I’m African American - Can I wear my mom’s Clan Badge?

A viewer who described themselves as Puertro Rican and African-American asked us if they could wear the cap badge of their mother’s last name. Rocky and Shaun go over some essential points about wearing clan tartan, clan affiliation and gatekeeping.
* Tartans in this video:
Rocky: Stewart Old Colours
www.usakilts.com/gallery/13-1...
Shaun: American Dream
www.usakilts.com/kilts-and-pa...
Shaun’s Vlog:
/ @shauntakesamerica
--------------------------------------------------
Started in 2003, USA Kilts is a team of kilt makers and artisans located in Spring City PA. In 2017, we made it our mission to build community and bring kilts and Celtic culture to the forefront with our YT show: Kilts & Culture.
www.USAKilts.com
Find Your Tartan!: www.usakilts.com/galleries
KZbin: / usakiltsofficial
Facebook: / usakilts
Instagram: / usakilts
E-mail: [e-mail]

[@gazpal]

Skin colour doesn't matter. It's a clan badge to be worn and represents your heritage, so wear it with pride 🙂

[@gazpal]

​@@Arthurian. without any mention within the video, where on earth do derive that gem of assumption from?

[@gazpal]

@@Arthurian. it's already been agreed there is no reason for him not to wear a clan badge on the basis of his mother's surname. The origin of his mother's surname is his business, not our's, but you deliberately forget to mention another possibility ..... One of his grt grandfathers may have simply married his grt grandmother, but his caucasian genes may be dormant. Regardless, this isn't the time or place to offer up potentially racist perspective

[@gazpal]

@@Arthurian. you're letting yourself down badly by clearly pigeonholing race relations into your own region. All whilst ignoring the fact interracial marriage was not illegal elsewhere in the rest of the world. You very clearly have an agenda toward others who don't share your limited perspective.

[@gazpal]

​@@Arthurian. lol Further proof you're an escapee from the village idiots zoo, with your intelligence gene permanently on vacation. Genes can certainly lay dormant/recessive. Read up and you might learn something. You're very obviously stateside, so - obviously - living on foreign shores hasn't excluded you from your supposed claim to Clan Clampett "Squeal like a pig!" membership.

[@clementmckenzie7041]

@@Arthurian. That is almost but not quite true. 1967 is when the supreme court struck down the laws in states that made it illegal to marry interracially, in the United states. However there were states in the united states where it was legal to marry interracially notably All of the NE States and Washington DC. It has always been legal in Puerta Rico and the Caribbean, Canada and England, Scotland, Wales, Most of Europe, all of Latin America. My own Great grandparents were an interracial marriage. Yes also Scots were major slave holders and many African Americans have Scots surnames due to adopting or being assigned the last name of their slave masters, Johnson is an excellent example. Many others after emancipation claimed the last names of the slave master or overseer who had fathered them through relationships or rape.

[@charlesbond4413]

We have a number of black members in our PNW branch of our clan. It is about a connection to these ancestors. A connection we had no choice in. The connection is there whether you are aware of it or not. Once you become aware of your connection to a clan, you are encouraged to wear your families tartan. A kilt, a sash, a badge, a tattoo, it’s up to you.

[@paul0wen65]

I probably shared this story here before but worth retelling. I was celebrating on Saint Patrick's Day(yeah, I know Irish blah, blah, blah) when I saw a young man from Honduras kilted up. Found out he was born in Spain and his parents taught in Honduras. His parents were not from Galicia. I asked why he was kilted and he said seemed like the right thing to do. I bought him a round for just being awesome.

[@JMD1965]

the ONLY comment from me would be "Welcome to the club Brother!!"

[@queenbee3647]

Also "Whos buying the next round"?

[@leonkellerhuis3642]

Always be proud of your Heritage

[@gawkthimm6030]

unless you cant contain your pride from being condescending

[@vannshuttleworth4738]

I appreciate your addressing this. You guys are treating it like It's Not A Big Deal, which I agree. To hear it said out loud, means everything. Thank You.

