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As the world changes
around us, old ideas like clanship must find new ways
to grow and inspire future generations. I’m certain
that interest and enthusiasm for the clans runs much
deeper and is more widespread in Scotland than a
simple headcount of members in clan societies would
suggest. Clan identity roots us in the history and
future of our own families, but people need new ways
to express their interest in their clans - not to
replace what we have now, but to add to it.eet the
needs of tomorrow.
In 2008, I developed plans for a new Foundation for
the Clans and Names of Scotland, with the aim of
finding new ways for people to engage with their
clans. For one reason and another these plans have
taken a back seat in recent years, but I’m still
pursuing one aspect of my original proposal: A Visitor
Centre for the Clans and Names of Scotland. I believe
that a visitor centre or Clans Museum focussing on the
clans and names as a whole would go a long way to meet
the original aims and help individuals reconnect with
their own clans.
The idea for a Clans Football League received initial
encouragement from Gordon Smith, Chief Executive of
the Scottish Football Association (SFA), who believed
it would find a natural home in the Scottish Welfare
Football Association (SWFA) where it could draw on
both amateur and ex-professional players.
Unfortunately, it was not possible to make further
progress with the SWFA as it was at that time. Since
then, occasional unofficial inter-clan football
matches have taken place, and clan components have
also been introduced at other sporting events such as
the Loch Ness Marathon.
The original draft discussion document for the Clans
Foundation is posted below. Although I’m concentrating
on just two particular aspects right now, I haven’t
abandoned the rest of the project, and I know that
other people have also found this paper helpful as a
reference point.
You might also be interested in these articles about
clan history:
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The
Clans
Foundation of Scotland
Draft
Discussion Paper
WHAT
IS A CLAN?
The word ‘clan’ is used by the Court of the Lord Lyon to
refer to everyone whose name, ancestry or allegiance
binds them together in an extended kinship group. This
means that the modern clan is made up of all the direct
descendants of the clansmen of old and everyone who
shares the name, whether or not they join their clan
societies or wear the tartan.
WHY DO CLANS MATTER?
The clans are a unique element of Scotland’s heritage
and should be a source of pride for generations to come.
Identification with the clan can be a source of personal
pride and can help individuals from all walks of life to
develop their own sense of identity in a positive and
fulfilling way, within the context of society at large.
A clan is the common inheritance of everyone whose name
or ancestry stems from the clan.
However, without intervention, the clans are likely to
become increasingly perceived as an aspect of Scottish
history alone rather than as a current phenomenon.
THE CLANS IN TROUBLE
The number of people in Scotland who feel positively
connected with their own clan identity appears to be
dwindling, but the idea of ‘the clan’ is only meaningful
if a significant number of clan members subscribe to the
idea.
It is difficult for individuals to engage with their
clans outside the forum of the clan society. Clan
societies and gatherings are sometimes perceived as
socially conservative and hierarchical, which leads some
clan members to avoid them.
Current interest is often focussed on the clans as a
historical phenomenon, rather than as living entities
with a future as well as a past. Despite this focus on
clan history, the quality of research and writing on
clan history is extremely variable, and there appears to
be no forum for scholarly criticism or exchange of
views.
Therefore, we shall establish THE
CLANS FOUNDATION OF
SCOTLAND to help look after the interests of
all the clans.
Aims
and
objectives of the Clans Foundation
Specifically, we will seek to further these aims:
1. To enhance the standing of the clans in modern
Scottish culture
2. To enable the clans to reach out to a wider range of
people in Scotland today
3. To allow the clans to work for the benefit of
Scottish society at large
4. To help people find new ways to connect with their
clan identity
5. To enable everyone to play a real and useful part in
clan life, whether or not they belong to a clan society
or organisation
6. To pull the idea of the clan out of its purely
historical context and make it a living reality
7. To help improve the standard of research and debate
on clan history
8. To uphold the traditions of the clans as they have
developed to date, insofar as they are compatible with
other aims of the Foundation
The Clans Foundation is envisaged as a small
organisation which works with a great range of other
bodies and individuals. Some of these bodies might
represent clans, some will be involved in areas of
social care. The Clans Foundation will not attempt to
interfere with the autonomy of any group, nor to
double-up on services already provided by such a group.
