Ponderings of an ancient Scot.

[Scotus]

I think the necessary tension( at least in my mind) when confronting the idea of creating new non-Scottish tartans is fact that the kilt is the national/ethnic/cultural attire of Scots and those of Scots-descent. I personally don't understand the appeal of tartans that are aimed at non-Scottish ethnicities (German, Dutch, etc.) that have distinct national/ethnic/cultural traditions in their own right.

I guess that in my mind I give the US a "pass" on this factor, since I don't think that we're old enough, or homogenous enough, to have a uniform, distinct national/ethnic/cultural tradition of our own yet. As such, most kiltwearers I know came to kilts by way of an interest in their Scottish ancestry. In most settings where I see the kilt being worn, it's in the context of a clan association gathering. Given that, I'm don't think that the motivation of most Americans for wearing a clan tartan is any different than that of Scots.

David:

Very, very well said! Your first paragraph is exactly how I feel about it!

America (and Canada and a few other places) are somewhat different because of the large population of Scottish descendants. Anyway, what you've said here is what I was trying to say about my own non-interest in non-Scottish tartans.

Scotus