[@clementmckenzie7041]

I am very black, and of Scots ancestry like many Diaspora Africans. both of my grandparents are half Scots on my fathers side and my mother is 1/8 Scots. My family has a rule, if they were a couple we acknowledge them as honored ancestors. If they were not we acknowledge them as ancestors we do not honor. When I was younger you never really knew how white people were going to react if you mentioned that you were of Scots heritage. There was a man who became really upset with me when I mentioned that my ancestor fought alongside Robert the Bruce as did his. Today people are better educated. I have my great grandfathers kilt from his military days and though I would never wear it, it has a prominent place on the wall of my home. If you feel that this heritage has something to offer you, if your family treasures this connection then by all means have at it. Remember there are more McKenzie's in Jamaica than in Scotland.

[@queenbee3647]

Alot of Scots in Jamaica were there because of forced immigration....meaning they were indentured and sold.

[@AmandaFromWisconsin]

Don't you mean Robert the Bruce? Or do you mean William Wallace?

[@clementmckenzie7041]

@@AmandaFromWisconsin I actually meant Robert the Bruce. This is an excellent example of why one should not comment after a night out with the girls featuring skinny martinis.

[@nailahdawkins]

Thank you for your words! Yes, many Black folks in the U.S. and broader have Celtic DNA for sure. I got the Scottish part from my Mommy 🇯🇲 even though Irish 🇮🇪, Scottish🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 and more too. Comedian David Nihill stated the fact in his recent comedy show, 'Cultural Appreciation' that: 38% of Black Americans have Irish ancestry. That means I need to see more Black people at *all* the Celtic festivals 😅. Lastly, I recently bought the book 📖 'Bought & Sold: Scotland, Jamaica, and Slavery' by Kate Phillips. It will definitely give me more of the history there, connections, and who knows may feature info on ancestors and how I connect. The directory volumes of Scottish settlers in North America, I think are the perfect place to use as a genealogy resource as well.

[@la_old_salt2241]

Of course you can, wear it proudly.

[@MaxJW-ln4xm]

Once again, a big THANK YOU for videos like this ..... Correct & to the point. Especially since his Mom is of Scottish clan decent, he's probably more entitled to wear the badge, the tartan, the kilt & pin as anybody who would have anything to say about it ! Dude, wear it loud & wear it proud ! I'm black, have 8 kilts, and wear them often. Detractors, be Damned !!!!

[@piperian3962]

I’m curious though, who were your detractors?

[@straycat1674]

I’ve had quite a few African-Americans come up to me and comment on my kilt saying they wish they could wear one. I first start off by asking do you think we have any Celtic heritage at all, Irish Scottish welsh. Is your last name Irish or Scottish welsh or whatever? If they say yes I say there you go there’s your connection. If they say no, I tell them they have a German heritage and pretty much everything. So if you have a German last name where the German heritage. Or I just tell them, the Celtic culture really doesn’t care we actually appreciate it when you take pride in our culture. As for the cap badge, just remember if you choose to wear it in the old days that would be used symbolizing your allegiance to the client. And a lot of people who are members of the clan we’re not blood relations.

[@ayedee6681]

I'm a confused Scot, mom is Cairns, Stewart clan, Dad is irish Woods - and ENGLISH ...

[@queenbee3647]

Always proud to be a McGough and to let it show! 😁👍

[@lonepiper4645]

Irish on my dads side and scottish on my mums side. My mum was a Ross so I wear the Ross dress and hunting tartan and the Clan Ross cap badge.

[@queenbee3647]

Yep. Scots and Irish here as well. And married a Ross! 😉

[@bhfj4206]

Yes

[@jacintatate]

great video. Skin colour doesn't matter, so long as you embrace and love the culture you have the right to celebrate that and wear tartan. This is a conversation that seems to only go one way. If a white person wants to wear nigerian clothing or braid their hair the left become outraged and call it appropriation! Ridiculous, you have the right in a free country to wear what you want to wear, no one should take your right away from you so long as you are respectful about it. Im a Sutherland, McDonald and Simpson so I like to wear the different tartans as scarfs and shawls.

[@stephencampbell4748]

Absolutely!

