from the roof.

Kilt up any way you wanna and stand proud.

Ron

[David Dalglish]

You can E--mail the Stewart society at archivist@stewartsociety.org for permission to wear the Stewart tartan you want, although its not necessary, but it might make you feel better.

[Roan Carter]

More than anything, I really don't think a highlander would have let anyone else tell him what colors he was allowed to wear. Do as you please and enjoy your freedom. ; )

[gilmore]

More than anything, I really don't think a highlander would have let anyone else tell him what colors he was allowed to wear. Do as you please and enjoy your freedom. ; )

I had to chuckle when I read this. I would hazard a guess that you have never met a highlander. All I have known are fine people, and being British have keener notions of appropriate and inappropriate behaviour than do some from other cultures and countries.

[Phil]

More than anything, I really don't think a highlander would have let anyone else tell him what colors he was allowed to wear. Do as you please and enjoy your freedom. ; )

I have met quite a few highlanders and while they would all like to own a kilt very few of them can afford one. A different story if they come to the city and earn a decent wage but crofters, gillies etc. have more important things to spend what little money they have on.

[Oatmeal Savage]

Thanks everone for your ideas and opinions. I am sorry to be asking so many question, it is a pain.

Thanks David, I followed up on you suggestion.

Kevin

You can E--mail the Stewart society at archivist@stewartsociety.org for permission to wear the Stewart tartan you want, although its not necessary, but it might make you feel better.

[Kid Cossack]

Oatmeal Savage:

The only sorry oatmeal I've ever seen was at a Navy base in North Carolina. I don't think you've said or done anything to be sorry over. You had a question about tartan wearing, and you asked it. As you may have gathered from the responses, there's more than one way to skin the proverbial cat, and there's more than one way to look at which tartans one can/ought wear.

I am sort of of mixed minds regarding "appropriate tartan" wear. To the extent that wearing a clan tartan means allegiance to the clan, I'm not entitled to wear any of 'em. (I am an American, and the only oath of allegiance I have taken is to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies foriegn and domestic.) On the other hand, I've got kith and kin from several Scots clans, and I've a couple of the tartans. I've also got kilts in tartans that I just like---for instance the Farquharson casual USAK. First off, it's a pretty tartan, and second of all, one of my favorite Victorian mechanical devices is the Farquharson single shot rifle.

Then again, I'm also a former Marine, and I'd look askance indeed at someone in the Leatherneck tartan who wasn't a Marine.

And speaking of the Marine Corps, they told us at boot camp that the only stupid question was the question you didn't ask.

Ever forward, with pleats flying in the wind!

[macwilkin]

Moved thread to heraldry and tartans section. Please post all tartan-related questions here.

Regards,

TJW