Benevolent
work
The
clan
is about more than wearing tartan. If it means anything,
it should mean that we all share a responsibility for
our fellow clan members. Thus, benevolent work should be
seen as one of the cornerstones of the modern clan’s
identity and The Clans Foundation will aim to foster
clan-based benevolent work outside the scope of clan
societies.
Much of this work will focus on two key aspects:
1. Raising awareness of the clans in deprived
individuals
2. Encouraging more people to play a part in caring for
their fellow clansfolk
Initially, it is the first of these strategies which is
likely to be more important, and its significance is
considered below.
DEVELOPING CLAN IDENTITY IN SOCIETY
The idea of ‘the clan’ represents a small-scale social
unit of group identity, smaller and more homely than the
national group. It is somewhere that we belong, purely
by dint of who we are; it is our extended family. For
people who feel alienated or excluded from society at
large, such a clan identity could potentially play an
immensely positive role in their reintegration into
mainstream society. Clan identity can contribute to a
sense of individuality and self worth. It is only when
people value themselves that they are able to value
their environment. Thus, developing a sense of clan
identity among deprived individuals can have a
far-reaching positive impact.
The Clans Foundation will co-operate with professionals
and volunteers working with disadvantaged individuals to
provide resources and information on their clan
heritage. These resources will be made available through
existing programmes of help wherever possible. Although
in the first instance we will rely on pre-existent
networks of professionals and volunteers, we aim to
attract new volunteers motivated to work in these areas
in support of their fellow clansfolk.
The following groups have been identified as likely
beneficiaries of this work:
- Disadvantaged young people including young offenders
- Military veterans
- Elderly people
In each case, there are existing support schemes in
place, to which the Clans Foundation scheme can be
operated as an adjunct. Each group includes people who
find themselves divorced from the wider community, and
who have suffered a loss of pride and self-esteem.
Through the Clans Foundation scheme, we aim to restore
their sense of self-worth, and to help them view
themselves as part of a national community.
CLAN-BASED YOUTH HOLIDAYS
The Clans Foundation will seek to support clan-based
Youth Adventure Holidays, which will be provided through
existing youth-support organisations. These will provide
an opportunity for young people from all walks of life
to meet on equal terms within the context of the clan.
It is anticipated that holidays will be organised on a
clan-by-clan footing, based loosely on a common format
with shared expertise. The Clans Foundation will liase
with Youth Groups to identify children from deprived
backgrounds who might benefit from this experience.
Where possible, the clan homeland is recommended as the
setting for the holiday, which should include visits to
sites of historical significance as well as activities
through which the children can engage with the natural
environment.
ADOPTION AND FOSTERING
The Clans Foundation will also contact groups involved
in adoption and in finding foster-homes for children,
and explore the possibilities of providing clan-based
parenting for children in need. The clan is an extended
family, and we believe this sense of shared identity
could help some children to feel more securely rooted
with their adoptive/foster family, and indeed help
parents or guardians to bond with their children. We
believe that care within the clan will have profound
benefits for some of these children, which will last
throughout their adult lives.
Once again, in this context the Clans Foundation would
exist principally as a bridge between individuals and
the agencies involved in fostering and adoption.
THE CLANS IN BUSINESS
In the longer term, The Clans Foundation hopes to
encourage the establishment of support schemes in
business and employment. Individual schemes might
operate on a clan-by-clan basis, or be established
around local and regional communities or businesses.
Many of these schemes are expected to allow for a fair
degree inter-clan support.
We aim to encourage clan-based work placements,
apprenticeships and workplace mentoring (whereby an
older clan member looks out for a new employee). We will
also encourage clan-based ‘dragons’, whereby established
businessmen and potential investors give special hearing
to clan members for enterprise funding and business
advice.
Other
Projects
CLAN FAIRS
The Clans Foundation will organise fairs in Scottish
cities, celebrating our clan heritage. These fairs will
provide an opportunityfor ordinary people to make new
connections with their clan and with aspects of
Scotland’s history.
CLAN FOOTBALL
The Clans Foundation will work with the SFA to develop a
Clans’ Football League. We hope to encourage individuals
or societies to come forward and organise their own clan
teams, which would have the opportunity to compete for a
new Clans Cup.