[@wingerwrestles1865]

YES you can!

[@doyledean2763]

Hell yes!

[@ivanthemadvandal8435]

I have zero Scotish heritage, although I have drank enought Scotch that its likely in my DNA. I came across an older Scot one day I was wearing a kilt, we spoke, he found i cool that an American liked and adopted a part of his culture and said that he should dust off his kilt more often. The cultural approation crowd often have little to nothing with the culture that are supposedly standing up for. Ive been told by a fellow white person that it was inappropriate for me to wear a kimono, that I was gifted by a friend of mine from Japan. These people dont care about "protecting cultures" they only care about power, and they can only get it from you if you give it to them.

[@seankeaney823]

The remains of a member of the 71st Highlanders who died at the battle of Camden(1780) were recently moved. The honor guard send over from Scotland included a person who clearly has African heritage. kzbin.info/www/bejne/ip6ke2icd8ahoac If you wear something with respect then most people will respect your decision. And those who don’t respect your decision don’t matter.

[@ccc822007]

My scottish family disowned me after my grandmother passed. My grandfather on my father's side was the Scottsman. My mother's side is mostly Irish. Can I still wear my father's side colors. They were Shaws. I don't know if they were Shaws further back. I just know the last name was shaw. I've researched to find out that the kilt colors were green with red stripes. You can look it up. I'm deeply rooted in learning my families history. Both sides.

[@oakmaiden2133]

Yes!

[@momof1576]

Are you concerned that it’s ethnic appropriation? I think you’ll find that Irish and Scottish people don’t care if it’s done out of respect and affinity for our history and culture.

[@joebaumgart1146]

I had friends back in Ireland that were black. They're still Irish. I'm Jewish, but I'm still Irish. I have a Kippah that matches my Tartan and a clip for it with my crest. My mother is an O'Shea. The only color that matters for a kilt is the tartan.

[@GoldenQ.]

If that's your clan then go for it.

[@JR-bj3uf]

I have a Lamont kilt. I got is used with kilt pin and all. I wear it. It looks nice. It was a wool kilt at a very reasonable price.

[@JohnnyWrongo-b9l]

The genetic head of one of the major clans is a black man, I believe living in Trinidad. Skin colour is not a factor, family blood lines are what it is all about.

[@gunnyclaus8511]

Rock the pin 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@smacwhinnie]

Wear what you like. If you're African American and have a Scottish name, you probably have Scottish lineage. Have a ball

[@AtarahDerek]

Scottish clans: You don't have to be our blood relative to be one of us. You can have any heritage, and as long as you make a meaningful connection with us and are loyal to us, you can be part of our clan. American founders: That right there is an absolutely fantastic idea! We're making it national law! Anyone can be an American if they're loyal to America.

[@abaachi13]

I've always thought that the kilt was cool. I loved that the people who wore one always seemed to wear it with pride. I didn't think that it would be cool for me to wear because I am a Black man. But my maternal side has the last name "Boyd." So I'll be researching the family history and familiarizing myself with our family's name. I see a "Boyd Modern" kilt in my near future.

[@inregionecaecorum]

My grandmother was an Elliot, so I wear the Elliot tartan. So far as I am aware that is perfectly acceptable in ancient Scottish tradition and if I so wished I could apply to be a member of the clan society as descent from a grandmother is permissible so this guy should have no worries. Dammit even Donald Trump can wear a clan tartan and a cap badge if he wishes.

[@piperian3962]

“I’m not Scottish at all…but my mother has a Scottish last name.”

[@BernardJTarver]

Thank you for this. I'm a Black American and while I don't *think* I have any Scottish ancestry, I know for a fact there is Irish in my bloodline. I've been fascinated by kilts for a long time and have contemplated getting one, but have worried about cultural misappropriation.

[@USAKiltsOfficial]

Come on in! The water is fine. 😁

[@seamasrigh2162]

In truth, the final arbiter of who may or may not is actually the Chief. The cap badge is the Chief's, the belt around it signifies that the wearer is a follower (whether by blood or no) of that Chief. The Chief decides what is and what is not the clan tartan. His word is law to his Clansmen(women). Ask Maj. (ret) Sir Malcolm MacGregor of Macgregor, 7th Bt. 24th Chief. That said, most Chiefs are happy to have anyone who wants to support their Clan. Wear what you like and what has meaning to you. Just bring no shame.

