What Makes A Clan?, Don't you have to be of Highland origin?

Let's have some straight talk here. Is is enough to be "Scots", but doesn't one have to also be of a Highland family line? I confess to a sadly deficient knowledge of Scotland and the Clans, but I thought only Highland Scots had clans (wore tartans and kilts).

In that regard, what is a Sept?

Must one be a member of a clan in order to wear that family's tartan with integrity?

Finally, is there any hope for the poor sucker who happens not have been born (to his or her knowledge) from a Clan family? Can anyone "join" a clan? If so, what do you do?

This is a lot of stuff, but I'm sure I'm not alone in wondering about this.

Regards,

Michael in Maine

One of many Clan and Tartan FAQ's may be found at Electric Scotland Clan and Tartan FAQ, which states that:

Links for a number of clan websites may be found at Electric Scotland Clan Names.

No , a clan is not necessarily from the highland region.A good synonymous for clan will be family.The sept are branch related to the family.If you do not have any scottish blood , you can possibly join a clan but if you want this officially you have to place a request and it must be accept.The question is waht implication you want to do and how much important it is for you.

For wearing a tartan,this question can be debate a long time.You have a few tartan which are from some specific region, district or country and some are international.Wearing a tartan from a family is a delicate question.Some don't even care about it and have no problem of consciousness, some like me do not approuve it.A tartan are from a family and have an history and taking it with no right or permission it's wrong.Well that's my point of view but hope it answer a few questions.

You are right on when saying that a Clan is basically a family lineage. Septs are families who may or may NOT be blood related. Mnay times they were families who lived close to a particular Clan and wished to ally themselves for political or defensive purposes.

As far as what tartan is right to wear, each clan may have one or more tartans. The most common of these variants on a tartan are referred to as Modern, Ancient and Hunting. Anyone in the Clan or in a sept of the Clan can wear these.

There are also regional or District tartans. For instance there is an Inverness tartan which anyone with some link to the region can wear. There is a "Maple Leaf" tartan for Canada, and many states have there own offical tartan. There are several tartans for anyone from the United States.

There are also organizational tartans. The Salvation Army has a tartan, the US Marine Corp, US Army and the US Air Force have tartans...probably the Navy too.

Then there are the Universal tartans which anyone is permitted to wear, like the so-called Government tartans. Black Watch falls into this category. Some manufacturers have come up with their own tartans. Stillwater Kilts has one called "Nightstalker" which is quite nice.

If you start looking through Electric Scotland and other places you can quickly come up with several tartans you can legitimately wear, no matter who you are or whether or not you are Scottish. Failing all else, and if you have some money at hand, you can design and register your own tartan.

No, Clan member does not automatically equal Highlander. One of my clans is proof of that. I'm a member of Clan Hamilton, we're Lowlanders. As a matter-of-fact, the head of our clan, the Duke of Hamilton, is the Premier Duke of Scotland. So, no, you don't have to be a Highlander to be a clansman/woman.

How hard do you think it would be to get permission from a clan to wear their tartan?

i imagine it would depend on the clan/sept, if you want to get technical...but alot of people just wear them without permission!

As far as I know there are no Tartan police. If you like the tartan wear it. Some of us are fortunate that we have multiple clan associations ( I have about 10) but if you can't find one that you like with a clan you are associated with just wear what you like.

gwenlee

True. On the other hand --

Nancy-Raven (see post above) had a lovely experience, as I remember, a few years back when she decided to go to the clan to ask permission to wear one of the old MacLean tartans. She wrote to The MacLean, who was very charmed by her request and the respect it showed, and the contact was really pleasant for both of them. Of course she could have worn the tartan anyway, but what a nice feeling to have communicated with the family behind it.

True. On the other hand --

Nancy-Raven (see post above) had a lovely experience, as I remember, a few years back when she decided to go to the clan to ask permission to wear one of the old MacLean tartans. She wrote to The MacLean, who was very charmed by her request and the respect it showed, and the contact was really pleasant for both of them. Of course she could have worn the tartan anyway, but what a nice feeling to have communicated with the family behind it.

I agree that was a great show of respect. I guess that most people would not think about asking permission I know there are some who get so hung up on the thought that you have to have a connection with a clan in order to wear their tartan.

If I may add a quote from Matt Newsome, curator of the Scottish Tartans Museum.

"Find a Tartan you like.
Know what Tartan you are wearing.
Wear it with pride."

It is true that there are no Tartan cops. You need no ones permission to wear the Tartan. However, most people prefer to wear a Tartan that they have, or feel, they have a connection to.

That being said, there are currently approx. 4000 Tartans. Only a small handful of those are Clan Tartans. There are Regional & District Tartans, (Tartans for US States, Canadian Provences), There are corporate Tartans,(Fed Ex and WalMart have their own Tartans), and there are Fashion Tartans (The Burrbury Check that is so popular right now is a good example).

There are Tartans for those with no Clan affiliation. They are popularly known as Universal Tartans. (The Black Watch and Stewart Tartans are the most popular).

The only Tartans which have any restrictions are the Balmoral Tartan that is owned by the Royal Family and those Tartans which have a copyright by their designers and are for specific uses.

Though I am of the Clan Cathcart the tartan is quite expensive so I opted for a cheaper and soemwhat universal Tartan, the "Pride of Scotland" Tartan, it can be found in an inexpensive kilt from www.kiltmart.com I hope this helps, and as for being part of a Clan if you do not know your exact clan or Sept you might like the Clan Cathcart-USA which has Associate memberships, for those that love Scotland and yet do not know their hereditary Clan. We can also help you find your correct Clan if you want. Feel free to contace me for more information on that.

This is a very interesting topic. It can be confusing when you are looking for a tartan. I always get confused about mine because there are different colors and patterns depending on the region they are from.