Football is Scotland’s most popular game. It might have
no special historical connection with the clans, but it
does connect with Scots today, and it evokes precisely
the kind of tribal loyalty which the clans themselves
should.
CLAN DNA
The Clans Foundation will work towards the construction
of a complete map of Scotland’s Y-DNA. Many smaller
projects already exist, linked with individual names and
clans, and they already exchange information, but there
is currently no framework to put it all together.
The Clans Foundation will encourage men to take a Y-DNA
test to establish the haplotype of their male line, and
will also seek to collate results from Y-DNA tests,
correlating surname and regional origins with haplotype
groups.
The results of this project will reveal the Y-DNA
origins of families across Scotland, and will shed new
light on the true history of the clans. It will also
foster an increased awareness of how the pattern of the
clans is still a part of our genetic make-up today.
Publications
PEER-REVIEWED JOURNAL
Clan history is too often the exclusive realm of the
amateur historian, who is informed more by the love of
his clan than by an understanding of historical
principles. However, there is nothing inherently amateur
about the subject, which offers a broader vista on
Scottish history through a kaleidoscope of narrower
visions. In view of this, the Clans Foundation will seek
to establish a peer-reviewed journal devoted to the
history, archaeology and culture of the Scottish clans.
Contributors will be encouraged to write for a wide
readership without losing academic credibility – this
subject has a potential readership outside the academic
world, which should be drawn into the debate. It is
important not to simply move the forum of debate away
from the clan societies into the universities, but to
encourage amateur historians and others with an interest
in clan history to accept the rigors of academic method.
SOURCE MATERIALS
The Clans Foundation should be able to originate
materials to enable its work where necessary. These may
include brief history sheets for each clan presented to
capture the imagination for use in benevolent work;
reference documents collating information on clan
ceremonial; framework documents encapsulating common
ideas and incorporating new approaches which could
expand the scope of clans and societies.
The Clans Foundation will also investigate the potential
uptake for source materials for schools, and the
possibility of compiling an Encyclopaedia of the Clans,
with authoritative articles by various clan historians.
Traditional
aspects
of the Clans
The clans connect us with our past and with our extended
kindred, and we celebrate that connection through
traditions and ceremonies. This sense of history and
continuity embodied in these traditions and ceremonies
is an important part of what makes the clans significant
to many people.
CHIEFS AND CHIEFTAINS
Although seeking to promote the clan as a modern
egalitarian body, we see the position of the Clan Chief
as potentially pivotal. The chief has traditionally been
at the heart of the clan, and a committed chief can play
an immensely positive role in the modern clan. As such,
we encourage clan chiefs and chieftains to take a
leading role in clan life.
The chiefs of clans are already represented by the
Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs, and many of their
concerns may be addressed through that body. If we are
contacted by chiefs who would rather pass on their
position to another person, we would seek to work in
conjunction with them and the Standing Council to
explore the possibility of using the ancient system
of tanistry to help them relinquish their position. The
Clans Foundation would seek clarification on the current
legal status of tanistry, and press for any necessary
legal changes.
GAMES AND CEREMONIES
Although the main emphasis shall be on finding new ways
to celebrate our clan heritage, we shall also promote
and support traditional clan activities, such as
Highland Games, Clan Gatherings and Parliaments, Clan
Societies, Caledonian Balls. We also recognise that this
is a developing tradition, with ceremonies such as
Tartan Day and Kirking the Tartan evolving recently. We
aim to help the traditions of the clans to expand and
develop for the future.
In particular, we suggest that there should be a way for
individuals to express deep commitment to their clan
through a ceremony or rite of passage, and that such
commitment should be formally recognised by the chief.
Beyond
the Scottish Clans
The Clans Foundation will not define the clans to
exclude those who are not associated with any of the
historical clans. Instead we will support attempts to
roll out the notion of clans to include other groups not
traditionally associated with any clan (such as some
Lowland families and ethnic minority groups). However,
the lead in adoption of clan identity must come from the
individual family or group, and not from The Clans
Foundation.
Although the Clans Foundation shall focus on the clans
within Scotland, it will also engage with offshoots of
the Scottish clans around the world.
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