Tartan

Tartan is a type of woven fabric traditionally made of wool that has a design formed by intersecting stripes of various sizes and colors. Although it has been used by other cultures, it is most commonly associated with the people of Scotland. Scottish kilts, or knee-length pleated skirts, are usually made of this fabric. In nearly all tartans, the pattern formed by the intersecting stripes is the same both horizontally and vertically, although there are occasional exceptions to this rule. True tartans are produced to rigorous standards, with careful attention to exact colors and pattern layouts. The resulting tartans are named and registered according to the Scottish clan, or family, with which they are associated.

Background

There is some debate over the origin of the word tartan. It is speculated that it is derived from either the Irish tarsna, meaning "crosswise," or the Scottish-Gaelic word tarsuinn, which means "across." Others think it came from the French word tiertaine, which referred to a specific type of fabric.

Historians have determined that ancestors of contemporary Scots have been making and wearing tartan for well over three thousand years. Early examples of tartan have been found with mummies in Ürümqi in China that were buried as far back as 2000 Before the Common Era (BCE). The mummies have been found to have the same deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) as Celts who lived in Western Europe. Both the fabric and the mummies are extraordinarily well-preserved, allowing researchers to identify the tartan pattern and compare it to others from the time.

Before discovering these ancient Celtic mummies and the tartans buried with them, historians assumed that tartans were a relatively new development from the sixteenth century. It was known that the Scots of the Iron Age were weaving fabric described as striped from at least the sixth century BCE in northern Britain and Ireland. Also, Romans who lived in the area wore similarly patterned clothing. A small piece of wool with a checked pattern known as Falkirk was found inside the neck of a bottle buried around the third century Common Era (CE). However, the earliest recorded references to tartan came in the sixteenth century, including one where King James V mentions buying some for his wife. Scottish rebels wearing uniforms made of tartan fought the Jacobite rebellion of 1745; this resulted in a prohibition known as the Disarming Act, which made wearing tartan by commoners and nongovernmental military personnel illegal for thirty-six years.

Overview

Traditional tartans are generally made of wool, usually from sheep prevalent in the areas where tartans are made. Like all fabrics, tartans have a warp and a weft. This refers to the threads used in the textile weaving process; warp threads are attached to the frame used for the weaving, and weft threads are lifted over and under the warp threads, connecting them and forming the fabric. When different color threads are used for the warp and weft, patterns can be formed.

In tartan, these patterns are formed by alternating stripes repeated in the same manner on both the weft and the warp. The areas where the colors intersect create shaded areas that add visual texture and interest to the pattern. This repetition distinguishes tartan from plaid, which is also defined as a textile with intersecting stripes of color that form a pattern. While tartans, with very few exceptions, always repeat the pattern of stripes both horizontally and vertically or along both the warp and the weft of the fabric, plaid patterns are usually more random. As a result, all tartans are plaids, but not all plaids are tartans.

Traditional tartans were woven using natural wool and dyes from plant materials. To some extent, this helped establish the colors and patterns used, as the weavers were both inspired and restricted by the plants readily available in their location. As the people from a given area were often related by genetics or marriage and had access to only certain forms of tartan based on the available materials, the fabric patterns became associated with the people and clans who wore them.

A nearly infinite variety of tartans can exist, and in the early twenty-first century, there were well over seven thousand different types registered in a database with the Scottish Register of Tartans (SRT). The SRT was established by an act of the Scottish Parliament in November 2008 and launched in 2009. Its database includes tartans formerly recorded by the Scottish Tartans Society, which had previously long had the responsibility for keeping a record of all tartans and comparing any requested new patterns against the archive to ensure no two tartans were the same. It also includes some tartans from the Scottish Tartans Authority (STA) and the Scottish Tartans World Register (STWR). Oversight of the SRT was transitioned to a new office in the National Records of Scotland around 2009.

This record keeping is important since many variations of tartan are created for different purposes. For example, there are clan tartans, dress tartans, dancing tartans, and hunting tartans. Each has a characteristic look. Everyday clan tartans tend to be simpler patterns that could be economical for common people, while dress tartans tend to have the same pattern of colors as the clan tartans but with a white background. Dancing tartans are used by participants in the Highland games, events held in spring and fall in the Highlands and other areas with Celtic populations. The events involve eating, drinking, and playing of competitive games of strength and skill. Hunting tartans usually feature colors that are not as bright so that their wearers can blend into the woodlands more readily.

Tartan originated as a practical part of the apparel of the Ancient Celts, but it has evolved to worldwide prominence. Tartan flew into space with Apollo 12 when astronauts went to the moon in 1969. Tartans have been designed for Canadian provinces, American states, numerous law enforcement and military groups, and numerous businesses in all facets of industry and many countries. Tartans can also be found in contemporary fashion and home goods. Many tartans have been modernized in the twenty-first century to use unique fabrics and color patterns. Tartan also appears in a wide range of products. However, it remains most closely associated with Scotland and its people.

Bibliography

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Killgrove, Kristina. "DNA Reveals These Red-Haired Chinese Mummies Come from Europe and Asia." Forbes, 14 July 2020, www.forbes.com/sites/kristinakillgrove/2015/07/18/these-red-haired-chinese-mummies-come-from-all-over-eurasia-dna-reveals. Accessed 1 Nov. 2024.

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"A Meeting of Civilisations: The Mystery of China's Celtic Mummies." Independent, 28 Aug. 2006, www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/a-meeting-of-civilisations-the-mystery-of-chinas-celtic-mummies-5330366.html. Accessed 1 Nov. 2024.

The Scottish Register of Tartans, www.tartanregister.gov.uk/index. Accessed 1 Nov. 2024.

"Tartan FAQ." ScotClans, www.scotclans.com/scottish-clans/tartan-pattern-book/tartan-faq. Accessed 1 Nov. 2024.

"What is Tartan?." Scottish Tartans Museum and Heritage Center, scottishtartansmuseum.org/education/what-is-tartan. Accessed 1 Nov. 2024.

Wood, Scot Meacham. "Ask a Designer: What's the Difference between Tartan and Plaid?" House Beautiful, 7 Apr. 2014, www.housebeautiful.com/home-remodeling/interior-designers/q-and-a/a2099/difference-between-tartan-and-plaid. Accessed 1 Nov. 2024.