[@christopherduke8935]

I wouldn't begrudge anyone wearing a family member's clan badge, be they black, white, or tartan. There'll always be naysayers and anoraks in any passion or pursuit. They're best avoided as you carry on wearing what you like, for whatever reasons that you don't have to explain to them.

[@Hammerli280]

Hmm...sounds like there might be a market for non-clan cap badges.

[@karlr750]

There are a few.

[@samoaebw]

Put the pin and be proud , most of puertorican surnames came from Spain Germany Irish and Scotland.

[@user-bf2mp5vr2v]

What tartan is in the thumbnail? Is it ancient or hunting?

[@Whisperhollow]

What is wrong with that? Wear it proudly, its your heritage, not your color. Nothing wrong with it! Can I wear braids? Yes! Vikings wore braids, and so can I. Its not cultural appropreation if it is actually your heritage. Who cares what color you are. Plenty of Irish swear they see green peoples.

[@johnnyjet3.1412]

Gov. Schwarzenegger's only tartan was his ex-wife's - does that make him a 'girlie-man'???

[@queenbee3647]

Ask him. I dare ya. 😁

[@johnnyjet3.1412]

@@queenbee3647 He lives in LA, and after the Nat'l Guard sent me to the riots in '92 I swore if I never go back it'll be far too soon!

[@serpentinesecrets6771]

If it’s his moms clan wouldn’t that make it his too?

[@huguesdepayens807]

No

[@user-tz4ig1xj8p]

Put the kilt on... have a look in a mirror... do you look good?

[@samyoung3592]

Some may say you are making fun of the Scottish by doing so....

[@AtarahDerek]

Entitled harpy, pointing at some random person wearing a poncho/hat/jewelry/dreds: MY CULTURE IS NOT YOUR COSTUME!! White guy in a kilt: What's their problem? Black guy in a kilt: No idea.

[@clementmckenzie7041]

@@AtarahDerek Others would realize that all African Americans have European ancestry and that since Scots/ Irish planation owners were the majority in the south that also means that most African Americans are of Scots/Irish ancestry. So African Americans can't appropriate a culture that is theirs by blood. Yeah I know its a strange quirk of being a former slave holding nation. The descendants of your former enslaved class are also the descendants of your ancestors and so inherit multiple cultures they can lay claim to because of the realities of the situation of enslavement. Whereas the descendants of the Slave holding class didn't inherit any claim to the cultures of the people they enslaved. Kinda sucks huh

[@AtarahDerek]

@@clementmckenzie7041 Where are you getting the idea that most plantation owners were Scottish or Irish? Most of them were English with some Norse. The reason Irish is strongly represented in African Americans is because the Irish were slaves too. In fact, they were slaves FIRST. The first African slave in America was brought here by an African owner. Prior to that, white slave owners kept white slaves. It had become common by that point for Caribbean slaveholders to breed their cheap Irish slaves to their expensive African slaves to produce cheap labor that didn't die as readily in the tropical sun. In fact, the laws we used to have against interracial marriage were born out of protectionist legislation, as the breeding of black and white slaves was cutting into the profits of companies that ran the African slave trade.

[@brucecollins641]

@@AtarahDerek you need to research the irish slave myth. start with this one....the irish slave myth has been widely discredited-full fact......then....trinity college reckons with slavery links links as ireland confronts collusion with empire|ireland|the guardian......then...the curious origins of the "irish slaves" myth the world from prx.......the photo of the kids you see are american. young lads in britain that age also worked in the mines.

[@AmandaFromWisconsin]

@@AtarahDerek The Irish came to the Americas as indentured servants, not as slaves.

[@AVOIDAVOIDVOID]

No

[@briantaylor9475]

Why not? It means something to him.

[@nailahdawkins]

I wonder why you'd think that...? It's part of his heritage so he's free to rock it! No permission needed.