Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Scotland’s Tartans
Scotland has so many rich textile traditions. The one that I chose to highlight with the Scotland scarf is based on the Scottish tartan.
Tartans, those recognizeable cloths in colours of overlapping checks and stripes, so uniquely Scottish. They can also be found in the ethnic dress of other cultures. But somehow, in the way that they have been incorporated into the cultural costume of Scotland, the ideas of tartan and Scotland go hand in hand.
Originally coloured with vegetable dyes, the wearing of the tartan dates back to the 13th century. In fact, originally it was simply a long piece of woven cloth, worn over the shoulder, before it became used for clothing like the kilt. It served many purposes: it kept the wearer warm and it could be used as a blanket.
In the early days it is not known whether the patterns or "setts" related exclusively to particular clans or to the early territories themselves. Today, though, they have become standardized and are associated with individual clans (or "families").
New tartans have also been developed and claimed by other groups and countries. For example, the provinces of Canad and the states of the US have their own tartans.
So here is your chance to develop your own tartan, using the colours that speak to you. You can also go ahead and develop ones for your family and friends.
Who says you can't?
